Trouble sleeping can be brought on by any number of things. Stress, over-eating, overdoing it on the caffeine, not getting enough exercise. In short, student life.
Disclaimer: Insomnia is a real medical condition that affects a lot of people in very serious ways. This article is not a substitute for medical advice and is taken from personal experience. If you have severe difficulty in sleeping at night over a long period of time, consult your GP.
Tip #1: Exercise during the day
I’m a person who likes reading, writing, dog-cuddling and other stationary activities, so I used to spend most days indoors, which kept me from getting much sleep. I’ve since adopted my Mum’s Christmas Eve Logic and tire myself out with exercise. If you don’t live near a gym or a swimming pool, there’s ways to exercise cheaply such as walking, jogging, cycling, or even Just Dance!
Tip #2: Have a bedtime routine
Make bedtime something you look forward to. I like to have Chamomile tea, fluffy socks and an hour-ish of reading before I go to sleep. (I’m still a teenager, promise.)
Tip #3: Yoga breathing
In through the nose, out through the nose. On each ‘out’ breath, relax each part of the body in turn, starting from the feet and working your way up. This is a well-worn meditation technique and really helps you wind down if you’re wide awake and jittery.
Tip #4: An alternative to counting sheep
Imagine you’re standing in front of three blackboards, and make a mark on each of them in turn. Then make a second mark on each of them in the same order, and repeat until you’re very sleepy/have three imaginary blackboards full of tally marks. Kind of like counting sheep for grown ups. I don’t know why, but it works.
Tip #5: Empty your head
If you have stuff to do the next day, write it down before you go to sleep, that way it’s out of your head and you don’t have to waste brain energy trying to remember it.
Also, avoid looking at a screen of any type just before you go to bed. Hence my reading time!
Children, students, and even professional adult human beings have trouble sleeping, so hopefully this was useful for you all.
Sweet dreams!
