10 Tips For A Good Night’s Sleep Without Pills

January 30 by | 99 comments | Lifestyle | Tags: , , , , , ,
sleep like a baby
(photo from flickr)

A few months ago, I had a terrible time sleeping and getting up. After a party one night, I slept late and for the next 20 days, couldn’t get my sleeping pattern back on track. I fell asleep very late every night at around 3 AM and wasn’t able to get up till at least 11 AM each day. For someone like me who usually sleeps by midnight and gets up at 6 AM, I didn’t enjoy this.

I was eventually able to overcome that problem and now have a way to get a good night’s sleep anytime I need to get back in the habit I enjoy. I did all that without taking drugs or sleeping pills. Here are ten ways you can get a good nights sleep naturally. Try to implement one or more together and you’ll get better sleeping patterns, deep sleep and body rest.

  1. Stick to a schedule. Mum was right when she set a time we always had to go to sleep as kids. Sticking to a schedule allows your body to set its internal rhythm so you can get up at the time you want, consistently, every single day. Also, make sure you try to keep the same schedule on weekends too, otherwise the next morning, you’d wake later and feel overly tired.
  2. Sleep only at night. Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps.
  3. Exercise. It’s actually known to help you sleep better. Your body uses the sleep period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.
  4. Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.
  5. Avoid eating just before bed. Give yourself at least 2 hours from when you eat to when you sleep. This allows for digestion to happen (or at least start) well before you go to sleep so your body can rest well during the night, rather than churning away your food.
  6. Avoid caffeine. It keeps you awake and that’s now what you want for a good nights sleep. We all know that.
  7. Read a fiction book. It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it. And then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. I find as I read more and more, regardless of the book, I get more tired at night and so find it easier to fall asleep. Different for others?
  8. Have the room slightly cooler. I prefer this to a hot room. I prefer to turn off the heat and allow the coolness to circulate in and out of the windows. If I get cold, I wear warmer clothes. It also saves on the bills as you’re not going to require the heat all night long.
  9. Sleep in silence. I find sleeping with no music or TV on more easy and restful. I guess others are different, but sleep with no distractions is best for a clearer mind.
  10. Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It’s a depressant; although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it causes you to wake up during the night. As alcohol is digested your body goes into withdrawal from the alcohol, causing nighttime awakenings and often nightmares for some people.

What do you do to get better sleep? Please share…

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  • Anonomya

    Two more: Get a fan or other “white noise” device to drown out sounds. Put a tissue box in front of the clock so you aren’t constantly looking at the time or the eerie glow.

  • http://chinesehelp.org naturegirl

    I don’t agree with some points. For example I get really tired after I had a good dinner, and it’s easier for me to fall sleep then, instead of with an empty stomach.
    Furthermore I get a really deep sleep after going out in the evening and drinking something. After that I never wake up during the night nor do I get nightmares.
    But altogether many helpful advices!

  • http://persistentillusion.wordpress.com Hayden Tompkins

    When I was doing a hypnosis experiment, I could never manage to stay awake but I always had the most INCREDIBLE sleep, even if it was only 5 or 6 hours worth.

    I don’t know if the hypnosis works for hypnosis’ sake, but it was a slam dunk for waking up completely rested.

  • Gwen

    With the exception readying, all of your points are consistent with the recommendations given to me by a “Sleep Center” following my sleep apnea test. There were a couple of others:

    One was “darkness.” If there are bright lights outside — get blackout curtains. Put your clock in a drawer or actually cover it up (even the glow may be too much). I did not think that “darkness” was such a big deal, but I found it really did make a difference.

    The second point (not on your list and the one which did not follow) was to keep pets off the bed at night. I am sorry, but I have got to have my dogs close. So, if I miss a few minutes sleep because I have to scoot my shelter-mutt away from the back of my knees to turn over, so be it.

  • http://www.attractgreatness.com Jeff

    Definitely agree with consistency – this one is major for anyone looking to improve on their ability to fall asleep.

    Your body can be trained to get tired by continually going to bed at the same time.

    Another tip I use is to focus on having a productive, fulfilling day.

