Insomnia: What to do when you can't fall asleep

1. Shift your attention to your breathing.

Breathe. Deep. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Be fully focused on how air enters your body through your nostrils and how it leaves your body through your mouth. According to the wisdom of yogis it's supposed to help especially if you inhale only through the left nostril (hold the right with your finger), as such breathing is supposed to activate the energy path that travels along your spine and has a calming effect on the entire body.

2. Use the 4-7-8 technique.

It is a breathing technique in which you breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, then hold the air for 7 seconds and then exhale evenly and slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds. This procedure, in which your consciousness will be truly focused only on breathing, repeat up to four times.

3. Do some yoga poses.

Although it is recommended not to be physically active right before going to bed, there are certain yoga positions that have an anti-stress effect and prepare us for a deep and relaxing sleep. but we can perform them right on the bed. One of the simplest is to lie on your back and place your feet vertically against the wall. In this way, in a few minutes you effectively improve the circulation of your body and breathe deeply.

4. Write down all your worries and obligations and save them for tomorrow.

Disconnecting all things and thoughts is easier said than done. You can help yourself by becoming aware of and writing down on a piece of paper all the worries that pop into your head and set a time to "worry" about the things on the list - say the next morning at nine o'clock. Already Scarlett O'Hara said in the movie Gone With the Wind: "I'll think about it tomorrow."

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5. Use visualization.

Visualization is a powerful tool that has a much greater influence on our hormones than you might think. In your head, you imagine that you are in a place where you are nice, warm and where you feel safe and carefree. Maybe it's in grandma's old kitchen where you can smell her cookies or on a sandy beach where all you can hear is the sound of the waves. Go where you feel good.

6. Prepare your bath.

If you're going to the bathroom with the intention of pampering yourself for a few minutes, this will be it "time just for you" had a calming effect on your body. After a hot bath, your body temperature will drop a bit, which will cause you to feel sleepy with a more relaxed metabolism.

7. Change the bedding and ensure a suitable temperature.

Fresh bedding will make sleep much more inviting, and this trick is especially effective after a relaxing bath. It is also important to ensure a suitable room temperature: you will fall asleep more soundly in a little while cooler rooms.

8. Eat sleep food.

Although it is important not to eat large meals right before bed, there is food for sleeping. It is a food that contains a lot magnesium (almonds, cashews, spinach) and B vitamins (leafy green vegetables, hazelnuts).

9. Prepare a cup of chamomile tea or warm milk.

If coffee and other caffeinated drinks are absolutely forbidden after two o'clock in the afternoon for good sleep, chamomile tea and warm milk are absolutely desirable. Chamomile tea has (scientifically proven) properties that reduce anxiety, and warm milk (according to folk wisdom) has a calming effect on us.

10. In all seriousness: count the sheep.

When we were little, our parents didn't tell us to count sheep to help us fall asleep for nothing. If we are counting sheep, our attention is no longer on the frantic thoughts in our head. And if you think you are too old for sheep, you can instead just slowly count to a thousand, or recite some long poem in your head over and over again that you had to learn on the school benches - say Gregorčič's Soča.