When I was younger I had a really hard time sleeping. I had bad nightmares, I would sleep walk and talk and sometimes I would wake up into a panic attack. As I have gotten older my sleeping problems have not decreased. I still have really bad nightmares all the time and I still wake up in a panic.
I have read many different posts online about how to help with sleeping problems, I have tried so many of the suggestions and ideas. But I still have trouble sleeping. I'm going to list a couple of things I have tried because they may be able to help others with sleeping problems.
1) The first thing that people recommend is to set a sleeping schedule. Make sure your getting a full 8 hours of sleep. Set a time that you go to sleep every night and set a time to wake up every morning, even on your days off from work or school. This will get you into a schedule so your body will feel more rested.
2) Make your bedroom a peaceful environment. Dim the lighting, turn your T.V off and try to read a calming book. Some people suggest to not have a T.V in your bedroom at all. And when I say a calming book....I mean something without action, drama and romance because those types of books are very interesting and may keep your mind wandering even after you put your book down. You want a calm book that will just relax you, there are lots of inspirational book, or even a book of poems.
3) Some sites recommend doing some yoga positions or meditation before bed. To calm your body and mind.
4) Taking a nice long hot bath can also help to calm your mind and body.
5) There is also the practice of visualization. Before you go to sleep close your eyes and think of some happy thoughts. Think of things that you would like to dream about. Thinking about these things right before you go to bed can actually help you to dream of nice things.
6) There is always the option of medication...But I think that should be a last resort!!
Now my sleeping problems still exist and I have not found anything to stop them but I have tried some new things that have helped a little. These last two suggestions are two things I have tried recently and I have only had one bad night in about a week since I incorporated these into my sleeping schedule.
-The first is to have some happy signs around you, paint a picture of something that makes you smile, or draw something, or even just write a quote/song/words that make you happy. Hang those up on your wall all around your bed. I love the show "The Big Bang Theory" and I love Sheldon Coopers "Soft Kitty" song so I drew a picture of that and put that next to my bed. I smile every time I look at it.
-The second new thing I have been doing may sound a little weird. I went online and researched different cultures to see spiritual objects or creatures meant to protect you from bad dreams. I found a story about a creature named "Baku." He is a creature from Chinese/Japanese culture and he is called the dream eater. So I wrote "Baku please protect me from nightmares" on some paper and hung it above my bed.
Now I am not saying these last two suggestions have cured my nightmares but for the past week they have helped, so I am going to keep them up and see how long it helps.
Now I do realize that some of the these may be all mind over matter, it's kinda like tricking your brain into thinking these things are helping. But I really don't care how it helps as long as it helps me get a good nights sleep. So Those are my suggestions and the things I have found online said to help. If you have trouble sleeping then give one of these a try or try all of them. Let me know if any of them help you.
Oh and if you like this post subscribe to my blog. I will be posting some more things about how to help in situations. Right now I am actually working on a list of things to help get through a breakup.
