• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Hire a Moxie-Writer
  • Speaking
  • Contact
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Books
  • Single Moms with Moxie podcast

Moxie-Dude

Life updates gone wrong. Or right. I'm undecided.

  • #KitchenFails
  • Writing
  • Teenagers
  • Hamster Ramblings
  • Aging and its niceties
  • Shared Thoughts
You are here: Home / Aging and its niceties / 5 Ways to trick your body into managing your insomnia. Because who better to give advice on insomnia than someone who suffers from insomnia.

5 Ways to trick your body into managing your insomnia. Because who better to give advice on insomnia than someone who suffers from insomnia.

July 30, 2015 by Mona Andrei 12 Comments

Insomnia Lies

Hey there, awesome readers!

Last night as I was lying in bed, tossing and turning and trying not to pull a muscle, I got to thinking about the many ways I trick my body into falling asleep.

Now before you go and accuse me of plotting against my own body, know that I’m of the quasi-belief that my body is my temple. (And by temple I mean well-loved shed.)

I’m mindful of what I eat (most of the time); I exercise (at least once a month); and I listen when joints yell at me (knees can be very bossy).

And if you insist on pointing the finger, my body is the one who initiates the tricking – usually between 8 and 9 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), when it starts to complain. (“Hey! I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.”)

And since my body is the only body I have, I obey by commencing the evening ritual.

I take a shower … I floss … I read … all with the intent of winding down until I’m finally ready to climb into bed so that my temple can rest and recover from the long day. I wouldn’t say that I “pamper” my body, but I do all the things I should and then I settle underneath the blankets knowing that I’ve done all that I can.

And when all through the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse, I hear my body again.

“Just kidding. Let’s go write something.”

Suddenly the ceiling fan in my bedroom becomes the focal point of my frustration and I realize that my body had no intention of ever going to asleep. It tricked me!

This is usually about the time that I start plotting because apparently insomnia and my body are best friends and all they want to do is stay awake for the rest of my life.

This is also about the time that I discover a very reliable statistic:

According to the internet, insomnia is a worldwide problem.

I know this because every night when I can’t sleep I log on and realize that the rest of the world is already there.

And so I’ve decided to share with you my top 5 tips for tricking my body into falling asleep.

Disclaimer: I’m not saying these tips are foolproof. I’m just saying if you’re awake anyway, you may as well give them a try.

5 Ways to trick your body into managing your insomnia

1. Breathe. Don’t move. Don’t think. Just breathe. Some people call this meditating. I call it letting go of all the crap from the day.

2. Get cool. Move your leg to a deserted corner of your mattress or your head to an unused spot on your pillow. Lowering your body temperature (sometimes) induces sleep.

3. Move your clock ahead an hour. One thing I’ve noticed about insomnia is that it usually starts to wear off at about the time you need to get up. Setting your clock ahead will give you a whole hour of uninterrupted sleep. (Although for best results you should try to FORGET that you’ve set your clock ahead an hour.)

4. Repeat your bedtime ritual. Get out of bed and go back to the beginning of your wind-down ritual. Brush your teeth (again). Wash your face (again). Pee (or pretend to; again). This will sometimes trick your body into anticipating bedtime and make it forget all about its need to frolic with insomnia.

5. Think happy thoughts. Sometimes insomnia is caused by stress. By focusing on only the things that make you happy (such as chocolate or wine; or chocolate AND wine) you’ll release the stress that’s bottlenecking your melatonin levels and your body will naturally relax enough to finally fall asleep. Maybe.
Bonus: The one thing you should NEVER do when insomnia visits

Never, ever, EVER make a list. Lists of any kind are bad, bad, bad for sleeping.
This includes grocery lists, to-do lists, ways to manage your insomnia lists …

Starting a list is the best way to invite the Hamster to the insomnia party.

PS. I know this because this list was created in the middle of the night and I’m hoping that you’ll learn from my mistake.

PPS. If you have any tips for tricking your body into falling asleep, please share them in the comments. I’m still looking for that one trick of all tricks for managing my insomnia.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Share with your followersShare on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email
Share on stumbleupon
Stumbleupon
Share on buffer
Buffer
Share on diggit
Diggit
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on reddit
Reddit
Share on tumblr
Tumblr

Filed Under: Aging and its niceties, Random, Solutions to world problems Tagged With: #Insomnia

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. KCLAnderson (Karen) says

    July 30, 2015 at 12:16 pm

    My #1 tip is 4-7-8 breathing. You can find detailed information about it by googling (I like Andrew Weil’s explanation and demo), but the basics go like this: inhale thru your nose for a count of four, hold for a count of seven, then exhale thru your mouth for a count of eight. Repeat at least four times, but as many as you need. It doesn’t have to be exact; the most important part is the exhale…exhale until there’s nothing left. This is very calming and I use it when I wake up in the middle of the night (because I generally don’t have a problem falling asleep, just staying asleep).

