Fighting insomnia is no chimera. If you suffer from sleep problems, it is very possible that this is a source of problems that is stealing your time (the time it takes you to fall asleep) and your health. Considering the value of these two elements, it is worth asking what can be done to remedy this situation.

How do you fight insomnia and start sleeping well?

As we know that sleeping problems are quite widespread, we have decided to address this problem today.Here are some tips that you may find useful.

1. Eat well

There is no point in going to bed dragging around a tiredness produced by a lack of caloric intake. One of the solutions for insomnia may be in food: it is important to eat well, since a lack of calories below the minimums increase the levels of cortisol , the stress hormone.

In addition, it is worth eliminating or greatly moderating the consumption of coffee or other exciting beverages and doing the same with foods filled with artificial sweeteners. On the other hand, it is advisable to consume foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan such as dairy products, eggs or whole grains, as this helps to produce serotonin, a powerful relaxant. For example, you can have a natural yogurt an hour before going to sleep. Foods with a moderately high carbohydrate content can also be good.

2. Get some moderate exercise

It’s not easy to get rid of the exercise rule: this point appears in practically all the lists for a healthy life. However, there is a reason for this type of recommendation: it has been proven that aerobic activity improves the quality and quantity of sleep.

That’s why it’s a good idea to go for a run for one hour a week. But try to do this at about midday and never after eating, so that it doesn’t get in the way of digestion or a moment when you’re going to take a while to go to sleep.

3. To fight insomnia, stay away from screens and bright light

All of us follow some activation rhythms called circadian rhythms . These rhythms are affected by the reception of light and, therefore, exposing yourself to light sources at times when you are supposed to be sleeping (or getting ready for sleep) creates sleep problems: the body thinks it is daytime and we have many hours of activity ahead of us.

As the use of electronic devices has become more widespread, you have probably become accustomed to using computers, televisions or telephones within minutes of going to bed. Bad idea: light projected so directly on our body creates sleep problems by affecting the levels of melatonin , the hormone used to regulate our circadian rhythm. Curiously, the frequency of blue light is the one that most affects us in this sense. The best thing you can do is try to use dim light during the last hours of the day and try to stay away from the screens.

4. Do yoga

There are some studies suggesting the usefulness of yoga in combating sleep problems, even in cases of chronic insomnia, so it may be a good idea to follow a series of relaxation exercises to help combat stress levels.

You can consider this as an investment of a few minutes a day that will make you feel better and also help you save the time it takes to fall asleep. Try to do these exercises in the last moments of the day to relax your muscles and adjust your hormone levels to the calm that will follow.

5. Up to date with temperature

Make sure the room you are going to sleep in is at the right temperature . The shivering and the tucking in of the cold make the muscles tense, and this makes it difficult to sleep. Be careful not to get cold on your feet: if necessary, wear socks to keep insomnia at bay (even if this doesn’t sound too epic).

6. Don’t worry too much about trying to fall asleep

Once it’s time to sleep, forget about following instructions. The old trick of counting sheep by jumping over a fence doesn’t seem to be very effective in dealing with insomnia, so don’t make life difficult for yourself. At the same time, concentrating on not having stressful thoughts is very difficult, as it makes our mind busy and that, in a context where we are trying to relax, can make the stress last. When you’re in bed, you don’t need to worry about focusing on the goal of getting to sleep, if you find that doesn’t help.

7. … or yes, worry a little

If you are one of those people who have to be thinking about something all the time, another possibility is to try tiring your brain to convince it that the best thing it can do is go to sleep . At least, this is the conclusion reached by a study in which people with insomnia fell asleep earlier if they performed stressful mental operations trying to sleep.

8. Sleeps uninterrupted

Sleep eight hours, but eight hours straight . Sleep follows cycles that occur very slowly, and this process, which is what helps our body to recover and grow, is interrupted every time we wake up. It is not worth sleeping little at night and taking very long naps.

9. Learn to differentiate between what works and what doesn’t

Don’t believe any of the above points too much. Every person is a world , and there are some tips to combat insomnia that may be more useful to you than others. Since you will be practicing every day, try to look at what helps and what doesn’t help you, experiment, and learn the logic behind your lack of sleep.

10. Find out what kind of insomnia you have

These tips are generic, but the way to combat insomnia is different depending on whether it is chronic or not. Also, there are many sleep disorders that you may be confusing. If you have reached a point where these episodes are repeated a lot, it is worth seeking personalized attention from a professional.