Cure Your Insomnia

When you are in bed and looking at your clock slowly pass the time, you might find yourself becoming very frustrated and depressed. Insomnia is something that no one wants to suffer from but which millions of people do suffer from. There are simple solutions which you can try that may cure you with little effort.

When you have insomnia, thinking about how much time you have wasted lying in bed watching the clock makes it even harder to fall asleep. You become anxious knowing that instead of getting a full eight hours of sleep, the best you can get now is perhaps five or six.

The first thing you can do is stop looking at your clock. Move it so it is out of your direct line of sight. If you do this you won’t be so tempted to stare at it. The added pressure of how much sleep you have already lost will be removed and you will be much more likely to simply drift off to sleep.

If you don’t like this idea because you like to know what the time is when you wake up, then an alternative is to have a watch near the bed. If you have to turn on a light to view the time then you are much less likely to do that while trying to fall asleep.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that a lot of sleep problems are psychological problems. We think too much and analyse things too much. This is what is keeping us up at night. We need to learn to relax and not think about how much sleep we are or aren’t getting. Stop watching the clock and start sleeping.

Insomnia

I don’t know that I really suffer from insomnia. It’s just that I don’t want to sleep at night. I want to sleep in the morning. So if I didn’t have to get up to go to work then I’d be going to bed at 2 or 3am and getting up at 10 or 11am. That would mean I would get plenty of sleep each night. So the only reason I don’t get enough sleep is due to financial restrictions. I have to get up early to start work to make some money.

So if I was rich I wouldn’t have any problems sleeping. Looks like I’d better start buying lottery tickets again.

Nothing Much

Nothing much to report today. Slept to 9:30am yesterday but didn’t have too much trouble sleeping last night. I went to bed at 1am and was asleep fairly quickly. Didn’t want to get up this morning, as usual, but did anyway, as usual. I got 6 or 7 hours sleep. I just wish I could get a couple more each night. I really think that would make a difference.

I’m going on holiday in a couple of weeks so I’m looking forward to doing a lot of sleeping. I don’t want to use my alarm clock at all. I don’t actually have an alarm clock as I just use the alarm on my mobile. I wonder if people buy alarm clocks anymore. I hear sales of watches have dropped dramatically since mobiles have become popular. I don’t think I’ll be going in to watch or alarm clock business.

Not Feeling Well

I slept in to 9am this morning but it wasn’t enough. I really wanted to sleep much later. All day I have been tired and I just want to sleep. I tried to sleep this afternoon but even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t sleep.

I went to the park for a couple of hours today. Lying in the sun made me want to sleep but I managed to resist. I didn’t spend that much time in the sun but I got a little burnt. I’m surprised seeing it wasn’t that hot either. I spent an hour or two walking as well so that must have contributed. Now I have a major headache and I’m not feeling well at all. I must be dehydrated. I’ve been drinking lots of water but that hasn’t helped.

It’s 11pm now so I could go to bed but I know I won’t sleep so will stay up a while longer. This problem is that I have to be up at 7am tomorrow so at this rate it’s going to be another tiring day.

An Environment for Sleep – Tip 4

One of the most important things you can do to ensure that your baby sleeps through the night is to create a comfortable environment for him to sleep in. Initially most people think a room which is quiet is the best place for your baby to sleep. In most cases this isn’t the best solution. You have to keep in mind where your baby has been sleeping for the last nine months: in the womb.

During the baby’s time in the womb, he slept in all sorts of situations where he was surrounded by noise – while the mother was out in public or talking to people. It is for this reason that many people believe that the environment most conducive to a sleep is one that involves background noises.

Much like the baby in the womb became used to sleeping to the sounds of a mother’s beating heart, a baby will often sleep better when exposed to chatter and other sounds, as long as they are kept reasonably quiet. What you want to avoid are sudden loud noises which will, naturally, startle your baby.

Some parents choose to invest in products that replicate soothing sounds in the baby’s room but in most cases this is not necessary. It is simply enough to understand that an attempt to create complete silence when your baby is sleeping is often not as effective as leaving the door open a little. The ambient noise of the room and of other people moving around the house will in many cases make your baby sleep better.

