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According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, almost half of North Americans suffer from insomnia during their lifetime, and out of this, nearly 22% have difficulties sleeping every night. <\/p>\nAccording to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, almost half of North Americans suffer from insomnia during their lifetime, and out of this, nearly 22% have difficulties sleeping every night. <\/p>\n
These statistics might be troubling, but did you know that there are certain habits that might be contributing to, or possibly even causing this problem? <\/p>\n
By getting to know the bad habits that could be causing your sleeplessness, you have the power to change them. <\/p>\n
Are you constantly trying to force yourself to sleep when your body just isn\u2019t ready? <\/p>\n
According to experts such as Nitun Verma, M.D., this could be a big mistake. If your body isn\u2019t tired, you are probably going to end up lying awake for hours, feeling more and more frustrated with every passing minute, and this anxiety is going to keep you awake even longer. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to go to bed when you feel tired; this might seem easier said than done, but by changing the following bad habits, it won\u2019t be. <\/p>\n
1) It\u2019s never a good idea to over stimulate yourself just before you go to bed;<\/strong> otherwise your brain will be whirling away while you\u2019re trying to obtain a peaceful enough state to fall asleep. Turn the television off about two hours before bedtime and read a book or spend some time with a loved one; this will allow your body to slowly wind down from its busy day so that by the time bedtime arrives, you\u2019ll be tired enough to sleep. <\/p>\n 2) Turning off bright lights during the few hours that precede bedtime is important,<\/strong> since the body reacts to light and isn\u2019t able to produce melatonin amidst the television\u2019s glare or the bright lights around the house. Melatonin is the chemical that is responsible for the regulation of sleeping patterns, and so it is an important component of a good night\u2019s rest. Turn down the dimmers so that your brain is not only able to reach that calm, restful state that it requires before bed, but also so that melatonin can be released into your system in preparation for the restful period ahead. <\/p>\n 3) These days, people do everything from eating meals to watching television in bed,<\/strong> and so it\u2019s no wonder that when they get underneath the covers, they aren\u2019t able to sleep. In order to get the body accustomed to sleeping when you go to bed, make sure that it is only used for this purpose. <\/p>\n 4) Lastly, cut out beverages such as coffee, alcohol and just about any other stimulants, <\/strong>in the hours preceding bedtime. Alcohol might make you feel a bit sleepier after that first glass of wine, but once this initial affect passes, you\u2019ll probably end up waking up a few times during the night. Coffee, on the other hand, remains in the system hours after you drink it; this means that you need to stop drinking it in the late afternoon, rather than just before bedtime. <\/p>\n Do you suffer from insomnia? Whether it is a constant struggle or something that pops up a few times a year, the \u201cTrain Your Brain\u201d Insomnia program is helping many people suffering from this often crippling problem. <\/p>\n The program is easy, and will work from the very first night \u2013 in fact, it will take less than 25 minutes to get you from wide awake to fast asleep, any time of the day. Why continue to struggle when you can Train Your Brain for a sound night\u2019s sleep?<\/p>\n