Double D's

peaceful-sleep

Stress. It’s not a fun thing, especially when it’s interfering with your daily life. Sure, you’ve been eating and showering, but you know what’s truly been a struggle? Sleeping.

In theory, it should be easy right?

Close your eyes and wait for the sweet release of not having to worry about any of the crap in your life to come. Only, when you close your eyes, instead of wandering into a world of your own version of reality, you find actual reality drifting into your thoughts. On top of the residual stress from earlier in the day, you now have the stress of not being able to fall asleep.

Life’s just wonderful.

It’s been several hours now, and it seems you can’t go to sleep with any sort of outside help. Never fear, dear readers, even in face of this seemingly immovable mountain of stress, there is a way to catch some z’s.

HOW TO HIT THE HAY WHEN STRESS SAYS NOT TODAY:

Tea Party:

Although this method is a bit cliché, it is well known for a reason. Can’t sleep? Brew a pot of tea or microwave it, if you’re not so far down the rabbit hole and sit back and relax. For sleep, we recommend chamomile, valerian root, and lavender teas. For stress, we recommend peppermint and passionflower teas. As a general rule of thumb, herbal teas are an excellent choice while black teas which are the most caffeinated teas are a big no-go.

Slow & Steady:

Sometimes, the problem is that your mind is going ten-thousand miles an hour and it won’t stop. A good way to wind down is to use a activity that isn’t rigorous and exercises your mind. Grab a book until you’re so drowsy that you find yourself reading paragraphs again and you can’t keep your eyes open. You could also opt for some mild activities, such as knitting, puzzles, journaling, or even some late night tv watching. However, we would like to stress that you shouldn’t be on your phone if you’re going to be in a dark room. The bright light in a close proximity is actually going to be counterintuitive and make it harder for you to sleep.

All Tuckered Out:

In contrast to the last suggestion, sometimes physically tiring yourself out works the best. Now, dear sweet readers, we aren’t suggesting that you go out jogging at 3 am. That’s only going to lead to a possible mugging. We are suggesting, however, that you do stretches and light exercises that aren’t too exerting. Google some yoga poses, or do some jumping jacks. One famous exercise is the 4-7-8 exercise. You inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven, and exhale for eight, and repeat as necessary. Oddly enough, physical exercise helps reduce stress, so why not kill two birds with one stone?

Happy Little Trees:

White noise is, surprisingly to some, a great way to clear your head by overstimulating it. While you could go with the conventional fan, or soft music playing, why not crank your extra-ness dial to an eleven and listen to Bob Ross? His dulcet tones and soft speaking voice is wonderful for those who need to sleep, and they’re just stimulating enough to occupy your mind while you fall asleep. Maybe you’ll have a dream full of happy accidents or tiny baby squirrels. One can only hope.

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