I have posted my 4 steps to a good nights' sleep many times on other people's blog comments, and thought maybe I should go ahead and do a blog and expand on them a bit. A lot of my friends seem to have trouble getting to sleep at night. Perhaps this will help...if not, feel free to call me at 3am and cuss me out.
Here are my basic 4 steps: 1. No caffeine after 4pm. 2. Take a nice hot bubble bath. 3. Write whatever is bothering you in a journal. 4. Pleasure yourself thoroughly. hehe
These always work for me, I rarely have trouble sleeping and usually manage to sleep 8-9 hours per night. I know there are some people out there who can get by on 3 hours of sleep and wake up looking fresh as a daisy. If you are one of these people, go away cause I hate you.
1. No caffeine- this is very important...if you feel you must have something, have some decaf coffee or some herbal tea. I particularly like Celestial Seasonings Honey Chamomile. Don't drink a lot of water right before bed either, or you will end up making mucho trips to the potty all night long. Drink your water early on and taper it off towards the end of the day. I do keep a glass by my bed and take sips of it but if I guzzle it I will end up stumbling to the toilet all night.
2. Bubble bath- I know, I can hear a lot of you people groaning, "UGH I hate baths... I take showers, I don't have time to sit in a cesspool of my own filth!" Whatever, kiss it. Don't knock it til you try it. Even you manly men would enjoy a nice hot bubble bath, surrounded by candles, with some soothing music playing- (perhaps some new age crap like they play when you get a massage), after a stressful day. Feel free to enjoy step 4 simultaneously. Hey, you can kill two birds with one stone, I am all for economizing time. May I suggest some LUSH bath products for you...they make bathing an ART FORM not a dull routine. My favorite products tend to be pink and girly, but I will suggest a few that are gender-neutral... Waving not drowning bath bomb: Relaxes and soothes the soul like a field of lavender Waving Not Drowning is perfect before bed to bring on sweet dreams. Drop one of these in the tub for soft lilac water and a soothing, lavender fragrance to help you unwind after a long day. Fennel essential oil eases your worries so you can forget about counting sheep and get a decent night's sleep. Never travel without one.
Pop that in the tub, and then crumble a bubble bar into the running water, may I suggest: French Kiss Bubble Bar: Lavender bath helps you perfect the art of relaxation A French Kiss bubble bath is the perfect kiss goodnight. The fragrances of lavender, rosemary and thyme bring to mind a relaxing nap in the French countryside with the thick, white bubbles standing in for billowing clouds in a clear blue sky. There's no better way to unwind after a long day than a soak in a French Kiss bubble bath.
If there are no stores near you, head to www.lush.com.
3. What is bothering you: This is the most common thief of a good nights' sleep and I am not immune to it. We as humans tend to over-analyze and torture ourselves. Going over conversations in our head, re-reading emails and IMs, trying to find hidden meanings in song lyrics....yes you are not alone there. Lying awake full of what ifs...What if I'd done this, or that, or what if they'd done that, or this, or perhaps wondering what to do next....or dreading the upcoming holidays knowing that most likely you will be alone... again...and wondering if your future self is a toothless hairy-chinned hag surrounded by cats. *Ahem* But I digress.. Get out a journal. Get off the feckin computer, get into bed and start writing. Write the conversation down that is bothering you. Write down your goals for the future. If someone has done something that is bothering you, write them a letter explaining how it has affected you and forgive them. If you are mad at yourself, write yourself a letter explaining why you did it and remember that you are human and make mistakes, and forgive yourself. When you are done, close the journal. Turn off the light, and do step 4. If you have already done step 4 during step 2, you can choose to instead read a nice book. Nothing too stimulating, perhaps a comforting book from your childhood....Don't get back on the effing computer and don't turn on the tv. Enjoy quiet time with yourself!
4. Pleasuring yourself- hey why not. It's fun, it's healthy and it will definitely help you sleep. I can't say enough good things about it, as anyone who has read my bulletins can attest.
I would also like to mention exercise...it can really help also. Head to the gym, take a walk, have a nice long swim. Then go home and do steps 1-4. I guarantee you will collapse into unconsciousness afterwards. Just be sure to work out early in the day and not at 9pm because it may have the opposite effect and you will end up pumped up with nowhere to go, like Roger. *Roger would like me to add that that is not funny and can he please come out of the closet now?*
1.No caffeine after 4pm. covered I don't drink coffee or caffeine drinks 2. Take a nice hot bubble bath. :o( nope our bath is small and not great for my abundance even greased lol 3. Write whatever is bothering you in a journal. Covered seee my blogs :o) 4. Pleasure yourself thoroughly. righteo (whistles....) hmmmmm has its merits
Kyrenza I am picturing you living in a shoebox from the sound of things. Is there anyway you can foresee moving in the future to somewhere more comfortable where you can have a nice chair and a larger tub???
