How I Overcame Insomnia in 10 Steps

It’s been a while since the last update, so thought I’d start a new article series about the exact steps that I took to cure myself of insomnia.

Just as a bit of background, when I started this site, I was struggling with insomnia myself, and would spend at least 2 nights a week unable to sleep at night and then feeling awful in the mornings. I was caught in a vicious circle of restless nights, zombie mornings, and naps in the afternoon to just try and catch up and be able to function.

I started naturalsleepremedies.co.uk partly to help others in the same situation, and partly as a reference point for myself to keep track of all the techniques and products i researched.

I’m pleased to say that I am now settled into a healthy sleep routine, sleep really well most nights and wake up feeling refreshed in the mornings, ready to start work.

How did I achieve this? Well, there was no single magic bullet. It was a combination of things, but I would have to say there were some major turning points in terms of changing my attitude and creating a new routine.

10 Steps

This is the overview of exactly what I did, click on the article title links to read the full article:

1.Understand Your Insomnia Triggers
It’s very difficult to address a problem if you don’t know what’s causing it. In my case, I’ve had bouts of insomnia since adolescence, but this most recent one was triggered by returning to university as a mature student, the stress, the inconsistent start times of lectures, and the late nights finishing assignments after my kids had gone to bed… [Read more]

2. Improve Your Mental Health
Another contributing factor for me was my mental health. I had already approached my doctor about the anxiety i was suffering from and she was really understanding and gave me some great advice. Although the ethos of this site is natural remedies and avoiding medication, it is definitely worth speaking to your doctor about your mental health as this so often goes hand in hand with insomnia… [Read more]

3. Switch to a Growth Mindset
This is such an important one. If you feel like a victim of circumstances, you will be a victim. If you decide to take control of the situation, you will be in control. Once I had made the decision to take control I suddenly felt much more in control and felt that I could do things to improve my situation… [Read more]

4. Limit News and Social Media
Further to addressing your mental health is taking a good look at the environment you surround yourself with. The world can be a scary place and the media always tells us the bad news. A great way of improving our mental health is to try to reduce the amount of negative media we consume… [Read more]

5. Quieting Your Mind at Night
One of the main reasons I struggle to sleep is that I find it difficult to switch my brain off at night. A major turning point for me was discovering sleep stories and relaxing podcasts. Some people find soft music helps. It’s worth a bit of trial and error to find out what works best for you… [Read more]

6. Sleep Apps
A sleep tracker app can give you some useful insight into the quality and quantity of sleep you’re getting – perhaps more than you might think. There are tons of sleep apps to try out, including trackers that sync with your fitbit, sleep stories, meditation and music. Try some out and find what works for you.

7. Create a Consistent Sleep Routine
Having a regular routine can work wonders. Even if your job schedule or circumstances are inconsistent, there are ways you could alter your routine to make it more settled. Repeating the same, consistent, actions every night before you go to bed is key to preparing your body for sleep… [Read more]

8. Waking Up
Mornings can be painful when you’ve been up all night with insomnia, but there are some “hacks” you can try to make waking up that little bit easier. In this article I review sunrise alarm clocks and sleep apps which wake you in your lightest sleep cycle so you’re not being dragged out of deep sleep.

9. Sleeping Environment
The environment you sleep in is actually very important. I recently discovered that i was allergic to the feather pillows I’d been using for years, so exchanging those for hypoallergenic ones has made a big difference. Practical considerations such as temperature, comfort, light, and electrical activity are discussed here.

10. Regular Exercise
I was so resistant to this one for ages! I am not an enthusiastic exerciser. However I have always enjoyed walking in the countryside, and due to lockdown and looking for new routes, I have really got into hiking, and after a day of trekking up and down hills I can tell you I definitely sleep a lot better.

And a bonus step…

11. Vitamins and Minerals
I’ve written about supplements previously on this blog. This article goes into depth on all the vitamins and supplements I take, and which ones I think are a waste of money and which ones are genuinely beneficial to help with general health and insomnia… [Read more]

So that’s the overview of each aspect I considered and adjusted in order. This whole process took me approximately 2 years overall from 2 or 3 nights a week insomnia and napping most afternoons due to being completely exhausted, to now, where I sleep well pretty much every night and wake up refreshed for work every morning. However bear in mind that this was improved massively within a few months of concerted effort.

Stepping Stones

The way I achieved this was by moving gradually from one stepping stone to the next. While I was still in university, I found it very difficult to adjust my routine since lectures were starting at different times every day. But I could start to think about what my triggers were and anticipate which nights might be more of a struggle. I could start listening to a relaxing sleep story every night instead of my anxious thoughts echoing round and round.

Take stock of where you are currently, and identify which of these stepping stones you can most easily move to next. Even just adding one extra technique to your arsenal could be the one thing you need to help you regain control and start to turn things around.

For me, a nightly routine of listening to a relaxing sleep story was my major breakthrough. It perfectly captured my mind’s attention and directed it towards a pleasant, calming scene, where it could quietly follow along until it dropped off. This has been revolutionary for me, so I definitely recommend the free Calm app, and perhaps also Audible. Read more about my experiences with audiobooks and sleep stories.

I hope this article series has given you some ideas to help you regain control over your sleeping routine and get back on track. Let me know in the comments if you have any more tips for overcoming insomnia, or if you’ve tried any of the ones listed here. Good luck!

Sharing is caring!