The One-Minute
(or so)
Healer
by Dana Ullman
Insomnia
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The remedies
presented here have taken from the book: "The One Minute (or so)
Healer" by Dan Ullman, MPH. While we present 10 strategies here, the book
contains 24 one-minute strategies for
insomnia.)
Falling asleep can be so easy,
and yet at times it can be so difficult. When insomniacs meet with narcoleptics
(people who have an uncontrollable tendency to fall asleep throughout the day),
each is inevitably jealous of the other's condition.
The Zenlike solution for people
having difficulty falling asleep is to avoid trying so hard. However, telling an
insomniac to not try to fall asleep is like telling someone who is starving to
try to fast when sitting at a dinner table.
It may be reassuring to know
that 15 to 25 percent of all adults suffer regularly from insomnia, but this
awareness usually doesn't make falling asleep any easier. In fact, there are
probably readers who will now stay up nights organizing 3:00 A.M. meetings of
Insomniacs Anonymous.
While some insomniacs have
difficulty falling asleep, others wake up frequently and have problems staying
asleep.
The good news is that everyone
does not necessarily need to have eight hours of sleep a night. Some people
define themselves as "insomniacs" because they regularly sleep only
five or six hours, when they should think of themselves more accurately as
high-energy people who don't need a lot of sleep. Some people's body rhythms are
such that their highest and most creative energy occurs late at night. The
wakeful state that these people experience is not a sign of illness; it may
simply be a signal -- sometimes an exasperatingly loud one -- that the person
should use this alert time to do some creative work.
Perhaps the best way to
determine if you're getting enough sleep each night is if you feel rested and
refreshed upon waking. If you don't feel rested and need some help, read the
next set of strategies, and you may soon be getting sleepy, very sleepy... very,
very sleepy.
Relaxation trick #1
Hypnotize yourself. Feel total
relaxation in your feet, then slowly feel the relaxation move up your body. Tell
yourself that each part is feeling warm, comfortable, and relaxed. Use
diaphragmatic breathing that will help relax you further (see a more detailed
description of this type of breathing in the Asthma
chapter).
Relaxation trick #2
Massage the soles of your feet,
or preferably, have them massaged for you. This type of massage can be very
relaxing.
Don't sleep tight: Relaxation
trick #3
Take a warm bath in which you
add a couple of drops of one or more essential oils such as orange blossom,
meadowsweet, and hops.
The melatonin solution
Many people swear by this one.
Start by taking 1.5 mg of melatonin per day about two hours or less before
bedtime. If this doesn't work, gradually increase the dose until you find a dose
that seems to work (don't take more than 5 mg per day).
Hops to it
Hops is the herb that is used to
make beer, and it is also used by herbalists to help people fall asleep. Some
people brew a tea of it; others purchase the hops leaves and insert them into a
pillow. "Dream pillows" are also available for purchase; these are
small pillows filled with various sweet-smelling herbs that help you think sweet
thoughts and dream sweet dreams.
Don't count sheep, count on
sheep's wool
Wool blankets are better able to
regulate skin and body temperature than synthetic blankets. A comfortable
comforter may help you sleep better.
Avoid caffeinated products
Cafeine and other stimulants
lurk in unsuspecting places, including colas, aspirin, diet pills, black tea,
and of course, coffee. Nicotine in cigarettes is also a stimulant that will keep
you up at night.
Avoid catnaps
Day naps should be avoided if
you have problems with insomnia. Save your best 40 winks for nighttime.
Bedrooms are for sleeping
Avoid using your bedroom for
stressful activities such as paying bills or doing work. Let your bedroom be a
soothing, quiet, and relaxing place to be at all times.
Talk out loud
By vocally releasing the things
that are bothering you, you are letting go of them. Acknowledge your anxieties,
insecurities, and fears out loud. Get these emotions out and they may then let
you sleep. Keeping a journal can also be very cathartic.
This
article was
excerpted from
"The One Minute
(or so) Healer"
by
Dan Ullman, MPH
Info/Order this book
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