For more tips on getting your baby to sleep, visit Stop Yawning.

Cleaning and Ironing

I’m having visitors today so even though I got home late last night I had to clean the apartment and do a heap of ironing. Ironing when it’s 35 degrees is not a good thing, believe me. I got it all done after an hour or so, dusted, vacuumed and put all the junk away, and now everything is spotless. Unfortunately this meant another late night. I didn’t get to bed until 1:30am but I fell asleep fairly quickly as I was exhausted. I was up at 8am this morning and would have loved to sleep in but I couldn’t. Hopefully tonight I’ll be able to get to bed before midnight.

One thing this shows, if I exercise a lot then I am more likely to sleep well. I was out all day yesterday and walked for a least 3 hours. Then I came home and cleaned and ironed for a couple of hours. I was physically tired which is why I had no problem getting to sleep. I think if I exercise more regularly then that should help me to sleep better.

Fast Asleep

Finally I did fall asleep quickly and slept through the night. I only got about 6 hours sleep but that was enough. It is too hot to sleep much. It was 22 or 23 last night and I’m sure it is much hotter in my apartment. Not really the right conditions for sleeping so I am happy with what I got.

I’m going to spend most of the day out today which is stupid because it is going to be in the high 30s. I agreed to meet F for lunch and am then going to spend a bit of time taking photos of beautiful Paris. Well, to be exact I’m going to be in Levallois which isn’t technically Paris but they have some of the most beautiful parks there so I should have plenty to keep me busy. I’ll then meet F after work and we’ll go into the centre of Paris, really only to buy our favourite olive oil from our favourite Greek deli in the 5th. It comes from Crete and is better than anything I have every had.

Baby Sleep Tips – Tip 3

Develop Sleep Associations

One of the key factors in your baby’s development is in creating associations with sleep. It is important to create a bedtime routine that includes sleep associations he or she can replicate for him or herself. The idea is to get your child to a point where if he wakes in the middle of the night he can go back to sleep on his own.

The worst thing you can do is get your child used to falling asleep with you there. If your child develops sleep associations with a pacifier or by being rocked, when he wakes up in the middle of the night he won’t be able to get back to sleep without those things.

Try getting your child to associate with things like a stuffed toy or blanket. The idea is that if your child makes sleep associations with these items, he can go back to sleep on his own when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Instead of waking up and crying for a feeding or to be rocked, the child will be able to grab his stuffed animal or blanket and fall sleep.

Also, parents should consider the use of what is called a transitional object. This is something you allow your child access to only before bedtime and which he can bring to bed. So as your child gets his final bedtime story let him to have his blanket or stuffed toy and allow him to keep the object with him as he is put to bed.

Baby Sleep Tips – Tip 2

Put Your Baby to Sleep in a Brightly Lit Room

Although it seems somewhat strange, when your baby sleeps ensure he or she does so in a well lit area. This will likely ensure that your baby sleeps for shorter periods of time which will make him more tired in the evening hours and help him sleep better at night.

The reason letting your baby sleep in a brightly lit room is a good idea is that it allows you to influence your baby’s sleep habits without too much direct interference. The problem is that nobody likes to wake up their baby while he is sleeping and yet at the same time you want to try and prevent him from sleeping throughout the day and bothering you at night. By letting your baby sleep in a well lit room you encourage shorter naps without actually having to go through the unpleasant experience of physically waking your child.

In keeping with this idea, try not to encourage long or extensive naps. Many parents, when they see their baby fall asleep during the day, will do everything they perceive as needed for their child’s comfort. This is natural, of course, but often extends to drawing the curtains and turning out the lights in the room. By doing this you are ensuring that your child will sleep for a long time and can count on him or her being awake repeatedly throughout the night

Couldn’t Sleep

I was very tired yesterday afternoon but resisted an afternoon nap. I went to bed fairly early, at 12:30 but didn’t sleep for a couple of hours. I woke up very early and couldn’t get back to sleep. It was very hot as it’s going to be 36C today and I think that was half the problem. I have to go out at lunch time today which is going to be a nightmare. I’d better not forget my hat. Surely it will have to cool down soon and maybe then I’ll get a good nights sleep.