How to Eliminate Insomnia Without Taking Any Sleep Medication

Nadine Rodriguez
Aug 23, 2017 · 5 min read

Do you know how smoke detectors were created?

The first American Space Station was called Skylab and was created by Nasa in 1973. A crew of only three people lived in this space station and they lived in it for 171 days. A fire was the most important thing to fear in space.

They needed a way to be warned if a fire ever broke out. So Nasa joined teams with Honeywell International and they created a smoke detector that would let the crew know if there was a fire on the space station.

This smoke detector or fire alarm that was created for the astronauts now sits on the ceilings in almost 90% of the homes in America. Something that was made to eliminate the need to worry about fires is now used nationwide. Without having the constant burden about fires, the astronauts were able to become more productive than ever.

Sleep is your fire.

By constantly stressing out about not sleeping, you can’t seem to get some quality rest. But if you follow these techniques laid out, you will be like the astronauts and get on with your day without thinking about it.

First, you need to stop worrying.

I know it sounds easier said than done. But being full of worry will fatigue your body and yet your mind will stay wide awake. This makes it a never ending cycle because fatigue produces more worry.

Except you will be worrying about not getting any sleep. You need to calm your mind and change your mental attitude.

Having a bad attitude towards not sleeping can cause you to not sleep. Besides, you can’t get a nice deep sleep if you have bad racing thoughts in your head.

Change your attitude towards sleep in a positive way and you will see improvements. For example, keep telling yourself that you are going to get a good night’s rest. Even if it doesn’t happen. Don’t give into the bad thoughts!

Well, what are some kinds of bad thoughts?

Telling yourself that “you’re never going to get any rest,” “this will never work,” or “I’m doomed,” are a few examples of bad thoughts you may think after one night of no success.

No matter what you need to constantly repeat that you will have a great night’s sleep. Your brain responds to patterns and eventually, it will believe what you are telling it. Don’t let the fatigue bring you down.

What do you do to avoid fatigue?

To avoid exhaustion you need to relax your mind and body before you get tired. For instance, let’s say after lunch you always get lethargic and tired. Instead of waiting to feel that way, rest.

All you need to do is put your head back and close your eyes for about 10 minutes. The act of being still and not moving is rest. So what if you can’t relax at work?

You need to learn to relax at home.

If you get home from work try laying on the couch and closing your eyes. Set an alarm and do it for as long as you need. Every time you do something physical like cleaning your house or walking the dog, sit down for a few minutes and rest.

Your body will thank you and you will start to see the fatigue fade as the days go by. Now you just need to stop worrying about insomnia.

So how do you stop worrying about insomnia?

It’s pretty easy actually. You need to stop thinking about it. If it’s 1:00 in the morning and you’re tossing and turning, get out of bed and do something productive. It’s better than wasting time being restless in bed. Maybe you have always wanted to finish that book that’s on your night stand or start a new skill.

Read it or start learning that skill.

If you’re not sleeping you can be surprised by what you get done. But don’t go and do something mindless like watch TV. Having your brain preoccupied with something may help you fall asleep.

If it’s bed time get yourself into bed and close your eyes and rest them anyway. You may feel like you might not fall right to sleep so set a timer and lay there in complete stillness. If the timer goes off and you’re still awake then get up and be productive. Just stop worrying about the fact that you should be sleeping.

Another option you might consider is to make yourself physically tired. By this, I mean doing a physical activity that will completely exhaust your body. Try working out, or playing tennis, maybe for a hike or run. There are so many physical demanding activities you can do. Pick one you enjoy doing and get to it.

This stuff seems way too simple. Why would it work for me?

It’s the simplicity of it that makes it work but these tactics may not work right away. It needs to be done consistently. The important thing to remember is to change your mindset and get productive when it is not working.

The famous Dale Carnegie used these tricks to help himself out. He wrote a book called, “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.” In it, he interviewed thousands of people on what they did to get rid of worry.

There is a chapter completely dedicated to the issue of insomnia. Yes, this book was written decades ago but it still applies today. There were a lot of people that overcame insomnia by following these principles.

So let’s summarize all the techniques you can do to cure your insomnia.

~Change your mental attitude — thinking positive about sleep not negative

~Rest your eyes before you get fatigued

~Learn to relax at home

~Stop worrying about insomnia by getting productive

~Get physically tired by doing an intense activity

Pretty soon you will see that you will be able to get some sleep. Once it happens you will be like the astronauts that didn’t have to worry about the fire. Instead, you won’t be worrying about sleep.

Let me know what you think of this article below and if you are going to try some old but helpful tactics to get you to sleep.

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