When he couldn't sleep, Groucho Marx called people in the middle of the night & insult them.
Marlene Dietrich's insomnia cure : a sardine & onion sandwich on rye.Insomnia Cures & Treatments
Dear fellow insomniacs,
Not getting enough sleep is real curse, believe me I know. I've suffered from insomnia for many years now and have tried many assorted insomnia treatments with varying success. This website has been put together after years of sleep problems, with the aim of collecting together the information that has helped me with my long battle with insomnia.
I have drawn up a top 10 list of tips for treating insomnia as well as a series of insomnia related articles which I hope you will find helpful. A recent addition to my collection of articles examines the root causes of insomnia.
David Harris
Insomniac
Top Ten Tips For Beating Insomnia
These are my favourite well-proven tips for curing insomnia...
1. If you have an alarm clock with a large bright display, place it out of sight. The last thing you need when trying to sleep is a constant reminder of how late it is - stressing over being awake will keep you awake!
2. Eliminate as much light as possible, including light from alarm clocks and vcr panels.
3. If your sleep is interrupted by outside sounds, try masking them with the sound of an air fan, a radio tuned to static or by using a white noise machine.
4. Keep a moderate ambient temperature - if it's too hot or cold your body won't want to relax
5. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine. It's best to abstain from these altogether but if you can't then try to avoid them before late afternoon/ early evening.
6. Even if you're tired during the day don't take naps as this will it make it harder for you to get to sleep at night.
7. Don't exercise too close to bedtime (at least 3 hours) as your body needs time to wind down and will keep your mind awake.
8. Adopt a 'going to bed' routine, a ritual that signals your brain that the day is ending and it's time to shut down. Don't do any work or any puzzle-solving during this ritual.
9. Only use your bed for sleep or sex. Don't fill your bedroom with computers, tvs or anything not to do with restful activities.
10. If you haven't dropped off to sleep within half an hour, don't lay there stressing over it. Get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy.