Everyone who knows me knows I have trouble sleeping at night. It’s one of the reasons I attribute to my fluctuating weight over the years. If I sleep well, I’m fit as a fiddle. When I hit a state of what can probably be classified as insomnia (usually due to stress at work), I often compensate for the lack of energy during the day by unconsciously eating more. It’s not a good thing. Keeping to my exercise regimen of walking with the dog daily (missing 2x at most during the week) has helped a lot. I also avoid all caffeinated drinks when the clock hits 4PM. But contrary to what a lot of people believe, just because you’re body is tired doesn’t mean your mind will let you sleep.So … the holidays were great. I was stress free and lost weight. Imagine that.
But now that the year has started up in earnest again … the sleepless nights have returned. I’ve given up on the herbs (valerian root, black cohosh, chamomile, etc.) for sleeping because frankly, they just don’t work for me. And I refuse to take sleeping pills as I’ve seen many people get addicted to them. As I can get increasingly cranky, a colleague at work suggested hypnosis as an insomnia cure. We did a mock session at work after lunch where one of us imitated what a hypnosis would say in a deep, calm voice. Guess what?! She FELL ASLEEP! Really! Deeply! I, on the other hand, just got really groggy.
I suppose if I get desperate enough I just may just try out this CD by http://www.sleep-deprivation-cd.com/ which produces a “binaural beat” that puts one in a relaxed state. You can check out the website to find out more about the science behind it. The reason for my hesitation in trying out this product? It costs US$34.95 and I guess I’m a bit skeptical. Kiasu. But I suppose if it works, it’ll be the cheapest thing in the world. So if anyone out there has tried it, or knows about it, let me know if it works for you. In the meantime, wish me zzzz …. I really need it.
