NYT: Curing Insomnia Without Pills

From: Curing Insomnia Without Pills
by Tara Parker-Pope
The New York Times
November 5, 2007

The behavioral strategies for better sleep are deceptively simple, and that’s one reason why many people don’t believe they can make a difference. One of the most effective methods is stimulus control. This means not watching television, eating or reading in bed. Don’t go to bed until you are sleepy. Get up at the same time every day, and don’t nap during the day. If you are unable to sleep, get out of bed after 15 minutes and do something relaxing, but avoid stimulating activity and thoughts.

So-called sleep hygiene is also part of sleep therapy. This includes regular exercise, adding light-proof blinds to your bedroom to keep it dark and making sure the bed and room temperatures are comfortable. Eat regular meals, don’t go to bed hungry and limit beverages, particularly alcohol and caffeinated drinks, around bedtime.

Finally, don’t try too hard to fall asleep, and turn the clock around so you can’t see it. Watching time pass is one of the worst things to do when you’re trying to fall asleep.

If these steps don’t work, talk to your doctor about a referral to a sleep therapist, who can also teach you additional relaxation techniques to help bring on sleep.

Or try the Sounder Sleep System™, a highly refined system of movement and breathing techniques to relax your body, calm your mind, and lull you to sleep. You can purchase recorded lessons on-line, or find an Authorized Teacher of the system in many parts of the US, Europe, and the Middle East.

Image: Le Rêve par Pierre Puvis de Chavannes: "Dans son sommeil l'Amour, la Gloire et la Richesse lui apparurent."