How I Cured My Insomnia

Hey beautiful people. Last week I just threw it out there: if you’re tired, go to sleep. And I know for some of you that landed like a joke, because going to sleep is the whole problem. I get it. I was a chronic insomniac for years. Years. And it’s gone now. Completely cured. So today it’s sleep hygiene day on Stress Therapy, and I’m giving you the old faithfuls you’ve heard a million times, plus the stuff that actually worked for me and for my clients, which is not what everybody else is saying. Key Takeaways

You can’t force sleep. Outside of anesthesia, nothing puts you to sleep. Pills create an environment for it, but the more you chase it, the further it goes.Your bed is for sleep and sex. That’s it. No TV, no phone, no meditating in it either.When you wake up at 3 a.m., do not talk to yourself about it. Get out of your head and into your body. Once you get riled up and release cortisol, you’ve got about 90 minutes before it clears, and that’s your hour and a half of staring at the ceiling.Episode Highlights

The old faithfuls you’ve heard forever and quietly stopped doing: napping, working out too late, eating right before bedWhy 68 degrees is the number, and what happens when it gets menopausal in your roomMy eye cover obsession, and why the one the airline hands you is not getting the job doneBeditation, and why I almost never meditate in my own bedWhy alcohol has you wide awake and spiraling at 3 a.m., and why morning is technically the best time to drink itHow to move your bedtime without a fight: 20 minutes at a time over three to five daysThe old iPod trick that cured my insomnia, with nothing on it but books, music and binaural beatsWhy a pad of paper and a pen beside your bed beats reaching for your phoneWhy you need to stop calling it my insomnia, and start talking about yourself like a good sleeperA short nervous system reset you can do lying right there in bedMentions and References

Binaural beats apps: Brainwave for Apple, Brain Waves or Atmosphere for AndroidMy favorite eye covers, including the Bluetooth ones with the timerMy friend Ann Dupree, who teaches resilience, on why your prefrontal cortex is the wrong part of your brain to be chatting with at 3 a.m.Libby, Kindle, Apple Books and Spotify, the only apps allowed on the little iPodMagnesium, which I think is one of the most important supplements we can take. Melatonin I save for jet lag. Ask your doctor.My Tom Petty Full Moon Fever t-shirt, because we’re not having night sweats aroun