Money can't buy you sleep. That's one of Five Things the Sleep-Aid Industry Won't Say, according to The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch. The other four include dangerous side-effects like daytime drowsiness and hallucinations, and the masking or exacerbation of more serious maladies like stress and depression. Still, according to WSJ, roughly 60 million prescriptions for sleep-inducing drugs were filled last year---and that's up from 47 million in 2006. As a nation we spend around $7 billion a year on sleeping pills, and they're not working too well. Roughly 20% of us are still sleepless.
What to do? It appears that there are some rather simple...and free... solutions that many experts agree on. You can find them yourself online, but here is a "Top Ten" list I compiled from a quick search.
1. Get moving! Exercise for at least 30 minutes per day.
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2. Cut the caffeine.
3. Eat healthy food.
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4. Develop a reading routine before bed. Explore some sacred writings or lose yourself in a great story.
5. Adjust the temperature, noise and light levels as much as possible.
6. Dedicate your bedroom to sleeping. Work and play somewhere else.
7. Boot the dog if you have to :(
8. Don't ruminate or brood.
9. Meditate or pray before you turn in.
10. Be grateful.
The first 6 are all "no-brainers" to me. If you can't sleep at night, 1-6 are all logical and relatively easy. No excuses; just do it. #7 is a non-starter for me; I'm sorry. # 8 is a difficult but important one so it's worth a good effort. If you're prone to ruminating and brooding, it can be hard to stop. That's where #9 comes in. The Bible suggests that we "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) If you're having trouble finding God, skip to # 10 (You can always come back). Gratitude is a proven stress reliever and stress is a leading cause of sleeplessness. Nothing to be grateful for? Really? Are you breathing? Be grateful for that and move forward one step at a time. If you fall asleep with a grateful heart, you're almost guaranteed a good night's sleep. Try it.
Sleeplessness is a mega health problem and we need to find safe solutions that work. If The Wall Street Journal is right and money can't buy you sleep, maybe some simple...and free...ideas will help.
