Insomnia is a persistent problem for many people. People who suffer with insomnia have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking in the morning not feeling well-rested. Managing insomnia involves something called “sleep hygiene”. Without enough restorative sleep it is unlikely you will be able to conquer life’s many stressful trials and tribulations.

It is imperative to have good sleep hygiene to combat insomnia and to manage stress.

Restorative sleep not only affects you, but it affects those around you. It has an impact on the relationships you have with others. The next time you feel irritated, short tempered or abrupt with your significant other, think about how well you or your significant other have slept in the last couple of days. If the answer is that one of you slept less than 6 hours at night, chances are excellent that the irritability is due to a lack of sleep.

Being tired can hurt you in other ways as well. In the AA community (Alcoholics Anonymous) there is an acronym that is frequently discussed concerning the risk of relapse. The acronym is: H.A.L.T. (hungry, angry, lonely and tired). The suggestion was if you were hungry, angry, lonely or tired you were at greater risk of relapse. The greater the number of risk factors, the greater the likelihood of a relapse. Being “tired” plays a prominent role in risk of relapse. Click on H.A.L.T. for more information.

Reasons for Insomnia

There are so many reasons for insomnia:

• A poor bedtime routine, for example, watching TV in bed, too much screen time before bed
• A medical reason, for example, sleep apnea or the side effect of a medication
• Acute stress due to a life situation, for example, a cancer diagnosis, divorce, threats of a pandemic, tornado or hurricane warnings
• An underlying mental health issue relating to trauma, for example, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression or anxiety
• A sleep partner with restless leg syndrome, or who steals the blankets, or who takes up more than their half of the bed, or who likes the temperature in the room cooler or warmer than you
• An alcohol or substance use disorder

Relearning how to sleep well will take effort. If your goal is to wake up feeling refreshed in the morning, there are skills you can utilize to improve your sleep. Some of these skills you may have heard of (and even tried!), while other ideas may be new to you. Not every idea will work for every person.

Five Categories for Improved Sleep Hygiene

In my book Crush Your Stress: 302 Coping Skills for Managing Your Stress, there is a whole chapter devoted just to sleep hygiene as a plan to reduce your stress. Some of the more popular suggestions for sleep hygiene include:

Bedding and Mattress: Buying the best mattress, bedding and pillows you can afford will give you a base for a restful sleep. Making your bed every day is a symbolic act officially ending your sleep cycle. While it may be emotionally comforting, having your cat or dog on your bed might increase allergies and provide someone else to fight with about space on the bed!

Environment: A cool, quiet, dark bedroom environment with minimal distractions will go a long way to a more restful sleep. Waking up every morning to an alarm can be stressful. Try sunrise light bulbs, lamps or alarm that will let you fall asleep and wake up gently. Think about using a white noise machine or running a fan to block out distracting noises that may keep you awake.

Preparation: If you are prepared for tomorrow, you are less likely to be worrying about it tonight when you are trying to fall asleep. Sometimes when you are having a hard time getting to sleep it is because something “pops into your mind” and you don’t want to forget it. Keep a pen and small pad of paper next to your bed to write down this idea to address in the morning.

Routine: Having a bedtime routine can focus you mentally and physically to gear down from your day. Unwinding might be putting your work phone on silent and putting it inside the nightstand drawer symbolizing the work day is over. Maybe you listen to music as you are falling asleep. Maybe you wind down with a warm cup of decaffeinated herbal tea.

Visualization: Sometimes when sleep is elusive it is because of worrying about what didn’t get done today, and what needs to be accomplished tomorrow. When this starts, visualize a stop sign. It creates a visual cue to stop the thinking that has become harmful or destructive.

One of the most important parts about sleep hygiene is to think positive. If at 3 p.m. you start dreading tossing and turning in bed at night, you are creating a situation where you are talking yourself into a bad night! Think positive! Attempt coping skills. If one does not work, try another!

20 Specific Techniques for Fighting Insomnia

While thinking about general categories of sleep hygiene, other people are more visually oriented, and a list may help. Whatever works for you to help you have more restful sleep, the better!

1. See a doctor to determine if there is a medical condition present
2. Before bed take a warm (not hot) bath or shower
3. Listen to a relaxing audio recording of nature sounds, for example, waves, song birds, rain, etc.
4. Eat a small low protein snack before bedtime, for example, popcorn, a banana, strawberries, kiwi or pumpkin seeds
5. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, tobacco
6. At least four hours before bedtime, get some physical exercise
7. Keep regular bedtime hours, even if on the weekends or on vacation
8. Don’t “sleep in”; keep a regular time of getting up, even on the weekends or on vacation
9. If you can’t fall asleep after 30 minutes, get up and go do something, for example, read a book or write in your journal
10. Visualize a peaceful scene, for example, a field of flowers, wildlife in a forest
11. Count backwards from 1,000
12. Use earplugs
13. Use a sleep mask
14. Make the temperature in your bedroom cooler
15. Paint the walls in your bedroom a soothing color
16. Put a fish tank in your bedroom
17. Use aromatherapy, for example, lavender is a soothing smell
18. Don’t go to bed feeling angry about something or angry with someone
19. Incorporate foods high in natural melatonin into your daily diet, for example, tomatoes, sweet corn, grapes, cherries, walnuts, almonds, bananas, oats, rice, etc.
20. Change your attitude about sleep, for example, focus on the resting part vs. the pressure of, “I have to get to sleep! I can’t get to sleep!”

Take Away Point

Insomnia is frequently the result of poor sleep hygiene or an unhealthy sleep routine. Improve your sleep hygiene and it likely will impact your ability to fall asleep, stay asleep and help you wake up feeling rested in the morning. Taking some pressure off yourself about your problems with sleep and you may be surprised about how well you will sleep!

No content in this blog was created by AI (artificial intelligence). The information presented is the perspective of the author and material amassed from 40+ years as a clinical social worker.

With warmest regards,

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Kathryn Maietta, MSW, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker / Author and Blogger

For more than forty years I have been a licensed clinical social worker in Maine and recently became licensed in Texas. The focus of my practice has been working individually with adult men and women and working with couples. I received my BSW from Baylor University and my MSW from Boston University. Since 2020 I have published four self-help books and written a bi-weekly mental health blog.

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Anger Management Domestic Abuse/Violence Relationships Stress and Anxiety Communication Resilience