What are somethings to help with insomnia?

Insomnia: Depending on the causes which need to be treated first. For primary insomnia with no apparent cause, sleep hygeine works fairly well. Refer to my posts on 'Sleep Hygiene'.

Insomnia: Factors PM :caffeine:coffee, energy drinks sleep apnea , anxiety, bedtime (dark room no devices), thyroid. GERD, steroid , alcohol,shift /night work,night urination, Treat :bedtime routine, warm shower/bath, warm milk 2 hours before, no devices, exercise in day, melantonin, valarian, lavender meds http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/basics/alternative-medicine/con-20024293

Stanford: Look up the Stanford Sleep Center. They used to have a wonderful sleep hygiene list. Avoiding caffeine, same bedtime, bed only for sleep and romance, dark and cool, do not warm your body before bed (no bath/exercise just before sleep), no bright lights, if cant fall asleep in 15 min, get out of bed, do something quiet and dull without bright light, try again. Alarm clock turned away.

Relaxation tech: deep breathing, quiet music, progressive muscle relaxation...one technique is to slowly count your breaths, focusing on the sensations of the inhale and then the exhale...each time you lose count, start over again with "one".

Insomnia: Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia is considered the most effective long term answer for insomnia. It involves a comprehensive approach to changing your environment(in manageable ways), your behaviors and your thoughts. You have to learn to expect that you will sleep well, and believe that you can change things. I teach a program, Conquer Insomnia that is CBT-I. Meds helpful short term

CBT: CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and it is widely practiced. CBT can be effective for reducing anxiety which often interferes with sleep hygiene.

Sleep Routine: Establishing a regular sleep routine if helpful including relaxing activity prior to sleep. It is helpful to avoid stimuli such as TV or music while going to sleep. If you are anxious, a "mind dump" of worries on paper can clear your mind. CBT-I is a successful cognitive therapy for insomnia. You may also want to notice what keeps you awake.

Sleep hygiene: Good sleep hygiene is imperative to help with insomnia. Cut the caffeine, don't take afternoon naps, only use your bed for sleep and sleep related activities like sex, don't have a heavy dinner after 7 PM. Try to wake up and go to sleep at the same time every night. If these things don't work consider medication.

Improve sleep: There are many simple techniques that can help you get a good night's sleep. Exercise early in the day can help, avoid large spicy meals late at night, avoid excess alcohol, keep bedroom just for sleep and sex (no TV, no laptop use in bed, no texting on phone in bed). Keep room cool, avoid sleeping meds. Glass of warm milk or small snack of turkey is OK. If persists, consider CBT psychotherapy

Sleep Hygiene is Key: Retire & rise same time each day. Keep bedroom dark & cool & use only for sex & sleep. Turn off tv. No naps. Exercise regularly but not in late evening. No caffeine for 6 hrs & no alcohol or tobacco w/i 2 hrs of sleep. Keep dinner moderate sized & finish at least 2 to 3 hrs before sleep. Can try warm milk, Chamomile tea or melatonin along w light reading, warm bath or lavender scent.

Try the obvious 1st: Avoid caffeine nicotine & even alcohol 4-6 hours before sleep. Use your bed just for sleep ( & sex), avoid TV, work on laptap & eating in bed. Avoid naps during the day or heavy exercise 4 hours before bedtime . Hot bath 1-2 hours before bed time might help. Try to keep same routine. Overethecounter sleep aids can be helpful but have side effects, Get checkup & see if meds or psych eval will help

Insomnia: Don't watch tv or look at cell phones, tablets, computers for 2 hrs before bed. The bright light from these inhibits Melatonin activity in the brain. Many meds used 4 sleep are addictive tranquilizers but some mds prescribe trazodone (an older antidepressant) w good results for sleep, also Benadryl (diphenhydramine) (contained in "PM" OTC pills). For more sleep tips, see https://web.stanford.edu/~dement/howto.html

Basic sleep routines: are: no stimulants after a certain hour (relative to bedtimes), don't eat too close to bedtimes, stay away from bright lights for an hour before bedtime (anything with a brightly lit screen, unless the product has special lighting), unless exercise makes you tired, stay away from that before bed, only do two things in the bedroom--one of them is sleep. Herbs also help, but see an MD for the lis

Underlying cause.: Determine that there’s no medical, psychological reason including alcohol or medications for your insomnia by having evaluation. Sometimes this may require a sleep study. Talk to your doctor about your insomnia and have him/her investigate possible reasons. If medical causes ruled out, sleep study may be the next step. Good luck!

Help with Insomnia: •Trust your body that you have had sleep since birth. •Realize and feel Wonder of Breath of Life. •Become Captain over Stresses of Life and Insomnia, Not Victim. •Exercise or Yoga in the evening. •Close that day’s Chapter in Book of Life. •Before sleeping, do Breathing and Music Relaxation, Visual imagery, and Meditation Let Rest and Sleep Happen! Good Night!

CBT-I app: As others have recommended, CBT-I (CBT for Insomnia) is very effective, long term. You might also check out the CBT-I app. The app is NOT a treatment, but it can help make treatment more successful. You can find a list of CBT-I providers here: http://www.absm.org/BSMSpecialists.aspx Hope this is helpful. Take good care.