Tips to help with sleep

A glass of warm milk can quickly put someone to sleep when suffering from insomnia.

A well used and healthy body has very little trouble sleeping. If you have followed all the tips for getting enough sleep sleeping on a regular schedule, avoiding caffeine and daytime naps, exercising regularly, and managing stress. Then you will probably only have trouble falling asleep ocassionaly.

Insomnia may mean you have a hard time going to sleep or that you have a hard time staying asleep. Usually, you will know if you are experiencing insomnia because you will remember tossing and turning or being awake at night.

Make sure your bed is comfortable. Different types of mattresses help with different issues. Some mattresses are made to accommodate different types bedmates sleeping habits and comfort levels. Others are made to adjust to your firmness preferences. In addition, try therapeutic-shaped foam pillows that cradle your neck or extra pillows that help you sleep on your side. Make sure your sheets are comfortable and clean.

Ensure your bedroom remains primarily a place for sleeping. Dont use your bed for paying bills, doing work, etc. Help your body recognize that this is a place for rest or intimacy.

Keep your bedroom peaceful and comfortable. Make sure your room is well ventilated and the temperature is consistent, and try to keep it quiet. If you have a problem with outside noise, a fan or a white noise machine can help block it out.

Hide your clock. A big, illuminated digital clock may cause you to focus on the time and make you feel stressed and anxious. Place your clock so you cant see the time when you are in bed.

Do not nap during the day. If you are having trouble sleeping at night, try not to nap during the day. If you are feeling especially tired and feel as if you absolutely must nap, be sure to sleep for less than 30 minutes, early in the day.

Limit caffeine and alcohol. Avoid drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages for several hours before bedtime.

Dont smoke. Nicotine is a stimulant and can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Expose yourself to bright light/sunlight soon after awakening. This will help to regulate your bodys natural biological clock. Likewise, try to keep your bedroom dark while you are sleeping so that the light will not interfere with your rest.

Exercise early in the day. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.

Check your iron level. Iron deficient women tend to have more problems sleeping, so if your blood is iron poor, a supplement might help

But the best suggestion comes from our mothers, a glass of warm milk will always help but you to sleep.

Many people are looking for a solution to panic attacks. In some cases, they believe they have tried everything and wonder if a cure exists. They feel let down by the medical profession who prescribe symptom masking drugs, or useless psychiatric therapies. A different approach is needed.

What causes panic attacks? There are different theories about this. Those who favor the medication option like to talk of a chemical imbalance in the brain. But since there is no test for this, it remains just a theory.

Other experts put it down to bottled up emotions but who doesn’t have those? Fortunately, most of us don’t end up with severe panic attacks.

Some blame exhaustion, mental, physical or emotional, that leads to a state of generalized anxiety. This leaves us more sensitive to potential triggers. A strange bodily sensation or a dark thought has us spiraling towards panic.

When it is labeled, ‘Anxiety Disorder’ by the medical profession, it just adds to the belief that there is something for you to worry about.

Eventually, you go into a full on panic attack. Your blood is suffused with oxygen and adrenaline. Your body is preparing itself to deal with a threat. This causes some strange sensations but it is just your body’s way of protecting you.

You are not in conscious control of this but you don’t need to be. It is the same system that allows you to breathe without thinking about it. Everything is OK but it doesn’t feel OK. You want to fight the feeling but that only makes it seem more frightening.

In trying to end your panic attacks by fighting them, you are trying to control what can’t be controlled and giving energy to it. But there is no need to control it. As terrible as it feels, it can’t hurt you, any more than your blood pumping in your veins can hurt you. In normal circumstances, once the perceived danger is past, a second automatic system kicks in to restore everything to normal. It is just a question of waiting for that to happen.

Preventing panic attacks requires a new attitude to the onset of these feelings. Then you must take steps to reduce your general anxiety level. Lastly, the change must be made permanent. Setbacks are normal and part of the healing process. You can end your panic attacks by following some simple techniques.

Part one of this plan is very surprising. It requires you to embrace your panic attacks and explore them with interest. It is surprising how quickly your fear of them drops away. There is work to do but it is not difficult. Anyone can end their panic attacks.