Chryssie's Tips #1 - Can't sleep?

We all have those days; you finally lie down in bed, get rid of your clothes, check your phone a last time and finally put it away to turn over and fall asleep... only to not fall asleep. You wait, and wait, maybe you notice that it's not the perfect position to fall asleep in so you adjust and wait again. It can happen that our bodies just don't want to enter sleep mode or we are simply not tired. So what can we do? I know a bunch of things that help me fall asleep when I need to but can't. And since I have nothing better to do right now, I am going to share them with you, in hope that one of them might help you. A classic tip is warm milk, or warm milk with honey. There are two reasons it is supposed to help: One, it is warm, warm drinks always help. The second reason it is supposed to help you sleep is because milk contains Melatonin, the hormone that makes you tired. Basically, there are several important hormones inside of you that keep you functioning, one of them is Serotonin, it is responsible for hunger, happiness, sleep. Once the body no longer receives sunlight, it turns Serotonin into Melatonin, which makes you tired, which brings me to another natural aid: Melatonin. In most countries you can buy Melatonin without prescription and take it to prepare your body for sleep. However increased levels of Melatonin over time can disturb your natural Melatonin production so it shouldn't be used on a regular base. Just as well works the hormone 5-HTP that you can also buy without a prescription. Why? Your body takes away the 'P' and turns it into 5-HT (Serotonin!) and since your body has a natural limit for Serotonin production it turns more of it into Melatonin when too much is produced. That way you increase your Melatonin level without disturbing the production. Of course long term use can also lead to an imbalance but it is much smaller and the risk is much smaller since we consume 5-HTP on a daily base! You can find it in nuts, bananas, even chocoate! Candy helps you fall asleep. Don't eat too much of it though, a piece of chocolate or a bonbon before sleep could be enough. Chocolate is ideal since it also contains caffeine (which aids sleep if taking right before) and 5-HTP. But the key ingredient is sugar. Your body needs sugar to make Melatonin, Serotonin, and other things. However too much sugar will keep you up. Eat a piece of candy right before brushing your teeth and see if it helps. Now something different. If you follow the advice to drink something warm or eat a piece of candy, the next thing you should do after lying down is progressive muscle relaxation. There are some great video guides on how it works but here a quick rundown: You start by getting comfy, then calm yourself. Once at rest you begin tensing and relaxing your muscles, one at a time. Makes sure to hold the tension for a few seconds, and repeat. try to do this to every muscle you can feel in your body, face muscles, buttcheeks and hands included. Here a link to a good guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6053dnI4Rxg Another thing you can do is called SILD and often used to induce dreams, I noticed it helped me get tired. Make yourself comfortable, close your eyes. Now focus on what you see for a while, don't count seconds, just for a while. Then focus on what you hear, no matter if real noise or thoughts, just focus. Then focus on what you feel. Repeat. At some point you might lose focus and forget what you were doing, that's the moment you get tired. If you notice that, stop, just let your mind wander. Hopefully fall asleep. If you are someone who doesn't mind headphones in bed, I can also suggest white noise, fire cracking or rain storm sounds as well as lullabies. For those who can't figure out how to sleep even after all this. A tip for a medication you can use that guarantees tiredness for most people. Diphenhydramine or DPH. Take 25 to 50mg of it, not more! That's usually one tab. It's of course available without prescription and you might even have it at home under the brand name Benadryl. It also helps against allergic reactions. If it does not make you tired, do not dose up, it can lead to an unpleasant body sensation and other effects and a terrible hangover. In normal dose though, it really helps with falling asleep. Do not take it more than two days in a row, since it is mildly addictive and can lead to worse sleep issues if taken regularly. Bonus: Don't do sports or pushups, they exhaust you but ramp up your heart beat and blood pressure, thus keep you awake. A cup of coffee or an energy drink can work wonders for your sleep, however for some people, it does not since they process the caffeine faster than they need to fall asleep. Caffeine is different, since it does not help you fall asleep but rather helps you to stay asleep. Your sleep is deeper and more refreshing if you consume caffeine prior.