It’s 3:28am. You’re wide awake. You toss and turn, but you can’t sleep. You want to sleep, but you’re mind and body are not cooperating. What should you do?
Physical Causes of Sleeplessness

There are a many possible causes for waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to fall back to sleep. It could be physical such as muscle aches, muscles tension, need to go to the bathroom, you left the TV on, your partner is snoring, the dog is snoring, you had too much caffeine or alcohol today, and on and on. For these we can usually figure out the solution:

* do some light stretches for muscle aches
* take some aspirin/Tylenol/Advil/etc if pain is keeping you awake
* move to a different bed
* turn off the TV
* get up and do something until you’re tired enough to fall back asleep

Mental Causes of Sleeplessness

When you’re worried about something, that can be a real bugaboo. If you’ve got something on your mind, it can be hard to sleep. Many times you may not even be aware that you’re worried, much less what you’re worried about. But, in most cases, you will need to address the problem or you probably won’t get back to sleep anytime soon. So what should you do? Follow these steps to relieve your mind of worries and get back to sleep. (Yes, even tough guys like my Dad: Get in touch with your feelings and you’ll sleep better!)

1. Signs from our Dreams. If you woke up from a dream, think about it for a moment. What was going on in the dream? What do you think each part represents? Is there something you are afraid of, worried about, or a problem you need to solve?

2. What’s on Your Mind? Whether you had a dream or not, ask yourself,

* What’s bothering me?
* What problem do I need to solve?

Maybe you are worried about your health or a loved one’s health. Maybe there is an issue at work that you’ve been avoiding. Maybe you’ve been in an argument with your spouse or a good friend. Or perhaps you’re just feeling scared of dying. (Night time has a pesky way of doing that sometimes.) Or it might just be that your to-do list is so daunting it’s waking you up at night. Whatever it is don’t be afraid to identify it and label it. Thinking about it is not going to make your fears materialize. Not thinking about it is going to keep you from sleeping. Figure it out and you’ll back on your way to some restful zzzz’s.

3. Pen, Paper, & Solutions. You’re awake anyway, so flip on a light and grab a notebook and pen. Write down the issue that is on your mind. And then write down action steps you can take to resolve your issue..

* For problems, write down the steps you will start to take tomorrow. If you don’t know where to begin, write down that you will enlist someone to help you.
* For fears, write down the fear. Write down why it is scary. Write down any action steps you can take to alleviate your fears. If it is something that is unavoidable, write down reason why you are strong enough to handle this. If you have to fake it, then do so! Come up with a “strength mantra” that you’ll use to fall back asleep. Some suggestions are “I am strong” or “I am calm” or “I turn it over to God/Universe/Fate.”

4. Stretch and Breathe. Once you have your issue worked out, do some soothing simple stretches either in bed or on the floor. A great one to do is the child’s pose. Sit on your knees and fold forward with arms outstretched. You will feel a wonderful release in your arms, shoulders, and back. After that do any stretches that you sense would feel good. Then lay down and take several long slow breaths in and out. Breathe in for a count of 8, hold for 8, and breathe out for a count of 16. This will help slow down your body and mind.

5. Mantra. Lay down in a comfortable position in your bed, and use your “strength mantra” or some other calming, soothing mantra to help you sleep. Here are some good ones:

* Mmmmmmm
* Om
* Ahhhh
* So Sleepy

For some people saying a particular prayer, such as “Hail Mary’s” can be very helpful with falling asleep. The idea is to quiet your mind by focusing on a simple word or your breath. Be kind, gentle and patient with yourself. Sleep will come. Let your thoughts be like clouds in the sky. Just watch them go by without attachment. Keep returning to your mantra and your breath.

6. When All Else Fails. If you can’t fall asleep after a long period of time, consider getting up and starting to work on your solutions. If you have too much energy, then it makes sense to get up and do something with your time. Follow your instincts about what you should do. Don’t worry about losing sleep for one night. You can handle this.
Prevention is the Best Medicine for a Good Night’s Sleep

To ensure a good night’s sleep in the future, consider these tips.

* Take it easy on the caffeine. Either eliminate it or limit to morning only. The effects of caffeine last for 9 hours, so you do the math.
* Have a bedtime ritual that is calming. You could read before bed, plan your day for tomorrow, write in your journal, meditate, listen to soothing music, or anything else that helps your mind to slow down.
* Turn off the TV at least 30 minutes before bedtime. TV is a stimulant so establish a routine that helps you turn it off. You’ll fall asleep better.
* Listen to your body. If you feel tired, go to bed. Don’t torture your self by not getting enough sleep.
* Listen to your mind. If there is something on your mind before bed time, write about it in a notebook or talk to someone about it. Come up with solutions that you can work on tomorrow.

