Tips For Relaxation and Sleep For The Neurotic Insomniac

"Poppies... Poppies. Poppies will put them to sleep. Sleeeep. Now they'll sleeep!" -- Wicked Witch of the West

The following are some tips and tricks for the neurotic insomniac (like me).  After lots of trial and error, I finally feel like I have an ideal routine for relaxation and sleep.  Enjoy!

Start this one hour before bedtime:

• Turn on relaxing music.  Recent favorites have been Max Richter's Sleep or Marconi Union's Weightless.
• Take a 10-20 min ice bath or cold shower* or sit for 20-30 min with cold pack, focusing on the upper back for both.  Make sure to do this an hour before sleep so your brain can calm the cold's short term stimulatory effect.  Don't expect it to be pleasant at first, but it's worth it.  Note, if you have extreme difficulty staying warm in all seasons, instead of a cold shower, dip your face in cold water and hold for as long as you can and repeat.
• Add 2 Tbs of apple cider vinegar and 1 Tbs of honey to hot water or decaf tea.  Perfect to warm up after the cold shower.
• Read a little fiction, listen to a motivational speech, or play Tetris on your phone on the lowest light setting.  Nothing too stimulating, though.  For a fiction book list I'm working through, check out this.  
• End the evening with a little deep breathing.  I usually do this in bed with the lights off and inhale and exhale as deeply as possible with equal counts.  For example, 5 counts to inhale and 5 counts to exhale.

A few more tips not related to the evening:

• Stick to a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time.  Even on the weekends.
• If you're not getting 8 hours of sleep at night, experiment with 20 min or 1.5 hour long naps between 1:00pm and 3:00pm.  It's one or the other...otherwise you'll be more tired when you wake up.
• Eating on a schedule can be just as important as sleeping on a schedule.
• Eat a high fat and protein and minimal carbohydrates meal three hours before going to bed.  If you must have carbs, a sweet potato or beans are good choices.
• If you're waking up with a headache and you're getting enough sleep and water, it could be low blood sugar.  Have a small snack before going to bed, focusing on protein and fat.  Almond butter on celery is great.
• Make your to-do list for the next day in the afternoon to avoid late-night planning.
• If needed, herbs and supplements can be added to ehance relaxation.  Some favorites are California poppy, Jujube seed (suan zao ren), Magnesium (300-500 mg), or low dose melatonin (1.5-3 mg).  Acupuncture and custom herbal formulas are also great additions to your routine for something more personalized

*NOTE: I am sure my fellow acupuncturists are cringing at the thought of recommending exposing the upper neck to freezing cold water.  The premise is that briefly and regularly exposing the body to natural stressors (such as cold water) enhances health.  It's the same concept behind acupuncture and intermittent fasting.  To read more, click here, here, and here.

How did this work for you? Any other tips to try?  Let me know in the comments.

May you sleep in heavenly peace.