Six Tricks to Conquer Insomnia AND The Exclusive, Long-Anticipated Sneak Peek

Read to the end because I have something EPIC in this post.

Speaking of reading, I read a LOT of books when I should be sleeping...because I can't. Sleep, that is. 

We could call out a couple reasons for that -- stress, my musical, kids, health...but we'll leave it there.

A couple things I've learned about NOT getting healthy sleep:

- Over time the brain will degrade and Alzheimer's symptoms may appear.

- Good luck taking off the weight if you don't give the body adequate time to rest.

- Your brain and tongue become separate entities.

So how do we overcome sleeplessness?

1. Exercise: When I first expressed I was having sleep issues, my father and doctor told me to exercise more. Default advice. (But not right before bed.)

2. Hormones/Gut health/Allergies: I don't know about you, but I have TERRIBLE allergies. If anything is off in my environment, sleep is the first to go. And let's face it, for women, hormones are constantly fluctuating, so...you know...get that under control.

3. Light pollution: The body is sensitive to light. Light tells us it's time to wake up. Darkness is your best, sleeping friend. This includes screens. Turn them off a couple hours before sleeping. Use a dim lamp while preparing for bed to help your body recognize it's almost sleep time.

4. Decompressing/routine/limiting stress: Build a routine around bedtime that helps your body and mind relax. For myself, that includes writing in a journal (getting out all the thoughts). Massage and soothing music may be helpful as well.

5. Breathing/meditation/prayer: Deep breathing -- meaning getting air all the way to the bottom of the lungs -- physically relaxes the body. Meditation releases the worries of the day. Prayer gives us an opportunity to place our cares on someone else.

6. And if none of that works, some people count sheep, but I've never found that effective. My brother in law recently taught me a new trick: WORD SOUP. Pick a word at least 6 letter long. While resting in bed, imagine an image that begins with each letter, going through them one at a time and -- focusing on each image for a minute or so. 

Example: Hungry 

H= hat

U= umbrella

N= newt

G= gold fish

R= rain

Y= yo-yo

This relaxes the brain. Chances are you'll get through 3 to 5 letters before sleep steps in.

Speaking of sleeping, the IWSG question this month addresses writing -- and since many of my story ideas come from dreams...

July 2 question - Is there a genre you haven't tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?

Yes...and no. I want to write a biography about my special needs brother. I started it once and couldn't continue -- mostly due to the emotional drain. Also due to worries about conflicts with siblings who have DIFFERENT memories. Will I get back to it? Maybe. Maybe not.

And now the BIG awesome!!! 

Check out the highlight reel from my musical! Snatches, fun little snatches from our staged reading back in March. We'll be sharing more in the coming months -- a whole series of videos outlining scenes, giving the inside scoop, introducing characters, etc. Subscribe to our YouTube channel if you want the updates, join the newsletter to get all the insider info, and if you want EARLY access to all the awesomeness (and more), donate to the WORLD PREMIER. (Tentatively schedule for October 2027.)

What sleep techniques have you learned/employed? Are you trying something new (writing, reading, survival)? Like musicals?