If you've had trouble sleeping and find yourself more dependent on prescription sleeping pills than you'd like to be, here are 10 methods on how to gradually wean yourself off and become a better, healthier, deeper sleeper.
Step 1
Do NOT take any sleeping pills. Sounds logical to do as a beginning attempt to do without them, right? They'll eventually begin to make you become groggy, anyway, and even less able to function using your own natural biological rhythms. Many will cause you to become dependent on them. They're simply an unnatural stop-gap-means of superficially addressing a deeper issue. They're like a band-aid over a wound. If you're really concerned about your sleep habits, then you need to begin thinking about sleep-pills in these terms.
Step 2
Try melatonin, a natural hormone sleep-aid, that will help to make you tired and allow for a good night's sleep. The pineal gland in your brain naturally secretes minute amounts of this hormone. Since each body can be slightly different, not everyone will produce equal amounts of it. Begin with the strength on the bottle. If it doesn't seem to work over the first few nights, DECREASE the dosage sightly (cut in half, for instance). This may seem a bit paradoxical to do, but the amount of melatonin the brain produces on its own is very tiny - somewhere around 300mcg. The brain is more responsive to this natural, tiny amount than it is to larger, overwhelming doses. The idea is to mimic the secretions of the pineal gland as closely as possible to help put your brain back into your natural sleep rhythms and where it needs to be...asleep, that is - naturally!
Step 3
Definitely try to avoid stress, where possible. Know your limits and abide by them. Stress will greatly impede healthy sleep. If you think that stress is the issue, then try other appropriate, effective methods for coping with and handling stress such as exercise, meditation, reading, warm bath, massage, sex, art, hobbies, conversation, outdoor activity, etc.
Step 4
Drink a warm glass of milk, and a cookie about an hour before sleep. The combination will relax you, and assist you to sleep without any pills at all. Warm milk is soothing, kind of the way it is for a baby, when it's given in a bottle or from a breast. It has a special, mildly sleep-inducing ingredient in it as well.
Step 5
Make sure you do not drink caffeine soda, coffee, or even certain teas at dinner time, especially within 4 hours of bedtime. Caffeine is found in many foods that you might not be aware of, and with abundance in chocolate.
Step 6
Drink herbal "sleepytime" tea before bed. In particular, consume valerian and chamomile which are both usually active ingredients in these teas, or purchase them separately in pill or liquid form. Valerian is a completely natural plant derivative (look it up!).
Step 7
Read a book every night. This will help exercise your brain, but tire your eyes. But do NOT watch television as you fall asleep, as this will "mush" your brain and strain your eyes. Avoid computers as well. Many studies have been conducted on the deleterious effects of staring at television and computer monitors and ones' sleep patterns and various stages of the sleep cycle (ie: REM, alpha, beta, delta, etc.), not to mention the effects on dreaming. In addition, make sure your bedroom is as dark as possible when you are falling asleep. Ambient light can, in some individuals, drastically lessen the quality and quantity of the hours slept. Avoid alarm clock light, 'night-light' light, and any other distracting sources. When it comes to sleep, darker means deeper!
Step 8
Exercise regularly, eat healthily! This is very important! You'll notice the difference soon after you begin it, adopt it, and adhere to it stringently. Make it a regular compliment to the rest of the tips here on this page, and you'll be sleeping well and feeling great in no time. However, the most important thing is to allow the exercise and diet to help dissipate your daily stresses. Stress is why most otherwise healthy people feel that they "need" sleeping pills in the first place.
Step 9
Put a soothing, relaxation CD on repeat and very low volume, as very very quiet and soothing background noise. Disallow obvious and distinct lyrics, as that may cause you to focus on the music or may interfere with your dreaming processes. Bed, Bath & Beyond had a great one appropriately named "Sleep". Also try Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc. The CDs are all over...
Step 10
Meditate! Learn to do it, then practice, practice, practice. It really is so very much worth your time to learn and do. The critical factor is discipline. The reward is... well, you'll see. Just try it, practice it, and stick with it! You'll learn to control yourself and your habits better, more wisely, and with more awareness. And more importantly, with the calming properties inherent in the process of meditation, you'll be able to fall asleep much more easily when you want to.
Tips
- The best way is always the natural way to fall asleep, without taking any pills at all.
- Do not drink caffeine or consume any products with it for several hours before bed.
- Have a warm glass of milk about 1/2 hour prior to bedtime and a graham cracker or a cookie. When you go to sleep, make it relaxing. Remain passive and try not to think about very much.
- If you feel like you cannot sleep, try counting from 135 backwards.
- Try to imagine a person (or persons) dancing. Don't let your imagination stray, but don't concentrate very hard either. Just view it passively- let it be viewed.
- Do not smoke prior to going to bed; nicotine is a stimulant that causes increased blood pressure, heart rate, and brain-dopamine levels. Cut back on and/or quit smoking, in general - it too can be done naturally, with dedication!
- Avoid illicit drugs, such as marijuana, or prescription-tranquilizers, such as valium or xanax. These contribute immensely to psychological and emotional distress, paradoxically causing even greater anxiety in the long run. Moreover, the most likely reason you're even reading this article is because you're curious about sleeping without the dependency on a drug. How about living without any drug(s)? It would surely create a better, calmer emotional environment conducive for proper rest.
- Avoid alcohol, sedatives, and other central nervous system depressants for the same reasons as stated above.
- There are some supplements on the market that contain melatonin along with some other sleep inducing herbs such as valerian, chamomile, passion flower, kava kava, hops flower, skullcap flower, etc. These herbs along with L-tryptophan, L-theanine, and magnesium can create a very relaxed, restful feeling. There are a number of good products online and in health food stores. Herbal sleep remedies are great because they are non-addictive and do not make you feel groggy upon waking in the morning.
- Consult with your physician before stopping any medications and replacing them with herbal treatments.
Warnings
- Melatonin works better for some than for others. Start with a low dose. Add a tiny bit more if you don't get tired, but aim for the lowest amount.
- Note that melatonin doesn't work for everyone. Some people have reported feeling jittery after taking it.
- Sleeping pills only treat the overlying symptom(s), not the underlying problem(s). If you have deeply seated emotional problems, try to work them out properly, effectively, and naturally through professional consultation, rather than through self-medicating yourself. Exercise and meditation contribute immensely to your overall well-being, if properly done.
- Don't alter your medication plan without speaking to your doctor first. There may be other methods that are equally effective and available for you.