    If you are disappointed, frustrated or feel that you haven’t accomplished much during the day, unfortunately that weighs on your mind into the evening and night impacting your sleep.

  • http://confessionsofachocolatelife.blogspot.com/ kell@confessionsofachocolatelife

    I wrote a similar article about this only a few days ago. It amazes me how many people that this is an issue for. I would say a key to a good nights sleep is to work at taking control of your minds thoughts. For me, the thing that keeps me awake the most is a highly active brain. My way of controlling this is through meditation, which helps me be more aware of my mind and hence helps me to control it. Combining this with such tips you have given (physical relaxation as apposed to mental) can really make for a good night’s sleep.

  • http://studenthacks.org/ mike@studenthacks

    Great post. You definitely need to avoid taking any naps throughout the day. That’s key if you want to sleep well at night.

  • Sam

    Awesome post. One thing that helps me is having a clean room and sheets. I find that putting a movie on that I’ve already seen a couple of times and setting my tv’s sleep timer to turn off in an hour or so. It helps keep my mind from racing at a thousand miles an hour.

  • http://BadManSports.com BadManSports

    Here’s a tip for insomnia.

    Tell yourself that you ARE NOT supposed to fall asleep. Make up a reason like you’re guarding something and have to stay awake. Focus on having to stay awake.

    You’ll be asleep in 3 minutes.

  • Jeff

    “Sleep only at night. Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps.”

    This isn’t true; rather, it’s a common misconception that’s stated often but rarely backed up.

    Daytime naps of longer length are perfectly natural and can be used effectively. They can be ineffective if you are too irregular in your napping schedule from day to day.

  • http://www.sameerdurrani.blogspot.com Sameer Durrani

    I agree with Gwen on the point that darkness is also an important factor that effects sleep.

    Furthermore, i have read that its better to use the bed for sleeping only and not while watching TV or reading.

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  • tanzilla

    great tips. I have a sleeping problem, which gets aggrevated by the noise of traffic on the street (it carries out throughout th night in summers). Can someone suggest something for drowning out these noises, the pressure horns etc? Shifting the house is not an option :)

  • http://www.daily-actions.com seb

    if it takes you a long time to fall asleep try pzizz (pzizz.com). it helped me to fall asleep quicker, and to wake up more easily.

  • http://www.wisdomgettingloaded.com/ tracy ho

    Great tips ,

    Love it

    Tracy Ho
    wisdomgettingloaded

  • http://sangesh.com.np/blog/ Sangesh

    Great tips. I hope to follow them as much as I can so that I have a Good Night’s Sleep.

    Thanks for this article.

    P.S. in the copyright section in the bottom of the page you’ve still mentioning
    “Copyright 2005-2007″

    shouldn’t it have been?
    “Copyright 2005-2008″

  • mani

    Very good post. Also, in “Avoid caffeine” you meant ‘Thats not what you want’.There is a typo there. ;)

  • http://www.aromahand.com aromahand

    thanks for the great tips, but using an “aromahand” can help tremendously…

  • Richard

    I completely agree with the no naps tip. Taking naps prevents me from falling asleep as easily at night.

    I’m a firm believer of only sleeping in bed. Once your body starts associating sleep with the bed I think it’s be easier to fall asleep and remain sleeping. So that means no TV or talking on the phone or reading or … organizing photos or eating on the bed. Just sleep.

  • http://www.mybeautymatch.com Miss Gisele B.

    Kavit,

    This is an excellent article. I myself have spent most of January telling my readers how I violated all the rules when it came to proper sleep by cutting back my sleep to about 4 hours in order to cram in more work.

    After two weeks of this schedule … I looked terrible and felt even worst.

    The only saving grace was truly the fact that I’m a hard core fitness buff and I take my exercise extremely seriously. I think it’s the only thing that kept me from breaking while I was missing our on sleep.

    The combination of the proper amount of sleep with exercise is powerful.

    I quite enjoyed your article.

    Gisele B.

  • deepbreath

    Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation.
    Aerobics. No Weights. Walk a lot. Jog a bit. Cycle a lot. Eat lighter, drink lesser, walk more.

