Insomnia is something we have all dealt with at some point and will likely experience again, especially as college students. Sometimes not being able to fall asleep is our own fault, for drinking coffee past 7 pm while studying in the library. Anxiety/stress induced insomnia is even worse, because it’s harder resolve. Regardless of the reason you’re up at night, here are some tips to help you unwind from my personal experience with insomnia.
Red Light Filters
The blue light emitted by screens on all of your electronic devices is one of the factors that can disrupt your body’s natural production of melatonin and other hormones that promote sleep. Counteract this by installing free apps or browser extensions that allow you to adjust the levels of blue light by applying a red tint to your screens. Some apps will even allow you to set timers that will automatically adjust your screens after a certain time. I have my iPhone 7 set to shift to red light when the sun sets through a built-in feature on my phone.
Essential Oils
Lavendar, Vetiver, Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Sadalwood, Marjoram, and Cedarwood are just some of the essential oils that are known sleep aids. Be careful with where you buy your oils from because some that you can buy from stores are improperly diluted. I recommend sticking to brands like DoTerra and Now Essential Oils. If you do decide to go with a different brand, make sure you read the labels for the concentration! You can dilute them yourself with coconut or jojoba oil, or buy roll-ons that are already skin-safe. If essential oils are a little out of your price range, try candles for a cheaper alternative to aromatherapy (I love Burt’s Bees 100% natural soy wax melts, that are made with essential oils!)
Tea
Caffeine-free and “sleepy time” teas are really easy to find at any grocery store for only a few dollars a box. I don’t drink tea every night, but I do make some when I’m feeling especially stressed and want to relax before I brush my teeth and get into bed. Hot tea can be very comforting especially when combined with practicing mindfulness.
Guided Meditation
I swear by guided sleep meditation and body scan meditation videos on YouTube for help falling asleep. When I’m feeling super restless, I put on hour long videos but never make it more than 20 minutes in before I pass out. If you’re worried about disturbing your roommate you can use headphones, or you can get your roommate hooked on them like I have. Some nights she will even ask me to play one on my phone for us to fall asleep to.
Counting sheep…or not
Counting doesn’t work for me because I can steadily count in the background of racing thoughts so to challenge myself further, I count in Italian. This requires a little extra focus and mental effort and makes me feel like I’m being productive by practicing my Italian while I drift off to sleep. You can tailor this exercise to any subject that you study or are interested in. Practice memorizing the periodic table, country names and capitals, etc.
Melatonin
Science hasn’t made up its mind on whether or not this natural hormonal supplement is effective. Some say it can do wonders to promote healthy sleep patterns if taken regularly and others say studies vary too much to say for sure. I’ve been taking melatonin every night since high school. My body has a hard time realizing when its time to go to sleep and, maybe I’ve just been experiencing a placebo effect, but my sleep schedule has been much more regular since I started taking melatonin supplements. I used to also have issues with waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back to sleep, but that has gone away as well. Melatonin is something to consider especially if you have chronic sleep issues. Your body might not be producing enough melatonin on its own. Talk to your doctor and do some research online to decide what mg amount you should start with. Melatonin is available in any grocery store/pharmacy for only about $10 a bottle. There are dissolvable and gummy alternatives if you don’t like pills.
Now go forth and sleep! Sweet dreams :)