Getting A Good Nights Sleep: Part 3

1. To get a good night’s sleep, add six to eight drops of a mix of essential oils to a warm bath. That mix might include lavender, Roman chamomile, sweet marjoram, and sandalwood. Essential oils are quickly absorbed by the skin. Evidence of this is the speed with which traces of the oil will appear on exhaled breath.

If you are pregnant or think you might be, seek the advice of your health care provider or a qualified aromatherapist before using this type of therapy. You also need to be careful about using essential oils on sick older people and on children. Half the normal dose may be appropriate for sick adults. For children, consult a qualified aromatherapist or your health care provider.

2. If you use sleeping pills, try not to take them every night. You will invariably sleep worse the night you don’t use them. Expect this and don’t take another one. If you have to take them more frequently, a good tip is to keep only one beside the bed for emergencies. Keep the rest somewhere inconvenient. Having to get out of bed to find them will wake you up, and you are much less likely to miscalculate the dosage. Going through this obstacle course means you are also a bit less likely to become dependent on sleeping pills. If you are taking a sleeping pill, it’s best to take it before bed, because if taken during the night, it may cause a hangover the next day.

3. It is not a good idea to overcompensate for one night’s sleeplessness by going to bed extra early the next night or sleeping longer. One night of normal sleep is usually enough to make up the deficit. The second night’s sleep will be better anyway.

4. Accept an occasional bad night’s sleep as part of life. It is a normal, healthy adjustment to changing circumstances or environmental conditions. After all, you can always use this non-sleeping time for doing something relaxing or creative. Unless your insomnia is frequent and severely disabling, regard these episodes as bonus time.

5. Fragmented sleep may result from weight loss. Difficulties in falling asleep, or staying asleep, are the most commonly reported symptoms reported by people enrolled in weight reduction programs. People suffering from anorexia nervosa report something similar. It is not clear whether changes in nutrition or altered mood swings are the cause.

6. High temperatures can lead to disturbances in the quality of sleep, whereas low temperatures do not. Whenever practical, keep bedrooms ventilated while sleeping. Hot, stuffy air may block your nose and sinuses and lead to a dry throat, headache, or cough. Any one of these can disrupt your sleep. If opening a window is not an option and you have asthma or bronchitis, try placing a humidifier or a wet towel on the radiators before going to bed.