Friday, May 08, 2009

Insomnia & Fatigue Revisited.

Just got in my copy of Prevention (1-year) Magazine which included some excellent tips on how to overcome insomnia in an article written by Camille Noe Pagan. I am always researching this topic as insomnia is a major contributor to fatigue.

Here goes ...

1. Turn all of it off at least one hour before bed. T.V., telephones, blackberries, strawberries, pagers, computers … (click here for tips on how to also turn off arguments, anxieties and stress or here for a great place to vent, let go and move on!)

2. Take a warm shower or bath. Apparently your body temperature goes down after you get out and this drop makes you feel sleepy. Water also washes away the energy, arguments, excitements and attachments accumulated in the day which is why I always bathe at night.

3. Meditate or pray for 10 minutes. Start this a minute at a time. Another opportunity is a 20 minute group visualization/meditation with NightlyHealing.com

4. After 6 p.m. just have one or two glasses of water and do 10 to 20 Kegel Exercises a day. If you are getting up more than a couple times a night you will love how well this duo works!

5. Try a small dose of melatonin. .5 mg 15 minutes before bed. More melatonin isn’t better, in fact and can cause nightmares and depression.

6. Sleep Apnea? Symptoms include poor sleep, snoring and being overweight. Make an appointment to talk to your doc and see if you have this problem. While you wait to get in work at losing some pounds and getting more exercise.

Someone I know and love was recently told he was “obese” and had to lose 50 lbs OR ELSE (continue to suffer from acid reflux, headaches etc.)

He lost the weight and those two conditions have tremendously improved. A couple "bonuses" are less snoring and his sleep apnea has diminished. Who would have thunk?!

7. Sleep on your side. Sleeping on your side vs your back opens up airways so you’ll breathe easier, snore less and wake up feeling more refreshed.

8. Keep pets off your bed! This is tough for me! I usually have a pup and a cat or two snuggling around me and my man. I have to admit they do wake me up a couple times a night and making space for them often leaves me feeling cramped. So …. even though I don’t like the idea of pet free sleeping I may give this a try ...


Below are past posts on the topic of fatigue and insomnia. If you have any tips please add them via the "Comments" feature. You never know who will benefit from what you have to share. Thanks! Viveca

* Insomnia & Fatigue. More Lights Out Tips.
* Insomnia. If you can’t beat it LOL at it!
(Psst. The more you fight it the worse it gets.)
* Magnesium & Insomnia & Fatigue. Duh. What was I thinking?
* Nine Tips to Help Moms Overcome Fatigue
* National Sleep Foundation Facts & Stats
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7 comments:

Maria@Conversations with Moms said...

These are great tips. I really have to make time for a warm bath. It is so relaxing. With two kids at home, I take pleasure in just taking showers.

Solomon said...

I seem to recall reading somewhere that different temperature baths had different effects - a tepid bath was more relaxing, while a hotter one was more likely to keep you awake. Unfortunately, i don't recall the temperatures. :(

Viveca said...

hmmmmm. That's interesting (about the different bath temps) I'll have to do some research on that!

And Maria I know what you mean ... I hope you have something luxurious in the shower with you. I have a coconut and mango shower gels that are just delicious!

Viveca

Solomon said...

There was a really interesting documentary on UK TV tonight about sleep. 10 different scientific ways to get better sleep. One interesting thing that science has recently discovered is that it's not the temperature of the bath that's the important bit. It's the temperature drop afterwards.

The body temperature drops right before sleep, and scientists have now figured out that the body can be tricked into sleeping by causing the temperature drop.

I find that if I have a really hot bath, I can't sleep afterwards. But if I have the same temperature bath and then drink about a pint of chilled water, I'm fine.

femmepower said...

those are good points to follow there. thanks a lot for posting this. big help for people like me who are having some trouble sleeping.

onlinewriter said...

hmmm why can't i find your entrecard widget?

Viveca said...

Very interesting Solomon. Thanks for sharing that. I know I sleep easier in the winter because we keep a cool house and I love snuggling under deep covers. My husband really does not sleep well in temps over 68 so I keep it as cool as I can in summer months ...

Femmepower - I went through a couple tough spells of insomnia - now I have this tickler of things to do if it strikes again. Another tip I haven't yet posted is to get up and move - change rooms - change beds and read a little. Lying in bed struggling and stressing over not sleeping just makes it worse. (I have to change rooms because trying to lie still and not bother my husband doesn't help either of us!)

Online writer - you got me. I am looking at 2 Entercard ads on my site! I've noticed that sometimes they don't show up on Explorer but when I go through Mozilla they do - who knows ... but thanks for bringing that up 'cause you never know what someone doesn't know!

Hope everyone has a SUPER energized day! And if you haven’t yet signed up for the Fatigue Be Gone NEWSletter? I am working on this weeks issue now ...

Viveca