    Reply
    • Mona Andrei says

      July 31, 2015 at 9:16 am

      Thanks so much, Karen. I checked out Andrew Weil’s explanation and as he says, 4-7-8 breathing has to be done twice a day for long-term results. I’m giving it a try. Thanks for the tip!

      Reply
  2. Katherine Lewis says

    July 30, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    I love these ideas! Have you ever heard of left nostril breathing? It’s supposed to help you fall asleep but I am always too congested to get it to work.

    Reply
    • Mona Andrei says

      July 31, 2015 at 9:14 am

      Thanks, Katherine! Will have to look that up!

      Reply
  3. Carla says

    July 30, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    That clock one is super creative and something I cannot considered before…

    Reply
    • Mona Andrei says

      July 31, 2015 at 9:13 am

      Carla, the trick with the clock method is to forget that you’ve changed it 🙂

      Reply
  4. Risa says

    July 30, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    These days, a noisy mockingbird is keeping me awake! I like the breathing technique, though. Maybe the mockingbird should try it.. Thanks for posting~

    Reply
    • Mona Andrei says

      July 31, 2015 at 9:12 am

      Risa, the birds wake me up as well. I try to remind myself that I’d rather hear birds than traffic 🙂

      Reply
  5. b+ (Retire in Style Blog) says

    July 30, 2015 at 11:23 pm

    A small taste of peanut butter…there is something about it that really works. But only in the middle of the night…I suppose that is not a good thing is it?

    Reply
    • Mona Andrei says

      July 31, 2015 at 9:11 am

      It can’t be bad if it works 🙂

      Reply
  6. Joy says

    August 1, 2015 at 12:56 am

    Oh gotta love insomnia! I get that too on certain times of the month and I agree that lists of any sort are horrible!! Tips? For me, I’ve realized that fighting it doesn’t do me any good. When it’s really bad and I feel so awake, I just give in, go downstairs and do things on the computer, or watch tv…and then I’ll feel tired again after a couple of hours. Sometimes, Zyrtec makes me sleepy too btw, haha! Good luck to us!

    Reply
    • Mona Andrei says

      August 4, 2015 at 10:36 am

      Thanks, Joy. And yes! Good luck to us 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

A book for single mothers? BOOYAH!

Buzz

“Mona’s ability to mix humor with insight is truly admirable.”
Holly Monteith, Cynren Press






Subscribe!

Enter your email address:
Loading

Recent Posts

  • Dear Single Moms: The ceiling may not have the answers, but I do!
  • Sorry, I can’t come to the phone right now. My self-doubt is acting up.
  • The Sisterhood of Single Moms: Because Keeping our Sanity Takes a Village (and a lot of wine)
  • 10 Reasons Why Single Moms Are Superheroes (And Don’t Even Know It!)
  • The truth about why we feel crappy and 4 steps to feeling less crappy

Recent Comments

  • Diane on Dear Single Moms: The ceiling may not have the answers, but I do!
  • Diane on Sorry, I can’t come to the phone right now. My self-doubt is acting up.
  • Diane on The Sisterhood of Single Moms: Because Keeping our Sanity Takes a Village (and a lot of wine)
  • Susan McCorkindale on The truth about why we feel crappy and 4 steps to feeling less crappy
  • Diane on The truth about why we feel crappy and 4 steps to feeling less crappy

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • July 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • July 2010
  • May 2010

Categories

  • #KitchenFails
  • Aging and its niceties
  • Boyfriend stories
  • Dating
  • Friday Funny
  • Guest post
  • Hamster Ramblings
  • Kids
  • Memory Lane
  • mom adventures
  • Non-travelling Adventures
  • Out & about – because Montreal is contagious
  • Out & About in Montreal
  • Pretending to be a grown-up
  • Raising teenagers
  • Random
  • Shared Thoughts
  • Single moms
  • Solutions to world problems
  • Sponsored Post
  • Technology (sort of)
  • That effin hamster
  • Travelling Adventures
  • Uncategorized
  • Weekly Wrap-up
  • Wordless Wednesday
  • Writing

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

© 2023 · Moxie-Dude · webmaster