Back in my first few years of university I was battling serious insomnia. I didn’t know what was causing it. My room mate at the time told me that it was because I would sit in front of the computer an entertain myself, but I thought this was a reaction due to insomnia (i.e. I can’t sleep so might as well stay up). Insomnia is a condition whereby the individual faces a difficulty of going to sleep.
I no longer suffer from insomnia, so I can confirm that entertaining myself with movies and computer games in the middle of the night worsened my condition. The problem with insomnia is this: because you experience restless nights, you feel unrested and zombie-like throughout the day. You might even feel sleepy at the worst times (like during classes) and then when you finally get to your bed, the cycle of sleeplessness begins all over again.
Methods to combat insomnia varies. Methods that might work for some will not work for others and vice versa. So here are a few things that worked for me, that you might want to consider:
1.] Avoid siestas or any kind of nap throughout the day.
2.] As soon as you tuck yourself in, STOP thinking. You are not allowed to think. Go to sleep, that is your one objective. Do not think about your boyfriend/girlfriend, do not think about what you have to do tomorrow, do not think of your financial problems. Shut your eyes and feel the softness of the pillow/blankets around you.
3.] If you cannot just shut your eyes, then switch on the TV and keep the volume on low. Make sure you are not watching an interesting programme. Put your bed in a position where you can watch TV while placing your head on your pillow. Keep the remote control next to you in case you can start feeling yourself drifting off to sleep.
4.] Go to bed early and give yourself plenty of time to just try to go to sleep. Trust me, you will eventually. As long as there is an effort.
5.] Avoid doing things that interest you. Sort of like what I was doing: watching movies and playing computer games because I couldn’t sleep. Definite no-nos.
6.] Do sports or an activity during the day that will tire you out a little bit. Some people like to jog early morning as soon as they get up, others prefer to jog right before they go to sleep. Do both and figure out which one puts you to sleep and which one keeps you awake (different people; different reactions).
Feel free to add on to the list, especially methods that helped you overcome insomnia.
