:+:  Sleep Tips  :+:

  Don't think about what happened today or what you have planned for tomorrow.  If you can't relax because you don't think you'll remember something that may be important tomorrow, write a note for yourself and tape it to the front of your alarm clock or lay it on top of the clothes in your dresser drawer that you're certain to wear on the morrow.  If you try going out in public without wearing clothes in most places on this up-tight world, you're going to have bigger problems than a fitful night in bed.  LOL

  Sometimes imagining you're somewhere more peaceful and serene helps.  A place within your mind that's free of distractions and people where you feel safe, comfortable and secure.  A remote island perhaps, with a light tropical breeze blowing gently through your hair, the sun bathing your body in its warmth and the soft, faint sound of the waves lapping on the shore lulling you into sleep?

  Can't get a certain song out of your head?  Try thinking of a slower one that you know the words to, but don't concentrate too much on the words.  The slower song is easier to let float away into your mind than the faster one.  Try it and see for yourself.

  Need to relax your body before going to bed?  Sometimes taking a warm shower or bath before you go to bed helps.

  Making too many trips to the rest room?  Don't drink anything with caffeine in it for a few hours before you go to bed.  In fact, drinking too much of anything a few hours or as much as six hours before you go to bed may make it necessary to get up and go to the restroom, and then you may not fall back to sleep when you return to bed.

  An older cure for insomnia:  Drinking warm milk is supposed to help you fall asleep.  It's been said that warming up milk makes a chemical change in it which helps you fall asleep when you drink it.

  Stomach upset?  Get up out of bed, brush your teeth and tongue, eat a couple of chewable antacid tablets while sipping a little water, and maybe a tablespoon of Maalox, then drink a cup or so of water, brush your teeth and tongue again, drink another sip or so of water, and try going back to bed.  Giving the stuff ten minutes or so to take effect before you try going back to bed may also help.

  Too bright in your room to sleep?  Keeping your room dark helps.  If you need to sleep in the day time, you may want to get some 'light darkening' window shades and some cheap thick drapes.  If you can't afford that and you're not worried about what it looks like as long as you can get some sleep (been there, done that), you can just use cardboard and tape them over the windows.

  Seems like every little noise inside your room / apartment / house as well as outside is keeping you awake?  If there's a lot of noise, you may want to get a small cheap fan or one of those small room air cleaners with the little fan and filter in it.  If you opt for the fan, you shouldn't have it aimed so it's blowing on you or it may keep you awake.  It may take you a little time to get used to the noise of whatever you decide to use, but once you do, you may find it helps you to sleep better, as it's a constant background noise, like waves on a beach.  There is a bad side to it, however.  If your alarm isn't very loud, you may not hear it.

  There are also consumer versions of white noise generators you can purchase which may help to drown out or cover up intermittent sounds in your environment.  Some of them can be 'tuned' to better match the sounds you're hearing which might be adding to your insomnia even if it isn't the primary cause.

  Speaking of alarms, I use a battery powered kitchen timer.  It doesn't have any ticking noise like a wind-up alarm clock and I don't have to worry about waking up late if the power goes out and I'm using an AC powered alarm.  The battery lasts me for a long time, too.  :-)

  If you're the type who turns off an alarm and falls back into bed and returns to sleep, you need to break yourself of that habit.  Placing the alarm about 10 feet or so away from the bed so you actually have to stand up and walk over to it in order to turn it off may keep you from turning it off and falling asleep again.

  What's the best time to go to bed?  For me, going to bed around 10 p.m. my local time seems to be the best.  You may want to experiment a little to find your best time.