   現在是凌晨3點28分。你仍然一絲睡意全無。你在床上輾轉反側，可仍舊不能入眠。你很想入睡，但你的思想和身體卻不能同你的意愿協調一致。你該怎么辦？

失眠的生理因素

有很多可能的因素，導致午夜驚醒，隨后不能再次入睡。可能是生理的原因，比如肌肉的疼痛，肌肉的拉傷，去衛生間的需要，電視還在開著，與你同屋的人在打擤，你的狗在打呼嚕，你今天喝了太多的咖啡或飲了太多的酒，等等等等。如果是上述原因導致無法睡眠，我們通常都有解答的辦法：

· 如果是肌肉有痛感，做一些輕微的伸展運動
· 如果是身體的疼痛使你不能入睡，吃一些阿司匹林、羥苯基乙酰胺、雅維止痛藥
· 換一張床去睡
· 關掉電視
· 起來活動活動，直到你感到非常疲憊，可以倒頭就睡

失眠的心理因素

如果你的心里有憂慮的事情，那么這的確會困擾的你睡眠。如果你心里一直在想著某些事，那么你很難安睡。許多時候，你可能甚至不知道你在擔憂，更不知道你所憂慮的是些什么。然而，大多數情況下，你有必要弄清楚你的困擾究竟是什么，否則你可能什么時候都無法很快入睡。那么你要怎么做呢？依照以下步驟，放下你的擔憂，安然入睡。（不錯，即使像我父親這樣的人也不難做到以下這幾點：探知你的內心，你會睡得更好！）

1. 從我們的夢里找尋蛛絲馬跡。如果你是在夢中驚醒，仔細回想一下。夢里發生了什么？你認為夢里每一部分內容都代表著什么？是不是有什么是你害怕的，是你擔心的，或者一個你急需解決的問題？

2. 你在想什么？不管你有沒有做夢，問問自己，

· 在擔心什么？
· 什么問題需要解決？

或許你在擔心你的健康，或是你愛人的健康。或許是你工作中的問題亟待解決。或許是你和你的愛人、也許和好友發生了什么爭執。或許你因為害怕死亡而恐懼。（有時在夜間往往更容易產生這種恐懼。）也許只是由于，你想要做的事情的清單很讓你為之怯步，因此使你夜晚無法入睡。不管你擔心的是些什么，毋須害怕，找到它，弄清楚它。要這樣想：它不可能使你恐懼的事情真的發生。不要那樣想：它會使你持續失眠。找到你擔心的是什么，你會恢復安然的睡眠。

3. 筆，紙，和解答。總之你已經醒了，那么就打開燈，取出筆記本和筆。寫出你心里想的事情。再寫出你能解決這些問題的實際方法……
· 對于那些問題，寫出你會在明天著手實施的步驟。如果你不知道從哪里開始，那么寫出你會向哪些人尋求幫助。
· 對于那些恐懼，寫出你所害怕的是什么。寫出它為什么使你恐慌。寫出你能夠減輕這種恐懼的每個實際行動。如果你怕的是不可避免的事情，那么就寫出你為什么有這么強大的能力，足以應對這一恐懼。如果你必須要假裝自己很強大，那么就這樣捏造吧！想出那些“力量之魔咒”，你可以依靠它來安然入睡。你可以寫“我很強大”或“我非常鎮靜”或“我把它交給上帝、宇宙、命運來對付它。”

4. 伸展身體，放松呼吸。一旦你明白了不能入睡的原因是什么，就可以在床上或地板上做一些簡單的身體伸展運動。最好的辦法就是保持孩童的姿勢。跪著坐下來，雙臂伸展，身體向前合攏。你會覺得手臂、肩膀、后背完全舒展，感覺非常舒適。隨后，自己覺得怎么舒服就做什么樣的放松伸展。然后躺下來，做幾次深呼吸。吸氣的時候數到8，屏住呼吸數到8，呼氣的時候數到16。這樣會幫助身心放緩。

5. 魔咒。用一種非常舒服的姿勢躺在床上，用你的“力量之魔咒”或其他一些能使你平靜、寬慰的魔咒來幫助你入睡。這里有一些很好的例子：

· 嗯……
· 哦嗯……
· 啊……
· 睡吧睡吧

對于那些吟誦特殊祈禱的人來說，例如，祈禱“萬福瑪利亞保佑”，會幫助他們入睡。這樣做是為了使你的思想集中到一些簡單的詞語或是你的呼吸，從而使之得到平靜。對待自己，心緒要平和、輕柔、耐心。這樣睡意就會來臨。讓你的思緒如同天空的云朵。你只需看著它們來來去去無牽無掛。保持念你的魔咒，保持留意你的呼吸。

6. 如果以上的做法全都沒有效果。如果你經過很長時間仍然不能入睡，那么可以考慮從床上起來，著手尋找自己的解決方法。如果你確實有極大的精力，那么就應該起來，用你目前的時間做一些事情吧。追隨你的本能，做你應該做的事。不必擔心失去一個晚上的睡眠。你能夠應對這些許的疲憊。

睡一個好覺，最好的藥物治療就是預防。

為了確保未來的夜晚不會失眠，考慮做到以下幾點。

· 不要攝取過多的咖啡因。或者是不再喝，或者是只限于早晨飲用。咖啡因的藥力影響持續9個小時，因此你需要計算哪個時間飲用不會影響睡眠。
· 就寢時間遵循一定的規律，會讓你心定神寧。上床以前你可以閱讀，可以計劃你明天的事情，寫你的日記，思考，聽輕音樂，或者做其他能幫助你的心情放緩的事情。
· 就寢前至少30分鐘，關上電視。電視對觀眾是一種刺激，因此在就寢前養成一種規律，幫助你按時把它關掉。這樣你會睡得更好。
· 傾聽你的身體。如果你感到疲憊，就上床睡覺。不必因為沒有睡夠而折磨自己。
· 傾聽你的思想。如果上床就寢以前，你的腦海中想著什么事情，就把它寫在筆記本上，或者和別人談論。找出解決的辦法，明天能夠依照實施。