7 Surefire Steps to Cure Insomnia

Insomnia is not normal. You should be getting anywhere from six to nine hours of sleep a night, depending on what feels best for you. Sleep is an important part of overall health. When people do not get enough sleep, mistakes are made and accidents happen. Follow these tips for beating insomnia and you can sleep like a baby again.

Stimulation is all around us, from artificial lights to 3D video games. Avoid watching television or working on the computer one or two hours before bed. Turn off as many lights as possible. Turn off the phone. Doing so will help both your body and mind relax enough to get drowsy and fall asleep.

For most people, it’s much easier to fall asleep in a colder room than a warmer one. Make the bedroom as cool as possible.

Make your bed a sanctuary for sleep. Only do two things in a bed – sleep and sex. Do not read in bed or bring your laptop to bed. You want to program your subconscious mind that when you get into bed, one of two things will happen. And if you're not having sex, that leaves sleep.

Think you don’t consume that much caffeine? Think again! Caffeine appears not only in beverages, but in chocolate and some over-the-counter painkillers. Stop consuming any caffeinated products at least two hours before bedtime - the earlier the better. Try to cut back on consuming caffeinated drinks throughout the day so your body will not crave caffeine throughout the night.

Outside noises can keep anyone from getting enough sleep. Mask these sounds with a fan, an air conditioner, white-noise machine or a radio set to static.

It’s tempting to sleep all day long on the weekends or holidays. Don’t. Doing so will mess up your circadian rhythm, the inner clock in your body that tells it when to wake up and when to go to sleep. Strive to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time each day.

You’ve probably heard someone say that they will “make up for lost sleep” that night. This is a myth. Sleeping 10 hours one night after staying awake all night will not help your body. You need the same amount of sleep each night in order to get the full health benefits of sleep.

If you follow all seven of these tips for three weeks and still have insomnia, it’s time to talk to your doctor. Ask, “Do I need medication?"

What's the craziest thing you've ever done trying to get some sleep?