Nutritional (and Lifestyle) Advice to Prevent Insomnia
- Decrease the activity of the sympathetic nervous system by practicing meditation, yoga, Taichi, Qi Gong, and stretching exercises.
- Change poor sleep hapits such as watching TV in bed or keeping an irregular bedtime.
- Avoid using stimulates such as tobacco, caffeine, and alcohol within 6 hours of bed time. The best time to drink coffee is in the morning because some people, especially women, cannot clear up the caffeine in their bodies within 12 hours.
- Engage in regular physical activity, especially yoga and pilates, which enhance parasympathetic funciton.
- Check all your medications to see whether they affect your sleep. Many people taking anti-depression and anti-anxiety medications experience insomnia so check with your doctor to see whether you could adjust your dosage or schedule to avoid sleep problems.
- Stick to established bedtimes and waking times, 7 days a week.
- Reserve the bed for sleep and sexual activity only.
- Don't stay in bed for longer than 8 hours and try to avoid taking long naps.
- Use the evening hours for settling down; avoid challenging activities before bedtime.
- Eat meals at regularly scheduled times and eliminate late dinners and bedtime snacks.
- Once you are in bed, relax from head to toe, and guide your mind towards pleasant thoughts
- Get plenty of sunlight outdoors, particularly later in the afternoon.
- Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cool. Try using a sleep mask and earplugs to help you sleep.
- Restrict nighttime liquid consumption to reduce the need to get up to urinate, but don't go to bed thirsty.
- Avoid uneven noises but sometimes a steady "white noise" such as a running fan cna help.
- Turn off the bright screens of the television or computer during during the evening and at night.
©2009 Li Zheng