What can you do about insomnia?

A great deal. The good news about insomnia is that you can cure yourself - in your own way, in your own time and at your own pace. You may wish to enlist the support or help of your doctor, a college nurse or a counsellor, but you won't necessarily need to. However you must be prepared to make some changes in your lifestyle in order to sleep better.

Things you can do to help yourself

Change Your Environment

You need a comfortable bed and a room that's quiet, warm and dark enough. Unfortunately this is not always be possible. You might have noisy neighbours, a cold north-facing room, a partner who snores, furniture you have to make do with. But there are some things you can do which will help.

Your bed - put a board under the mattress if it sags, or try putting your bed in a different position. Make sure your bedding is clean and that you are warm enough, but not too hot.
Light - if light troubles you use thicker curtains or putting a scarf or a sleep mask over your eyes. If you feel more comfortable with a little light, leave the curtains open a little or use a night light.
Noise - a common cause of sleeplessness! Use earplugs if it's noise you can't do anything about - or change your attitude towards it. People can sleep through high levels of noise - it's not so much the level of noise but how you feel about it that keeps you awake. Use relaxation exercises to calm yourself and take your mind off it. Take some 'diplomatic action' - e.g. talking to noisy neighbours. Keep a radio/tape player by your bed and use it to mask other noise. And if noise from neighbours continues to be a serious problem - speak to college authorities or the local Environmental Health Officer.

Change Your Lifestyle

If you are having difficulty sleeping and are serious about solving the problem you will have to change some aspects of your lifestyle. For a start you will need to cut out or cut down on all stimulants. These include: coffee and tea, alcohol, nicotine, cola drinks, food additives, 'junk food', slimming pills or appetite suppressants.

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