Insomnia is a real medical condition in which you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Most experience it occasionally, particularly during life disruptions. Doctors tell us for those rare instances it is okay to take sleeping medication. They are useful short term to help you get back on a normal sleeping schedule. Use them for more than a few days and they stop being a solution and become part of the problem. For that reason, when using medication for insomnia, follow the rules for a good night’s sleep as well. After a few days, you will no longer need the medication.

Here are Eight Steps to Better Sleep Without Medication:

1.   Avoid caffeinated drinks after 3:00 p.m. If there is already a disruption in your life causing insomnia, further stimulation will aggravate it.
2.   You may think a drink or two will ready you for sleep and it will. The problem is that after the initial calming effect, alcohol acts as a stimulant and interferes with sleep.
3.   Start preparing for sleep an hour or two before bedtime. Do this by turning off phones, computers and T.V.’s. Reading yourself to sleep with a backlit electronic device may interfere with deep restorative sleep.
4.   Give the sleep hormone melatonin a head start by turning lights and noise down well ahead of actual bedtime. Soft music, reading and meditation or prayer in a low light setting are good ways to help your body get ready for sleep.
5.   A light snack that includes dairy and complex carbohydrates may help you fall asleep easier. Choose crackers and cheese, toast and milk, yogurt or cereal.
6.   Keep the temperature comfortable and the room dark and quiet. You do not want your sleep interrupted by uncomfortable temperatures, sudden light or noise. If there are others in your home, draw your sleep boundaries and insist others respect them.
7.   Pain will interfere with deep sleep even if it does not wake you fully. You may need a new mattress. Memory foam mattresses support the body without painful pressure points.
8.   Go to bed early enough to allow for eight full hours of sleep.

Following good sleep habits while using sleep medication will allow you to continue sleeping well without medication after a few days. Just as breaking bad habits takes time and discipline so does developing good habits. Good sleep habits will serve you well your whole life. A Live and Sleep Memory Foam mattress contributes to healthy sleep habits!

This website is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Live & Sleep is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of this website. Always consult your own GP if you’re in any way concerned about your health.