As New Yorkers, we are bombarded with constant stimuli. Loud noises, busy lifestyles, stress and just about everything NY is can cause insomnia. A friend of mine mentioned she was suffering from insomnia and I realized she's not alone. The list below shows habits that may be contributing to insomnia. If you suffer from chronic insomnia, have tried many of the suggestions below and nothing works, it may be time to bring in a professional. A nutritionist can help tremendously, as well as regular yoga, exercise and other forms of holistic care like massage or acupuncture. See below for links.
HABITS THAT CAN AFFECT SLEEP:
1. Do not watch tv, check phone or computer for 30 minutes prior to bed (this stimulates the eyes and mind when you want them to start winding down)
2. If you do watch tv before that, keep it light. This means comedy or something that doesn't make you worry (eg. world news, anything that brings up worry, anxiety, etc., that might keep your brain turning)
3. Do not write to-do lists right before bed.
4. Make sure you plan your dinner at least 4 hours before bedtime (try to have a heavier lunch and a lighter dinner, heavy dinners, even 4 hrs or more before bed, can affect your sleep)
5. Snacking: try to avoid, but if you do, eat something very light. Avoid salt and sugary items
6. Caffeine: if your insomnia is chronic, you may want to look into weening yourself off caffeine all together, but just making sure no caffeine past afternoon can be a great help.
7. Soda: keep in mind that sodas fall into the caffeine and sugar habits, so they should be cut out completely. If you are hooked on soda, a suggestion is to switch to seltzer and if that's too bland, try adding juice (check quality of juice, natural sugar, no artificial flavors, etc) and that makes a sort of italian soda that is very refreshing.
8. Alcohol: some people think that alcohol makes them sleep harder by passing out, but actually it affects sleeping patterns. One thing to observe is if every night there is even just a beer or wine. The liver has to work to filter all through the night so it can be rough on the body and affect sleep.
9. Diet: I've mostly discussed this already and it's pretty self explanatory. the heavier foods (fried, creams, meats) the more the body has to work while sleeping, so eating these foods earlier in the day (or not at all) will help.
10. Stress: Just because I mentioned this as #10, doesn't mean it's not important. This can be the #1 reason for insomnia. Yoga and meditation are the things I turn to in time of stress, but every body is different. Find what alleviates stress for you and do it regularly. If you aren't sure, try yoga, meditation and above all, breathing techniques. The breath is a very fast solution to calming the nervous system. See below under exercise for more breath suggestions. This is also an area where massage and acupuncture can help.
EXERCISE:
1. Do not do a rigorous exercise in the evening. the body will be wound up and will have excess energy that will prevent sleep. Workouts are best in the morning or with a substantial amount of time before bed for the body to wind down. Exercising in general, if not a part of your daily routine, can help the regulate the body and find better sleep, but finding the right routine and time for the body is important as well.
2. Light stretching before bed can be beneficial. Forward folds are the best for calming the mind and body. DO NOT do backbends as these can be energizing poses. See further down for links to all the best yoga poses for insomnia.
3. Legs up the wall (in bed if your bed is against a wall) will change your life. Do this pose every day at any point in the day as the benefits are endless. Just lie there, cover eyes with anything and focus on breathing. If the mind wanders, start to count the breath in and out trying to make it even and trying to make it longer each breath.
4. Breathe! Relax and focus on the breath. Lie on back in bed and just breathe or try some techniques like the even breathing mentioned already or alternate nostril breathing.
5. Relax the jaw and tongue. While lying in bed, bring the awareness to the jaw and focus on relaxing this area. We hold a lot of tension here and bringing awareness to this region can have tremendous affects on our mental state. Also, while here, relax the tongue (you can do this at any point in the day to see if you're tense) in the lower mouth so it's not gripping the roof of the mouth. Relaxing the jaw, lips and tongue will usually have a chain reaction to let the muscles of the face relax and so on. You can take this same technique to any area of the body that feels tense.
6. Here are some yoga poses that will help insomnia: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/therapeutic_focus/t_insomnia
7. Here are poses to avoid. Yes, yoga does not help everything, or at least certain poses will not help you sleep. View this list to know which poses to avoid, at least in the evening. DO NOT DO: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/contraindications/c_insomnia
Insomnia can affect all areas of our lives, so trying to find the source(s) can begin a path to peace and rest. Laura Kauffmann is an amazing acupuncturist and Steffanie Greer can help relax the mind and muscles through massage therapy. Contact either or both to find additional ways to calm the body and mind.
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