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By setting a regular sleep pattern, you condition your body to be ready for sleep at the time you go to bed. If possible, it is best to work with your circadian rhythms (your natural sleep cycle), rather than against them, as they work from external cues such as light and activity. Everyone's circadian rhythm varies to some extent, but seek medical advice if your rhythm is severely impacting your day. Unless you're working a job with variable shifts or working more than one job, this should not affect your budget at all. These can be a handy tool for relaxing your body for sleep, especially if you use them as part of a daily sleep routine. They can ease anxieties and tone down the volume of your thoughts as you try to go to sleep. While the best results might be achieved with a therapist, you can still get a lot of benefit for free by simply doing any of the following exercises: Breathing exercises. One breathing exercise is alternate nostril breathing, where you inhale through your right nostril while closing the left with your finger. You then exhale through the left and hold the right nostril. You inhale again through the left nostril, and switch back. Repeat until you feel relaxed (at least 5-10 minutes). Progressive relaxation. In this exercise, you close your eyes and feel each set of muscles one by one from head to toe, consciously relaxing each set one by one. Toe tensing is where sense your toes for 10 slow counts, tense them for another slow 10 counts, and then sense them again before trying to go back to sleep. Guided imagery is where you listen to an audio recording of someone calmly describing some physical environment, and inviting you to experience that in your mind. After a while, you should be able to do the imagery exercises without external audio, if you wish. However, the calming voice itself might help with relaxation. Working in bed can make you associate work with your bed, and so your brain may become alert at the stimulus of your bed. Talking with friends on the phone, playing games online, or any other activity that tends to wake you up rather than relax you should be avoided. This may sound obvious, but many people either stay up too late or try to go to bed when they're not tired. If you are too awake to sleep, try getting up and doing a relaxing activity, such as reading or meditation. Going to sleep when you're tired will help you develop a regular sleep schedule. You may need to see a therapist to implement a fully effective plan. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a treatment plan used to treat a wide variety of mental illnesses, including anxiety and depression, both of which can contribute to insomnia. Sometimes CBT is used to treat insomnia directly, by focusing on changing negative thoughts about sleep itself. If your sleeping problem is sleep apnea, after consulting with a doctor, you can try changing the angle of your bed. This will change the position of your body. This may allow you to breathe more freely. Changing the angle of the bed or your sleeping position is a cost effective way to try to address sleeping problems. If you continue to experience issues with sleep apnea after changing sleeping positions and/or bed angles, you may need to use a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. The CPAP works to keep your airways open. You will need a prescription from your doctor for a CPAP machine, and they can cost anywhere from $100 to $800. However, most insurance companies cover the CPAP machine.
Go to bed and get up at around the same times every day. Try using relaxation techniques right before bed. Don't do work or other stimulating activities in bed. Go to sleep when you're tired. Try cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. Change the angle of the bed or your sleeping position. Consider using a CPAP machine.