What causes a restless night’s sleep? Sometimes individuals become overwhelmed with life’s circumstances and this can lend itself to agitated sleeping patterns. Also, being fatigued can lead to poor rest. Things that lay in the unconscious become very much active in one’s sleep.  We are all busy during the day, but when night comes and we attempt to rest, the mind continues actively generating and creating thoughts which may at times create an unrestful night’s sleep. You might have experienced a night when you placed your head on your pillow expecting to fall right off into blissful slumber, only to encounter racing thoughts which prevented this from happening. How did you react? Did you arise and take a sleeping aid? Was a glass of warm milk helpful? Did anything work, or was it a hard night staring at the clock?

During these times it’s important to ascertain any changes that may have recently occurred. Have you lately moved, thereby changing your environment? Were there any changes in family circumstances such as the loss of a family member, a divorce or a new baby? What new stresses have just been brought into your life? How has the daily routine been modified? Is one taking any new medications? These are all considerations which can affect how someone is unable to sleep.

If any of the above listed are taking place it might be helpful to try some proven methods to assist with alleviating the difficulties. It’s been suggested that between 7-8 hours of restful sleep are beneficial for most adults, however, a person can ascertain how many they require by determining how many are necessary so as not to feel tired or sleepy during the day. Here are some ideas to support you when you’re unable to obtain the desired Zs needed: 1. Establish a regular time for bed. This helps by providing proper “winding down” time before sleep. 2. Do preset activities. By performing such actions you can realize closure to the day. 3. Ensure that the bedroom is conducive to sleep. This means that if darkness is necessary make the room dark with shades, curtains, drapes or whatever else may be required. If no noise is essential then shut off the TV and IPOD. Remember, your sleep is very much dependent on how you permit yourself to control the sleeping environment. Be careful what you watch on TV prior to trying to sleep. Too much violence, even from the news, can be disturbing to sleep. What a person eats or drinks can also cause sleep disturbance, if not immediately, then during the night when attempting to fall in the deepest realm of sleep.

Setting sleep as a priority and making paramount the quality of that sleep will increase one’s ability not only to sleep well, but perform the necessary tasks involved in the following day’s activities.