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  • Joel

    >because they can relax tense muscles

    I had read a different explanation. When your body is kept warm externally, it stops working to keep you warm. Lower body temperature is a part of sleep, so taking the load off your warming system allows it to shift out of gear more easily.

    This does have to do with muscle tone, since that’s the way heat is generated, but it isn’t really a relaxation vs. tension issue in the way most people would think.

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  • Marty

    My wife and I use a whitenoise generator to block out distracting sounds…

    … works wonderfully!

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  • http://www.acneway.com Jorge

    Great blog posts on health.

  • http://www.acai.vg Acai Monavie Fruit Berry Juice

    Informative stuff on health.

  • http://www.hhhwcenter.com/ Hgh

    Hey, thanks for the wonderful article!

  • ashraf

    i find exercise before going to sleep actually really helps me get a good nights kip. i do 30-45 minutes strength training and i feel really relaxed when hitting the hay

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  • http://www.mileyfanforeverxoxo.piczo.com dripdropwhenwillmyteardropsstop

    hi guys, i was wondering if u could help me……………………………. i have insmonia (sorry if i spelled it wrong) i can’t get to sleep at night i have tried every thing on this list and a few things my doctor said but they don’t help . i find my self staring at the celing untill i finally fall asleepat 4 in the morning. but most nights i’m up all night long 24 hours my sister has the same problem but she just goes on the computer all night plz help

    • Guest

      im having the same problem…i dont know how to solve this prob at all. ive always had insomnia since i was a little girl and still have not forund a way to cure it……ive talked to my docter who reccommended tons of things and ive tried them all and yet i still cannot fall asleep…why is that the case???

    • Brandon quillen

      Sleep with a medium sized semi-loud fan next to you, jack off(honestly it really does help i swear) and take some natural made sleep pills found at cvs and walmart and stuff… Hope i helped(:

    • Brandon quillen

      Sleep with a medium sized semi-loud fan next to you, jack off(honestly it really does help i swear) and take some natural made sleep pills found at cvs and walmart and stuff… Hope i helped(:

  • http://www.magicberry.com.au/ Acai

    I had sleeping issues after changing from shift work to normal work. I started taking a product called monavie which has the Acai berry in it. I found this worked well in just a couple of days. I now take it daily and am feeling better for it.

  • http://www.123sleepingpills.com Sleeping pills

    very interesting, thank you

  • http://freeacaiberry.org Free Acai Berry

    I like to sleep with a little noise at first which runs out about 40 minutes after going to bed. This helps me initially get to sleep.

    • Thewhites28504

      For a good nights sleep, I get up and drink a couple sips of five oclock vodka. Right away i go to sleep/

    • Thewhites28504

      For a good nights sleep, I get up and drink a couple sips of five oclock vodka. Right away i go to sleep/

  • http://www.acaiberrymarket.com Acai Guides

    Great post. That’s key if you want to sleep well at night.

  • cathy fisher

    These days difficulty falling asleep seems to be an everyday occurrence. It’s just that some days are even worse than others. Here are a few things that help me.. First thing I do is walk by myself. It doesn’t have to be an hour walk. Sometimes I’ll go out for only fifteen minutes. I get to think things over without any outside distractions and decide what issues (personal or business), to clear up or resolve first. Just being outside in the fresh air is also very relaxing!

    The second thing I do is use an aromatherapy eye pillow. I find it to be extremely relaxing and a terrific way to clear my thoughts and get me in a better frame of mind. The eye pillow blocks out any light and allows me to just unwind. It’s especially great after a tough ride home in traffic. The weight of the flax-seed inside the aromatherapy eye pillow feels like acupressure on my temples and eyes. It’s perfect for headaches as well. You can find them in a lot of specialty stores and also online. I know that lavender is very soothing and calming but I use peppermint. It just opens up my sinuses and helps me breathe so much better. That fact alone makes it easier for me to fall asleep. The one I use I found online at A Touch Of Satin. Their website is http://www.atouchofsatin.com if you’re interested. They had a page on their site that talked about the benefits of the different scents. You might want to read what they say about them.

