mo_cash79: 2008-03-27

says:

Bedtime rituals are important for kids, and grownups too. Do the same routine every night for 2 weeks, and see if that doesn't make a difference. A bath, a story, getting tucked in, a goodnight kiss - does wonders.

Taking a warm bath or hot shower helps because when you go to sleep, your body temp dips, and the heat helps to raise your body temp, helping it to dip when you get out of the tub. Lavender is a soothing scent.

Tuck yourself in - make your bed inviting. Are there enough pillows, blankets. Fresh sheets, nice textures are inviting. Comfortable pajamas. (flannel sheets + flannel pj's = stick like velcro not a winning combo) (silk sheets+ satin pj's = slide right out of bed!)

warm laundry is said to be a remedy for insomnia. Sometimes I put a towel, or my whole comforter in the dryer, and then wrap up in it when it's warm.

Warm milk (especially boxed or canned) has a lot of tryptophan - that stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy. Camomile tea, ginger tea, mint tea - no-caffeine -all soothe upset/nervous stomaches - aid digestion. can't sleep with your stomach in knots.

Also - if you're "up" when you go to bed, your mind must be trying to make sure you think/remember/worry about something important. Write it down so your brain knows you won't forget it and it will let you relax a little. Tell that restless kid inside that he/she is not missing anything - it's ok to go to sleep. 

good luck. 

Louise: 2007-07-25

says: I lay in bed and try to relax each body part, breath deeply & quiet my mind.  If I haven't slept in 30-60 minutes I check in with my body to see if there is any pain or discomfort in it.  If there is, I get up & stretch or take pain killers.  Then, I try again, for 30-60 minutes.  At that point, if I'm not asleep I'll get up & read, do light housework or figure, as I once read, rest is about 70% as restorative as sleep & kind of meditate for the rest of the night.

ATV-Nancy: 2007-07-22

says: I read just before bed the reading lesson helped me quite a bit. And doing some off line journaling if I've not done it earlier in the day yet. News or thriller tv shows effect me that way too so I have to turn the tube off 30 min. before bed too.

Violet: 2007-06-22

says: I always focus on my breathing which is a meditative breathing. I push my breath out, like blowing a candle but not as hard. Then breath in through my nose, filling the bottom of my lungs and then further toward my shoulders. Breathing out is important 'cuz you'll always breath in naturally. It can take a while but soon it's natural and doesn't get caught. I tell my daughter to do this and picture breathing in and out of each color of the rainbow: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. It's relaxing and helps clear my mind. And a funny one was the night she woke us from a sound sleep, saying she couldn't. J reached out with his big hand to the top of her head like a healing, heh. He said you have to go think of dolphins and bunny's. But now we laugh about dolphins and snuggle bunnies.

beta01: 2007-05-24

says: Its part of your midlife time(you could look at it as a way to catch up on your reading). Your body does weird things as it grows older

Mosaic Moon: 2007-05-11

says:

Hi there,

My first suggestion is to stick with Tools. You will receive "tools" that will help you with this.

Secondly, about an hour before bed...turn off the tv and listen to some soft relaxation music. Take about 15 minutes and do some deep breathing and just relax. Take a warm bath with some soothing bath salts and just try to release the stress and tension from the day. 

I'm very sensitive to what I do right before bed.  I'll have some very strange dreams and then realize it's because I watched the news or talked about a stressful topic before bed.

Since taking the time for myself (and later using the tools we learn) I've been able rest easy. I hope this helps!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Mosaic