Clear Your Mind and Sleep Well

We all experience it. It is late at night, we feel tired, but we just cannot fell asleep. We spend the biggest part of the night tossing and turning or staring at the clock. The later it gets, the more tense we become knowing that in just a few hours, we will have to get up and start the day. Many people will reach for an alcoholic beverage or even sleeping pills at this point, but I have found that those things only make me feel horrible the next day. I have found more natural ways to get a good night's sleep.

The easiest way that I know to fall asleep is to have your own little bedtime routine each night. That little set of activities that tells the mind that rest time is near. Go to the bathroom, change into pajamas, wash face, brush teeth, take a drink of water. Things that are done each and every night that help get you into the mindset of going to sleep.

Every once in a while, the routine fails and sleep seems impossible. For me, this happens when I have a lot of things on my mind. No matter how hard I try to just fall asleep, my mind races through my thoughts of whatever is plaguing my mind at the time. In cases like these, I cannot fall asleep until I clear my mind. The key is to write things down.

I may be thinking about things I have to do the next day, projects I need to complete, or ideas for creative ventures. Whatever it is, I have to get up and write myself a list. Writing a list clears my mind because I not only am I getting the thought out, I am putting it on paper so I do not forget. Once my list is written, I pick up a book or magazine and further clear my mind by reading for a while. When I am reading, I feel like I am in a whole different place and time, so my minds clears from its current train of thought to one of wonderment and imagination. Sometimes, I fall asleep with the book in my hand, other times, I know I will fall asleep, so I turn of the lights and go to bed.

On some rare occasions, neither writing nor reading do the trick. In these instances, I will take a nice hot bath. More of a soak in the tub than an actual bath. I will fill the tub with the hottest water I can stand and just sit in it and relax. The heat of the water relaxes my muscles and makes me feel sleepy. If I am not careful, I will fall fast asleep right there in the tub.

After a hot bath, I will put on my most comfortable pajamas and immediately curl up in bed. This has never failed me. I fall asleep almost as soon as my head hit's the pillow.

Falling asleep and staying asleep can be two completely different things. I have found that in order for me to stay asleep at night, I must first be sure to go to the bathroom right before I lie down at night. This helps me to eliminate the need to get up to go later.

Once I am in bed, I do my best to lay in a comfortable position that keeps my body in good alignment. I either place a pillow between my legs as I lie on my side, or I lie on my back with a pillow under my knees. This helps eliminate some of my back and leg pains and really helps me have a restful nights sleep.

In conclusion, my tricks for going to sleep are to relax and clear my mind. Through routine, writing things down, and even reading a book, I am able to clear my thoughts and fall asleep. To stay sleeping, and have a more restful sleep, I make my body as comfortable as possible by using the bathroom before lying down, and keeping my body in good alignment while lying down. These things have helped me find restful sleep on many occasions.