When sleep is not quick in coming, try pushing your worries to one side and visualizing a pleasant, nonstimulating scene, perhaps a solitary afternoon on a warm, tropical beach scene will help. If noise from traffic or aircraft – or even from your partner’s snoring – keeps you awake, try blocking it out with earplugs or consider buying an inexpensive “white noise” or “wave” machine that emits soothing sounds which can usually mask unsettling noises. To calm yourself down before bed, you can try an herbal preparation, ideally a tea. Herbalists often recommend a particular mixture, tailored to each individual’s needs, that can help you get to sleep. However, ready-made herbal teas are available from most grocery stores. Chamomile tea is one well-known sleep inducer, so is tea made from the root of the valerian plant. Should you still be unable to sleep, or if your mind is overcrowded with worries or depressing thoughts, see your physician, who may be able to prescribe a sleeping drug or sedative. Such medications, however, will often produce an unsatisfactory, artificial sleep and can be addictive, which is why doctor usually recommend them as a short-term remedy only. |
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