I have a client coming tonight to work on insomnia.
Because I’m a hypnotherapist and health coach, I don’t just do hypnotherapy but also offer practical lifestyle advice. Here are two dozen tips which I’ve put together as a one-page good sleep checklist to give to my client:
photo credit: MoonSoleil
The Sleep Environment
1. Is your bed comfortable?
2. Is your room quiet?
3. Is your room dark?
4. Is your room comfortably cool?
5. Do you refrain from mentally stimulating activities there?
6. Do you keep to the same sleep/wake cycle all week?
Sleep Aids
1. Do you get enough exercise?
2. Do you use relaxing teas such as camomile, lemon balm or valerian at night?
3. Do you have a carbohydrate/tryptophan/calcium snack (peanuts, sunflower seeds, wholegrain cereal, oatmeal and raisin cookie, peanut butter sandwich) or drink such as warm milk about an hour before going to bed?
4. Is your evening meal light, low-fat, high-carb, and medium- to low-protein?
5. Do you leave a digestive space of 2-3 hours between meal and bed?
6. If your feet are cold, do you use socks to warm them up?
Preparing for Sleep
1. Do you have a wind-down ritual before bed?
2. Do you avoid stimulating activities (TV, computer, work, study) in the hour before bed?
3. Do you use relaxing activities like a hot bath, meditation, quiet music, recreational reading before bed?
4. Do you make sure your exercise is finished 3 to 6 hours prior?
5. Do you avoid alcohol and nicotine before bed?
6. Do you avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening?
Worry Management
1. Do you have a notebook by the bed to write down things you think of, so that you’re not worried about forgetting them?
2. Do you plan what you’re going to do the next day before going to bed so that you’re not lying in bed planning?
3. Do you know how to calm your body down with deep breathing?
4. Do you know how to calm your mind down with meditation, self-hypnosis or “anchoring“?
5. Do you know how to “let go” of thoughts and feelings?
6. Do you get up when you can’t sleep, so that you stop associating being in bed with being wakeful?
Sources: Some of these are adapted from my earlier post (7 tips for a better night’s sleep), and some are from Vreni Gurd. The information on what to eat before bed is sourced from Ask Dr Sears.
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