If you’ve ever experienced insomnia, you’re likely ready to throw the next article that says ‘sleep hygiene’ right out the window. Have a bedtime routine. Sure! Make sure your bedroom is cool, quiet and dark. Whatever! Put your phone away. Yeah, right – don’t you know I live on that thing?!
If you feel like you’ve tried literally everything, there’s still hope. The more desperate I got, the weirder the things I tried. And lo and behold, some of them actually worked! Here are eight of the more effective but unusual things that might just make the difference for you too.
1. Foam rolling before bed
Sometimes I can’t sleep because, without even knowing it, I’m carrying a subtle level of tension in my muscles and fascia. Twenty minutes of foam rolling from head to toe can iron all that out and I sleep like a baby.
2. The tennis ball massage
We have fascia between all our organs so, believe it or not, it can get all taut and tense even in our stomachs and digestive systems. It gives literal meaning to the saying, “My stomach is in knots”! Try massaging from the bottom of your ribs to your pelvis (gently!!) with a tennis ball for 2 – 3 minutes when you lie down in bed. Small circles or long lines all the way across from side to side. Then drift off…
3. Just a spoonful of… almond butter
Many people have unhelpful blood sugar fluctuations without ever knowing it and whether or not we have diabetes. Blood glucose levels are important and can affect our sleep. Our energy levels and hormones are also affected by glucose. For example, it can increase estrogen production, making PMS symptoms worse for some women. A teaspoon of pure almond butter (no additives, no added sugar, not the sugar-free type – just squished almonds or other nuts) before bed can regulate glucose. It can stop our body dumping it into our system to wake us up at 4am. Oh, also, it’s always a good idea to get your glucose and insulin levels checked at least once. It can be behind an unexpected myriad of physical and emotional troubles!
4. Do the hippy, hippy shake
(Yes, I am – almost – that old and definitely that cheesy!) Our nervous system can trap fight / flight energy in our body, building up more and more with every frustration, fright and fiasco throughout the day. If you’re lying there, fizzing, your mind racing, try shaking from head to toe (carefully) for 20 – 30 seconds. Then see how your system relaxes into rest.
5. Fold and scrub
If it’s 3am and you’re at the end of your tether, don’t try to wait it out. Get up and do something that’s repetitive and mindless. Usually, I fold clothes, put away some clutter or – worst case – scrub some kitchen or bathroom surfaces for 30 minutes or so. Then try lying down again. Bonus: clean and tidy house in the morning!
6. Epsom salt bath
Epsom salt baths can relax muscles that have been holding all of our anxiety throughout the day. Combining it with a guided meditation or some self-massage has double the chance of helping you find some sleep afterwards.
7. Gratitude journals – I hate them!
But they work. ☹ Or, don’t call it the, toxic positivity in the face of world collapse, ‘gratitude’ word. Just briefly jot down five cool things that happened today. Or in your life in general. Or just in the world. And if you can’t think of five, at least the effort of trying may put you to sleep!
8. The rule of five
Before getting frustrated, I try at least five sleep ideas. It takes the pressure off and I’m less anxious about my anxiety keeping me from sleeping and then making me anxious the next day! Any of the above tricks are great but other, better known ones can also help: guided meditation, breathing exercises, relaxing flower essences or essential oils, reading a book, light stretching, gentle yoga, yoga nidra, imaging in detail some pleasant or calming experience, writing a to do list for the morning, journaling out your emotions etc. If all five tricks fail, get up, stop even trying to sleep for a while, and then try another five things.
Insomnia is miserable. It makes everything worse. And, in fairness, it’s hard to be a human in this world at the moment and not have some trouble sleeping. Especially a human belonging to a group under pressure – queer, disabled, neurodivergent, POC, poor.
Hacks like those above are useful ways of trying to get through it. But figuring out where it’s coming from for you specifically, personally is the best way to really beat it and get the restful sleep you need. Is it anxiety keeping you awake? Trauma nightmares? Depression? Workplace stress? Just plain burnout? If you’d like to talk to someone to understand and work on what’s going on for you, please get in touch. Change can and does happen.
Copyright © 2023 Ann Campbell. All rights reserved T&Cs, Privacy Policy
Riotous Resilience 