Self-help for Insomnia

Living with insomnia SUCKS! Lying awake in bed at night, feeling completely exhausted with nothing else to do but sleep, yet the mind keeps us awake… Insomnia is exhausting and frustrating. 

We might turn to our doctors who can point us in the right direction to get some professional treatment for insomnia, but alongside seeking professional help, there are some things we can do to make sure we’re giving ourselves the best chance at getting that important zzzs. 

But before we look at what we can do to help ourselves manage insomnia symptoms, let’s make sure we’re really understanding what insomnia is. 

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early and being unable to return to sleep, or experiencing poor-quality sleep despite having enough opportunity to sleep. These sleep difficulties can lead to daytime symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, reduced concentration, and impaired performance at work, school, or daily activities.

Someone with insomnia might find it hard to go to sleep, waking up several times throughout the night. They might lie awake at night unable to sleep, waking up early without being able to fall back to sleep. Insomniacs might still feel tired after waking up, finding it difficult to sleep or nap during the day even when they are tired. They might experience irritability during the day due to the lack of sleep, along with finding it difficult to concentrate and focus.

Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep per night for optimal health, while many people function best with 7–9 hours. Sleep needs vary between individuals and may temporarily increase during recovery from illness, injury, or periods of significant physical or mental stress.

If we experience insomnia for a short time, less than 3 months, we call this short-term insomnia. If insomnia lasts longer than 3 months, it’s called long-term insomnia. 

Insomnia can have many contributing causes. In some people, it is triggered by a temporary stressor, while in others it may be related to medical conditions, medications, mental health concerns, lifestyle habits, or disruptions to the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.

• Stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions
• Chronic pain, respiratory disorders, acid reflux, and other medical conditions
• Certain medications, including some stimulants and corticosteroids
• Noise, light, or an uncomfortable sleep environment
• Jet lag, shift work, and irregular sleep schedules
• Alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and recreational drug use
• Excessive screen use and stimulating activities close to bedtime

What is Self-Help for Insomnia?

If we take another look at the insomnia cause list (which is by no means extensive, as there are many other factors that can result in insomnia), there are a few items on that list that we can avoid or improve ourselves from home. 

Insomnia Self-Help Dos

Insomnia makes sleeping HARD, which is why it’s so important that we set ourselves up for sleeping success. 

Fix your Sleep Environment

First things first, let’s check in with our sleep environment. Our core body temperature has to drop 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit in order for our bodies to initiate sleep. This is why it’s so difficult to fall asleep in hot temperatures. 

What sort of temperature is it usually in your bedroom? The ideal temperature for sleep is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 celsius). If we can ensure the temperature of the room we’re sleeping in is close to this average, we’ll be encouraging the body into a sleepy state. Make sure that your bedroom looks and feels great and is not cluttered with stuff.

How comfortable is your bed? Do you dislike your pillow? We need to ensure that the space you’re sleeping in encourages your personal mental and physical comfort. Change the pillows if you can! Ensure your mattress is comfortable for you. Change the sheets at least once every two weeks. Make the bed every morning, even if it’s a rush job. 

Is noise keeping you awake? Try soundproofing your room, or having a conversation with the people you live with about your insomnia to find out if the noisy tasks can be reserved for during waking hours. 

Is light keeping you awake? If you’re a shift worker, in particular, it could be that you need to sleep while it’s light outside, or maybe you’re waking up with the light. In this instance, blackout curtains could help a lot! Our body naturally produces and releases a sleepy hormone called melatonin when the sunsets. The body stops producing and releasing melatonin when the sun rises. This is what makes sleep so challenging for shift workers. We’re working against our body’s natural circadian rhythm/sleep-wake cycle.

Blackout curtains can help reduce light exposure that may interfere with the body’s natural production of melatonin and support a more consistent sleep schedule, especially for shift workers or people who need to sleep during daylight hours.

Put the Screens Away

Screens emit blue light, which may influence the body’s natural sleep-wake signals, particularly when people are exposed to bright screens late in the evening. However, sleep disruption is not caused by blue light alone; stimulating content, emotional engagement, and delayed bedtimes can also play important roles.

Limiting screen use before bedtime may help some people fall asleep more easily, particularly if screen use is replacing sleep time or exposing them to bright light. Creating a consistent wind-down routine before bed is often more important than focusing on any single habit alone.

Putting the screens away can also help us manage our stress before bed. Many of us work on our phones, and many of us scroll through social media endlessly before switching off. Whatever we do on our phones before bed, it’s important to remember that the content we consume has an effect on our mental health and stress levels. Scrolling through a never-ending feed of perfection can be enough to set off anxiety just before we’re supposed to sleep. Sending some last-minute work emails from bed can stress us out as we start to curate a list of to-dos for the next day. 

Charging your phone in another room before bed can be a great way to get into this habit of leaving the phone out of the bedroom. If we chose to use this option though, make sure you know what you’re using instead of your phone alarm to ensure this is a habit you can easily do and easily stick to. 

Insomnia Self-Help Don’ts

There are a few things that can inhibit us from falling asleep. 

Be Careful with what you Eat 

There are many foods that promote sleep, encouraging the body into a sleepy state. There are many foods that inhibit sleep, giving us energy and spiking our blood sugar. 

Large, heavy, or spicy meals close to bedtime may make it harder for some people to sleep comfortably. Many people find it helpful to finish larger meals several hours before bedtime, although the ideal timing varies between individuals.

Avoid Napping

If you’re struggling to get into a sleep routine or struggling to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, napping can be very tempting. 

Napping is great if we have the time during the day to nap, and if we’re still feeling tired by the time it’s night again. The problem for insomniacs is that they nap because they didn’t sleep, and then they frequently can’t sleep because they napped. 

Naps can help reduce sleepiness and improve alertness in the short term, but they generally do not provide all of the benefits of consistent, adequate nighttime sleep.

While a short nap may help improve alertness after a poor night’s sleep, it is generally best viewed as a temporary strategy rather than a replacement for regular, high-quality nighttime sleep.

Nap if you need to nap! But prioritise your 7-9 consecutive hours of sleep first. 

Avoid Taking Substances

A nightcap might be tempting, especially after a few consecutive nights of insomnia keeping us up. The reality is, while a drink can make us feel sleepy and drowsy, alcohol worsens our quality of sleep dramatically. 

If we are already struggling with insomnia, any sleep we are able to get needs to be as restorative as possible. Drinking before bed will lessen the restorative properties of sleep. If you can, avoid drinking before bed, or try allocating one night per week where you lower your alcohol intake. The more alcohol consumed before sleep, the worse the sleep quality will be, so even reducing intake can help to improve sleep. 

Cannabis may affect sleep differently depending on the individual, the dose, and the pattern of use. While some people report feeling sleepy after using cannabis, regular use may affect sleep architecture and can contribute to sleep difficulties in some individuals.

Try reducing marijuana consumption or allocating one night per week where you sleep sober, building on our sober sleep schedule as we get used to it.

When Should You Seek Professional Help for Insomnia?

Self-help strategies can be useful, but persistent insomnia may require professional evaluation. Consider speaking with a healthcare provider if:

• Sleep difficulties occur at least several times per week.
• Symptoms have lasted for more than a few weeks.
• Daytime fatigue is affecting work, school, driving, or daily activities.
• Loud snoring, gasping during sleep, or breathing pauses are present.
• Anxiety, depression, chronic pain, or other health concerns may be contributing to sleep problems.

A healthcare professional can help identify underlying causes and discuss evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), which is considered a first-line treatment for chronic insomnia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Take-Aways

Insomnia makes sleeping seem impossible, but there are ways that we can prepare the body for sleep, naturally encouraging the body into a sleepy state. Notably, reducing light consumption before bed will help the body into a sleepy state, along with reducing substance intake, checking the temperature of the room you’re sleeping in, and ensuring you’re as mentally and physically comfortable in bed as possible. 

When laying in bed unable to sleep, try some deep breathing to remind the body that it is safe to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Keeping as much ease as possible in your breathing, take a deep breath in through the nose, and slowly exhale through the mouth. With each exhale, visualize yourself letting go of any tension in the body, and in the mind. Repeat this exercise for a couple of minutes. 

If you’re concerned about the state of your sleep health, be sure to speak openly with your healthcare provider. From Somnus Therapy, sleep well, and sweet dreams!