Celestial Seasonings also has Tension Tamer and Sleepytime which help. I have a terrible time sleeping especially since the menopause thing kicked in. I have a few additional hints even though I have yet to be successful at getting more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. If you have hot flashes and/or nightsweats, room temperature is so important. TURN OFF THE TV in your bedroom. It used to be my help getting through those long sleepless nights but, the reality is, it kept me awake. If you have to pee, pee. The feeling does not go away. This may sound gross and I apologize but it worked for me. I keep water beside the bed, as well, but don't drink it. I take a sip and spit it out in another cup. Tylenol PM can be a last resort. I am not a fan of pills but sometimes it is better than not sleeping.
Yeah I started to add a suggestion for a last resort: Soma (Muscle relaxer) it will put you in an 8-hour coma (see how it rhymes that is no coincidence) and has no lasting residual drowsiness the next day like Tylenol PM. As always, follow the dosage as directed and don't blame me for any side effects. I only like to play doctor, I'm really not a professional.
Now can you write 4 steps for staying awake please?? I can sleep fine at night usually... but when I get stressed I fall asleep in the day. I can be in a meeting... and the more I shou.d listen, the more my eyes close.
SO remedies please!
A cold bath with no bubbles? Maybe I should pleasure myself during meetings? Hmmm.
For reasons too scary to post, I have not slept for more than 3-4 hours per night for around four years now. I have become a 'desperado' so will try steps 1 - 4 watch this space! Thank you for posting the above. Hmmm Bring on the Lush products-xx-
All good and thanks for that. But I rarely have trouble getting to sleep. My problem is STAYING asleep! I wake at 2, 3 or 4 and don't go back to sleep. And it's becoming boring!
Yep, Margaret, I'm the same but it's usually due to stress & I just don't realise it. When I'm not stressed out I sleep like a baby.
Thanks Jules for posting this, I think writing problems down definitely helps...gives me a chance to see how small & insignificant my problems actually are, lol! Anyway, I shall follow your advice to the letter. xxx
Yes, I'm sure it's a stress thing. I go to sleep because I'm really tired - but then I wake in the wee small hours, my brain switches ON and witters anbout everything and nothing! So annoying!
It really does. I go back and look at journals and read about stuff that seemed SOOOO important and bothered me so badly and I laugh and think what an idiot I was!!
sleep is like a dream lover in the night to me. promises a lot ,but ends up very disappointing . As for your four steps, 1)Coffee as no effect on my sleep patterns...i even gave it up completely, drank only water. still couldn't sleep. 2)Tried baths, but by the time i've finished playing with my rubber duck..i'm wide awake and he's fast asleep 3)Writing a journal, i do they are called poems. they send other people to sleep, not me though! 4)I'm suffering from repetitive strain injury( it was far too much to handle) so pleasuring myself is out of the question
As for exercise, i'm on my feet 9 hrs a day and sometimes going up 3 flights of stairs at regular intervals...still sleep evades my grasp like a bar of slippery soap in the shower
I think I'd better not write my thoughts down in a journal unless I have a really secure place to hide it.... My thoughts--the ones that keep me awake--are not ones I want others to stumble upon!
Bubble baths, lavender, wanking .. all good. Journals, yes and no, they can just affirm and refresh said worries rather than "put them to bed". Caffeine, hmm .. I think tea has caffeine in it .. so NO !
Try plenty of your favoured alcohol .. and rest assured :)))
I never have trouble falling asleep, I have problems staying asleep. If I wake up in the middle of the night I often just get up for a little while, read emails, read blogs, have a glass of water and go back to bed. If I just stay in bed I start over-thinking everything.
if i have been out drinking i have no problem falling asleep.
normally though i am a light sleeper, only since having children though as i have slept through a ceiling falling in before, thus i wake about 2 or 3 times a night so its getting back to sleep thats the hassle. i just read a book that helps, or if all else fails read Jules blogs they soon send me to sleep......only joking....lol
I am a light sleeper too unfortunately...but usually I go right back to sleep. Alex can sleep through ANYTHING...we have picked her up and moved her, I've changed all the sheets on the bed with her on there...you name it LOL.
May i suggest that for help falling asleep after steps 1-4 don't help maybe trying the natural herb Melatonin. Take one or two tablets about a hour before bed. It is something your body produces anyway to help you sleep. As for staying awake during the day try adding B-12 vitamins.
Waving not drowning bath bomb:
French Kiss Bubble Bar:
