Nighttime Relief

If counting sheep doesn’t work for you, then try these tips:

• Rule out pain — A minor headache, muscle ache or body pain can disrupt your sleep, even if you feel fine before hitting the sack. If that’s the case, review the sections on Headaches & Migraines or Body Aches & Pain to get more information about how you can relieve your pain. 
• Take a hot bath — A hot bath is soothing and relaxing and provides the perfect prep for good quality sleep 
• Rate your sleepiness  — You may have gone to bed before you were ready to fall asleep. If that’s the case, go to another room and do another quiet activity like reading or sipping hot chamomile tea.
• Block out distractions — Light and noise (especially unexpected or unwanted) keep you awake. To aid sleep, try earplugs and an eyeshade or eye-mask to block distractions.
• Try sleeping alone — Move to another room and try to get some sleep away from your bed partner. (Just be sure to tell them that it’s nothing personal.)
• Ask for a massage — If you’re keeping your bed partner awake as well, ask for a massage to help relax.
• Try a relaxation exercise — Deep breathing exercises or meditation will help put you in a relaxed state. 
• Visualize yourself to sleep — Imagine yourself drifting off to sleep in a relaxing location (like a hammock by the seaside) or doing something really boring (like counting sheep). Visualize as many details as possible. 
• Try ambient sounds — Turn on some quiet and soothing music or nature soundtracks to help you fall asleep. 
• Try eat foods rich in L-tryptophan — like milk, turkey, tuna and carbohydrates 
• Avoid alcohol as a solution — you may get to sleep more easily, but are more likely to wake later in the night
• Try an over-the-counter (OTC) medication specifically designed to aid sleep — Look for an OTC sleep aid, like SIMPLY SLEEP^®, that contains an antihistamine that has sedative effect and has an excellent safety profile. Ask your pharmacist for advice.

Preventative measures are also important to aid sleep.

If nothing is helping to aid your sleep, your insomnia lasts more than two weeks, or any time you feel unsure about any of your symptoms, see your doctor. Your doctor may:

• Prescribe medication to aid sleep
• Look for an underlying medical condition that may be causing your sleeplessness and prescribe or recommend medication for that condition.

Before your doctor’s appointment, prepare a sleep log and for each day write down:

• When you feel tired during the day
• How long you sleep at night
• How many times you wake up at night