I actually didn't bake these while I couldn't sleep, but they were really yummy, and I have baked before because I couldn't sleep.
So, when you've been laying in bed for what seems like forever and you can foresee no sleep in your future, but are way too tired to get up and be productive (or are worried about waking up the house). There are a few things you can do to help you turn your mind off and relax yourself into sleep. **If this happens to you a lot, it's best to find a routine that helps you drift off to sleep without you overthinking your sleeping process.
Notes of an Insomniac. First Edition. Learn to Relax Yourself to Sleep.
1. Make a bed time routine and stick to it. What helps you get sleepy? What makes you think too much late at night? What makes you anxious right before bed? What helps you relax? What helps you fall asleep? These are important questions for someone who is having a hard time falling asleep at night. If you have one good night that you fall asleep easily and wake up feeling rested, write down everything you did before you went to bed. Did you watch less TV? Or no TV? Did you read? Did you forget to have your afternoon coffee? Is your snoring husband out of town? Whatever it was that was different, write it down, try it again the next night. When you find what works, stick to it.
For me, the best nights are the ones: I don't have caffeine after 2pm. I finish all of my chores and eat dinner as soon as I get home from work (this is way too late at night, but I'm on different hours then a lot of people). No nap and No TV before bed. I take Stella on a nice semi-long bedtime walk (about a half hour). I shower, and have a sleepy time tea while I read or blog. That is the best bedtime routine for me, but it is definitely difficult to stick to.
2. Your bed is for SLEEPING (and sex). Your bed is NOT for: reading, blogging, TV, important discussions, crocheting, video games, etc. This sounds silly, but it really helps to make your bed a sleep only zone. If you spend too much time doing other things in your bed, your body will start to think it's supposed to be doing other things while you're in bed, which will not help you fall asleep. Now if you fall asleep reading or watching TV, then you probably don't have enough issues with sleep to need to read this, but if those help for you, I say go for it!
I blog at the kitchen table, I don't have a TV in my room. And normally I do my reading snuggled up on the couch with Stella the Bear. I also don't allow Stella in bed with me, she moves too much, it's too much of a distraction. Also, because I've been single for so long, I honestly can't share a bed with somebody right now, unless I take something to fall asleep.
3. Sleepytime Tea or Warm Milk. Yum and yum. Just try it. If you don't like it or it doesn't work for you, give it to someone else. But at least you gave it a try. Also, SleepyTime tea comes in different flavors and there are two different kinds to help you fall asleep when you're sick and when you are having sinus issues.
Some nights, I fall asleep three sips in to my sleepy time tea... and then I get mad at myself when I wake up to a full cup the next day. It's so yummy that I don't want to waste it! But other times, I can have 2 or 3 cups and still be wide awake. The key is to take it when you are already getting ready to relax.
4. Bed time yoga. There are actually yoga positions meant to help you relax that you can do in bed!
I found this article (published on PositiveMed) on bed time yoga and why it works.
5. Mindfulness. Wait... isn't yoga the practice of mindfulness?? Well, yes you do practice mindfulness when you practice yoga, being in the present and focusing your thoughts on this moment is what mindfulness is and yoga uses that in practice. This mindfulness, that I'm describing, is similar to yoga, but you're not focusing on positions, you're focusing on relaxing. When I was in counseling regularly and having a difficult time falling asleep, My counselor had me practice mindfulness in this way so I could feel myself drifting off.
Here's how it works... Lay on your back, be still in the moment. And flex each muscle group for 5-10 seconds (or 1-3 deep breaths) and then feel each relax. I start with my fingers (both hands at the same time), then my fists, forearms, biceps, etc... you have to keep focusing though. Feel the muscle tighten, feel it release. If you do it right and stay focused you can actually feel your body melt into your bed. The biggest struggle with this for me is that I'll get to a muscle that hurts and ill start thinking about why it hurts? what did I do to it? Should I get up and put some icy hot on it? Then I realize all of the relaxing I just did, has to be redone. The point is to stay in the moment. If you can get really good at this, you will definitely ace the falling asleep test.
If you're anything like me, you'll have a night (or a hundred) that no matter how hard you try, it seems as though nothing is helping you relax enough to fall asleep. Other things you can try to help relax yourself to sleep are:
** take a bath
** get up and do what's bothering you, and then try to sleep again
** keep a notebook by your bed for those "oh crap I forgot to..." moments, that way it can wait until tomorrow, but you know you won't forget if you check your notebook first thing in the morning
** Sleep in a different direction. This is silly but sometimes, if I'm having a hard time falling asleep and just turn myself around so my head is at the foot of the bed, I will pass out.
** Find a calming movement that relaxes you... If you rub a dog's forehead, between his eyes just up down he will fall asleep... people work like that too. Like when your mom used to rub your back until you fell asleep, it still works! Find a comfy position and one single, small, comfortable movement and just keep doing it. I run my thumb in circles on my opposite forearm.
And when all else fails, You can play hide and seek with Stella!
What do you do to relax before bed??
Ugh. I need to follow these. .
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