"I Can't Sleep!" (How to Turn Off Your Brain at Night When It Won't Shut Down)

Don't you hate those nights where you just can't get your brain to turn off? You keep thinking about things or your brain is so alert that you can't seem to relax even though you may be exhausted.

Your mind is racing and the harder you try to fall asleep, the harder it is to fall asleep! You are exhausted, but angry and frustrated. If only you could get some much needed sleep! This cycle happens night after night, and you're tired during the day. On the days you know you need to get up early you have even more trouble falling asleep!

If that sounds like you, then here are some techniques that will prevent you from getting in that situation in the first place as well as some tips on how to calm yourself down when you're already wide awake.

1. Don't do anything too over-stimulating before bed. This is going to be tough for many of you to take, but you really should avoid watching TV or being on the computer right before bed. same thing goes with trying to play Angry Birds on your phone. This will keep you up all night! Electronics get your brain so riled up that sometimes it has a hard time winding back down. Instead try reading a book. I especially recommend a boring book that will help you fall asleep. ;) You could also try reading a book in a warm bath. That should make you sleepy with a one-two punch!

2. Try to eliminate caffeine from your diet. I tend to spend the most nights wide awake when I've had caffeine during the day. For some reason it seems to barely keep me awake during the day, but at night it prevents me from resting.

3. Make sure you are not hungry. When you're exhausted being hungry is the worst! You're too tired to get up and too hungry to be able to sleep. Once you finally do get up to eat this usually re-energizes your body and starts the sleepless cycle all over again.

4. Set your sleeping space up to have as little noise and light as possible. There are many different window shades and "black-out" fabric available to keep light out of your bedroom. Light tends to disrupt your sleep. As far as noise goes, you can now download "noise machines" online or on your smart phone that play sounds such as "White Noise" or "Ocean Waves" that can really help you relax. I also find that a floor fan drowns out most noises and helps me sleep comfortably. My routine is to turn on my floor fan just before I go to bed, so now when I hear noise I become very sleepy.

If you still can't sleep, chances are that you have something big on your mind. It is time to get out a good old fashioned pen and paper and start getting your thoughts out.

Are you anxious about all of the things you need to do? Make yourself a to-do list and tell yourself that as soon as those items hit the paper you will not have to worry about them anymore.

Are you antsy and just can't seem to calm down? Try some creative writing. Write a short story or begin that novel you've been meaning to start. If you are too tired to write, just create a story in your head. The challenge of coming up with characters and an ongoing plot will eventually have you drifting off in a dream.

Can't quite pin down why your mind won't stop racing? It sounds like you need to journal. You need to get your thoughts and feelings on paper so you can just let everything go and leave it for yourself to deal with another day. Perhaps you will be able to resolve the issues that have been keeping you up at night previously. If anything this will wear out your mind.

If you are beginning to develop a habit of lying in bed awake it is important to make sure that you get out of bed until you are truly ready to relax. Take your journal to a quiet, dimly lit area and make sure you've drained those thoughts prior to getting back into bed. Otherwise your mind will become programmed to think when you lay down.

Finally, make sure you stay distracted. The more you concentrate on the fact that you cannot sleep or are not going to get enough sleep, the more likely you are to stay awake. Do yourself a favor and stop checking the clock nervously. That is only going to keep you awake. When dealing with insomnia sometimes ignorance is bliss. If you don't know for sure how little sleep you are getting you will not have as good of an excuse to be grumpy and tired the next day!

On that note, good night! Have a great sleep!