Insomnia is, simply put, the lack of sleep. Regardless of the reasons you might not be sleeping right now, you have to know that insomnia is not something that will hold you prisoner. There are some real steps you can take to be sure that you start to sleep again. Here are just some of the things you can do to get rid of insomnia.

Keep your bedroom clean and free from clutter. Remove your television, computer and other electronic devices. Do not study, watch TV or work in bed. Decorate your bedroom in soothing colors that help you feel relaxed and keep decorative items to a minimum. Your bedroom should be a relaxing place where you go to sleep.

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, sugar and nicotine. These stimulants may be effective in keeping you awake during the day but they are also making it difficult for you to sleep at night. Limit their consumption throughout the day. Do not take any stimulants at least four hours before going to bed for the night.

Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Because of your body’s internal clock, you feel sleepy each night at a certain time. If you heed what your body is telling you when it signals that it is ready for sleep, you are likely to cure your insomnia.

Experts suggest that if your insomnia is causing you difficulty, getting out of bed is the best course of action. Avoid getting too frustrated and just counting the minutes away. Get up and walk around or read for a bit, to get your mind off of the obsession of needing to fall asleep. This should help it come more easily.

Don’t read right before going to bed. You may love the time you have right before bed to get a few chapters in, but really you are stimulating your body. If you’re battling insomnia that’s the last thing that you want to do. So keep the books out of the room.

Cut down on your caffeine intake. Caffeine can keep working for up to 24 hours, so if you are drinking a lot of coffee, that could be what is keeping you up. Try tapering off, and having a little less coffee every day. That way, you don’t to quit caffeine cold turkey, which could result in withdrawal symptoms.

Sleep only as long as it takes you to feel refreshed the next morning. Avoid getting too much, as well as too little, sleep. Sleeping too long can make you sluggish, feeling tired, even though you got enough sleep. This can cause a rebound effect at bedtime, adding to your insomnia woes.

Hot water bottles can be very helpful when you’re trying to get to sleep. The heat helps your body relax. That might be just what you require to knock off insomnia’s grip. One thing you can do is put a hot water bottle on your tummy. Allow the heat to transfer through the body while you take deep breaths.

Darken your bedroom and block all noise. Any type of lighting can disturb the body and not allow you to get a good night of rest. If there is any noise that you can reduce or eliminate, do so. Turn on a fan to block the noise if you can’t stop it.

Make sure that you follow medication directions directly for the best results. Even if you feel like a medication isn’t working, taking more than directed can really make things even more difficult. Some sleeping medications are addictive, and some have negative side effects when you take too many of them.

Read about side effects and dangers of sleep medication prior to using them. While these medications are useful for short-term purposes, it is always best to consult your physician first. Additionally, do your own research about the possible dangers and side effects.

Do you suffer from insomnia? Try taking a nice warm bath before you go to bed. This will relax your muscles and reduce stress so that you can fall asleep when you go to bed. You need to make sure that it is a warm bath, not a hot bath. A hot bath can actually stimulate your body and prevent you from falling asleep.

If you plan to take a bath before bed, be sure it is at least two hours before your head hits the pillow. Baths can actually stimulate you, so you shouldn’t take them right at bed time. Also, try not to stay in for longer than 20 minutes to have the best results.

After reading all the tips laid out here, you should feel better about your insomnia. There are a lot of people out there who have a hard time sleeping as you do, and if you can work on using the tips in this article, you won’t be one of them for long. Good luck!