    Try flipping your pillow over to the cooler side and when you start to think about things on your mind….Just SMILE! Smiling always seems to make things less stressful.

    I hope my suggestions help! Let know what you think.

  • http://www.acaitrials.com Acai Berry

    Great tips – I for one never endorse the use of sleeping pills for something as natural as…. sleep.

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  • http://acaislimdiet.org/ acai slim

    I had read a different explanation. When your body is kept warm externally, it stops working to keep you warm. Lower body temperature is a part of sleep, so taking the load off your warming system allows it to shift out of gear more easily.

  • http://insomnia-sleep-disorder-treatment.blogspot.com/2009/08/insomnia-sleep-disorder-treatment-for.html Insomnia Disorder

    Great tips on insomnia sleep disorder treatment for a good night’s sleep without pills. Thank you.

  • http://how-to-sleep-well.com Sleeping Beauty

    Thanks for the tips. If you are going to have a hot bath, it’s best to try and do this an hour or two before you go to bed. So that you give your body temperature a chance to drop.

  • http://www.ninjahq.com how to be a ninja

    great tips :) really true you know. all of these help me get to sleep at night and i dont believe in sleeping pills. i think that is terrible for the body.

  • http://Www.google.com Maggie lynn

    Ok… My little brother always keeps t.v. so loud that I can hear it from down the hall and on top of that he makes banging and clunking noises. I just can’t find tips on how to sleep without the hastle, please help me.

    • Bball_4life

      you could get ear plugs??

  • http://proteindiscounts.blogspot.com Weight Lifting Supplements

    Thanks for these natural ways of getting to sleep. I find myself reaching for melatonin or seditol to relax enough at night for sleep.

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  • http://getridofacneinfo.blogspot.com/ Mike

    If the room isn’t dark I can’t sleerp either

  • http://talviruusu.com/blog/l1 Hakukoneoptimointi Opas

    I “disobey” 6 out of ten…and it might have something to do with the sleeping problems what I have. Too much work, too much coffee, awake most of the time at night and too many night shifts. Thanks for the tips anyway! :o)

  • http://sleepwellandtight.com/ Sleep well

    Sometimes I can’t fell in a sleep, no matter what I do, it just doesn’t happen! :(

    • suk nuts

      u no wat i sumtimes jackoff to help me go to sleep i am for reel 

  • http://expertshub.net Muhammad Ilyas

    I avoid reading fiction before sleeping because if I read fiction, I could never fall asleep unless it is really bad. But reading a course book could really help as I fall asleep very quickly when I start studying :)

  • http://howtogetridofacnenow.com/ Acne

    Best tips, I exercise everyday that help me easy to sleep. Thank you for sharing.

  • http://www.sleepmasters.co.uk Sleepmasters

    Another tip for getting to sleep is to drink a warm glass of milk around 15minutes before going to bed.

  • http://logodesigner.ttrasc.org/ James

    Exercise regularly, eat healthily! This is very important! You’ll notice the difference soon after you begin it, adopt it, and adhere to it stringently. Make it a regular compliment to the rest of the tips here on this page, and you’ll be sleeping well and feeling great in no time. However, the most important thing is to allow the exercise and diet to help dissipate your daily stresses. Stress is why most otherwise healthy people feel that they “need” sleeping pills in the first place.

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  • guest

    I drink warm milk!

  • Redeyed

    I am having poor night sleep for more than a years time I guess. Every night I try to go to bed by around 9.45 PM after my dinner, I go to sleep farely around 10.30 PM or so. However on almost daily basis I wake up at around 2:30 AM +/- 20 min. My sleep is totally disturbed and cant sleep for another 1 hour. After this period I think I go back to sleep. I wake up at around 5:45 due to birds sound next to myh house and this midnight disturbance keeps me very drowsy on the days afternoon after my afternoon meal. I dont want to do any work during this time and only want to sleep. Somebody please help me of how I can avoid this midnight sleep disturbance. Thanks in advance. Help sorted, please help.

