Even if you can’t sleep learning how to meditate for 20 minutes can give your body a chance to unwind and can be as good as two hours sleep.
Don’t have caffeine drinks after 6pm.
A little good quality dark chocolate in the evening may be good for sleep, as are bananas and turkey! And a glass of warm milk!
Herbal teas such as Valerian, Wild Lettuce and Lavender can have a calming effect.
Avoid watching TV after 9pm.
Gentle stretching exercises including Yoga and Pilates can help to relax you. I do face yoga before bed and tap the acupressure points on my face and head.
Have a warm bath before bed and add Magnesium flakes.
Turn off the electric blanket if you use one – at night our body temperature needs to drop; this tells the brain that it is time to sleep.
Get in the habit of Mindful Meditation before you try to sleep.
I take a slice of wholemeal bread to eat if I wake at 3am, in case it’s low blood sugar that is waking me, it seems to work for me and I soon drift back off to sleep. I also, ensure that I eat every 3 hours through the day, 3 smaller main meals and several healthy snacks, right up until bed time when I have a small round of wholemeal bread just before I prepare for bed
Have a regular bedtime and get up time. Avoid lie-ins as they disrupt your natural rhythm.
Some people recommend that you get up rather than lie tossing and turning should you be awake for a long period – I personally never found this useful and I chose to meditate instead, but it might work for you. Get up and do something boring and you might find yourself sleepy.