    Redeyed

  • christie

    i resently got expelled from my school and now  i go to bed at around 5 or 6am and get up at  like 5 or 6pm it sucks dont know what ill do when school starts im going to a new school where ill have to get up arround 6 am seriously 6AM i hate it well i also have trobble sleeping because i feel empty and depressed all the time and i try to sleep but its so hard its 5;12am as we speek shit im going to try to sleep bby i dont even drink coffiee D: night xxxluve ya christie

  • Kike4501

    to tell u the truth its better if u jack off at it so it will be a big skeet an u will feel mor tired

    • Gracie9

      it sounds a bit absurd and gross, but masturbation helps me fall asleep. 

  • Fragglerock-84

    iv tried everything to help me sleep at night from exercise to hot baths, and have even tried sleeping pills but no joy so what can i do to help me sleep

  • Helping you people (;

    If you guys really have that much trouble sleeping, do this. Stay up all night long (like you probably already do) but instead of going to sleep and 6 or 7 AM don’t go to sleep at all. Get away from your bed, get a cup of coffee or a soda, and take a cold shower. Do things that will keep you up, like exercising or drinking energy drinks. But whatever you do, DO NOT let yourself fall asleep before at least 8 o’clock at night. That will get your sleeping pattern right back and you’ll be out by 9 pm.  

  • Ineedsedation

    my advise is to eat and inhale anything you can find. If your thinking “I should just kill  myself I’m a piece of shit who lies up all night thinking about what a piece of shit I am”. Go for a run, rob a bank .. then rob a pharmacy. You never know, things might get better. You might exhaust yourself trying and get to catch some sleep in a bush somewhere. Life’s funny like that.

  • guuest

    smoke some marijuana! itl make you sleepy 

    • Jannettedelgado

      That’s the gayyest thing you can do

      • Smutty

        it’s not gay, it’s science, asshole

  • Edel1

    if you take a glass of hot milk and drink it really quickly, sometimes that helps different people…this may not work as everyones different…but its worth a try:)

  • Brandon quillen

    I find sleeping with a kinda loud fan to b very helpful

  • Nina Madridnm

    Don’t eat to much, and don’t eat too much so your body will get just the right nutrients you need instead of eating more so your body can stay up with your brain and activities.

  • Desertpunk608

    i had insomnia until i went to a hippno terapist he put me to sleep with a ticking clock so i decided to get a midsized clock (one that ticked it winds up) i then put it beside my bed i sleep like a baby you should try if all else fails

    • Desertpunk608

      therapist sorry

  • Biopiggy

    Slow paced Tolkienesque literature with a little cannabis.

  • Bowers8

    Bum my mates cat

    • lol

      LOL

  • Georgie

    binaural beats and/or nice, warm milk :)

  • Usman

    It’s a difficult thing for to decide but i know one thing for sure i need nothing but rest of mind because the time i go to sleep i have multiple thoughts that are coming from my mind into my head taking me into a dream that is actually with open eyes when though they are closed i better try to take showers and some exercise before sleep may help.

  • Sleepaids

    Jack it really hard then clean ur self up then lie down ull sleep like uve never slept before

  • lordfaric

    i allways listen to soft music when i go to sleep. it makes me feel like theres someone in there with me.

  • http://likelitelife.blogspot.com Aditya Samitinjay

    20 minutes of Workout a day can bolster your sleep by a dramatic
    65%. You’ll look better, slimmer and be more active. Here’s more on it Workouts Can Help You Sleep Better – Benefits of Good Sleep!

  • http://likelitelife.blogspot.com Aditya Samitinjay

    20 minutes of Workout a day can bolster your sleep by a dramatic
    65%. You’ll look better, slimmer and be more active. Here’s more on it Workouts Can Help You Sleep Better – Benefits of Good Sleep!

  • http://likelitelife.blogspot.com Aditya Samitinjay

    20 minutes of Workout a day can bolster your sleep by a dramatic
    65%. You’ll look better, slimmer and be more active. Here’s more on it Workouts Can Help You Sleep Better – Benefits of Good Sleep!