Meditation, Not Medication, Is One Way to Beat Insomnia.

What's the best treatment for insomnia? Ask most doctors that question, and they'll have a ready answer (and a ready prescription): Sleeping pills. "The majority of physicians consider sleeping pills to be the most effective treatment for insomnia which they are not and continue to over prescribe them," says Gregg Jacobs, Ph.D., an insomnia specialist at the sleep disorders center of Both Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Dr. Jacobs considers sleeping pills to be over prescribed because he says they don't address the cause of insomnia, are potentially addictive, and can actually make insomnia worse. "Sleeping pills can be effective for the treatment of short term insomnia," Dr. Jacobs says. "But they can become increasingly ineffective with regular use, and they can cause many side effects that far outweigh their moderate benefits."
Another reason that Dr. Jacobs considers sleeping pills to be over prescribed is that most people with insomnia can reduce or eliminate their sleep problems without drugs, using natural self-help methods.

THE RELAXATION RESPONSE: Put Stress to Sleep
Stress is everywhere, from time pressures to noise pollution and family problems, from information overload to money worries. And too much stress can ruin sleep.
"Stressful life events are the most common precipitators of chronic insomnia," says Dr. Jacobs. You can learn a technique to help your mind and body defuse the negative effects of stress; it's called the relaxation response.
Research has shown that the relaxation response is an effective treatment for insomnia, says Dr. Jacobs. To help beat insomnia, practice the relaxation response for 10 to 20 minutes a day, he says. Find the time of day that works best for you, then reserve that time every day to de-stress your life. Here's how to do it.

1. Choose a quiet place where you won't be disturbed by noise, people, or pets. Sit or lie in a comfortable position and close your eyes. If you fall asleep during the relaxation response, that's fine, but set an alarm for 20 minutes in case you do doze off, and don't do the exercise within an hour or two of bedtime because you might have a harder time falling asleep when you go to bed.
2. Focus your attention on each body part and feel relaxation spreading through them: your feet, calves, thighs, stomach, chest, back, hands, forearms, upper arms, shoulder, neck, jaw, cheeks, eyes, and forehead. You may notice warmth, tingling, or heaviness, or you may just feel the body part. "At the end of this exercise, take a few     if moments to concentrate on how your entire body is relaxed," says Dr. Jacobs.
3. To monitor your breathing, place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest. "If you are breathing abdominally, only the hand on your stomach will move," he says. "As you breathe abdominally, respiration will slow and deepen naturally." Deep, abdominal breathing is more relaxing than shallow chest breathing, says Dr. Jacobs.
4. Your muscles are relaxed. You're breathing deeply. Then, says Dr. Jacobs, "direct your attention from everyday thoughts by using a mental focusing device that is neutral and repetitive." He recommends a word such as one, relax, peace, or heavy. "For many people, it is helpful to repeat the word silently with each exhalation," he says.

You can also focus on a visual image of an enjoyable, relaxing place, says Dr. Jacobs. Imagine a vacation spot; a beach, meadow, or mountain; a place in a book, magazine, or movie; or floating on a cloud.

SUNLIGHT: Rays Yourself from the Dead Tired
Sunlight regulates melatonin, a brain chemical that controls body temperature. Normal rhythms in body temperature create normal sleep, which is why too little exposure to sunlight can cause insomnia, says Dr. Jacobs.
If you have trouble falling asleep, you need more early-morning sunlight, says Dr. Jacobs. Open the drapes or shades immediately upon awakening, eat breakfast near a sun-exposed window, avoid dark sunglasses in the morning, and take an early-morning walk.
If you wake up too early in the morning, you need more late-day sunlight, he says. Avoid dark sunglasses late in the day, take a late-afternoon walk, sit near a sun-exposed window the hour before sunset, and leave the drapes open until dark.

CARBOHYDRATES: The Best Bedtime Snack
A high-carbohydrate snack such as bread, bagels, or crackers eaten immediately before bedtime can increase serotonin, a brain chemical that promotes sleep, says Dr. Jacobs.

POSITIVE THINKING: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Sleep
Negative sleep thoughts can keep you awake, says Dr. Jacobs. "When they occur at bedtime or while you are awake in the middle of the night, negative sleep thoughts have a forceful effect on making you feel anxious and frustrated, creating another night of insomnia." These troubling thoughts include phrases such as the following.

• I don't think I can fall back to sleep.
• I can't fall asleep without a sleeping pill.
• This is going to be another night of insomnia.
• My insomnia is getting worse.
• I need more sleep.

If you recognize negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones, you will be less anxious and frustrated about insomnia, says Dr. Jacobs. "As a result, you will relax and sleep better."
In the morning, says Dr. Jacobs, "write dow7n any negative sleep thoughts that you experienced at bedtime, while awake during the night, or upon rising from bed in the morning." Then, write a positive thought below that list.

For example, positive thoughts to counter the negative ones above could include:

• I always fall back to sleep sooner or later.
• I need less sleep than I thought.
• My sleep is getting better and better.
• My sleep will improve as I use positive sleep thoughts rather than negative sleep thoughts.

Each morning, write down one or more positive sleep thoughts. "By practicing this every day, you will start to think more positively and confidently about sleep, you'll gain more control over sleep, and you'll soon start to sleep better," Dr. Jacobs says.

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE: Massage For Restful Sleep
Self-massage from Traditional Chinese Medicine is an effective alternative home remedy for insomnia, says Bob Flaws, a licensed acupuncturist and expert in Chinese medicine in Boulder, Colorado.
Massage balances the chi, or life-energy, in your body, allowing you to fall asleep more easily. Flaws recommends doing this massage right before you lie down and turn off the light. The best results come with daily practice over a period of weeks and months.
"As you massage, calmly focus on the physical sensations under your hands, and don't let your mind wander to your worries about today or tomorrow," he says.
The entire massage should take 20 to 30 minutes.

1. Start by pressing and kneading the center and top of your skull, which helps calm the entire body. Do this about TOO times. This massage also works acupressure points on your head.
2. Use the fingertips of both hands to knead the ends of your eyebrows closest to the bridge of your nose, which stimulates acupressure point BL2. Do this about 30 times.
3. With your index fingers and thumbs, massage the upper edges of the bones in your eye sockets, then do the lower edges. Work from the inner comers of the eyes to the outer corners 20 to 30 times.
4. Rub the palms of your hands together vigorously until they feel warm. Mace your warm palms over both eyes and keep them there for 30 to 60 seconds. Very lightly rub your closed eyes 10 times.
5. Find the depressions just below the base of your skull on the back of your neck, midway between the bones behind your ears and the muscles on either side of your spine. These points are known as GB20. "It's where most people instinctively massage when they have a tension headache or stiff neck," says Flaws. With both hands, press and knead both points 30 to 50 times.
6. Using the palm of your hand, rub circles around the center of your upper abdomen, then do the same on your lower abdomen. On each area, rub first clockwise and then counterclockwise, about 100 times in each direction.
7. Find the point on the inside of your forearm between the two tendons, approximately 1½ inches above the wrist. This point is known as PE6 in acupressure. With your thumb, press and knead the point on your left arm, then do the right arm, 30 to 50 times on each side.
8. Find acupressure point HE7 at the crease of your wrist right below the base of your pinky finger. Massage the point on each wrist 30 to 50 times.
9. Find the point located 3 inches below the lower outside edge of your kneecap when your leg is bent; it's in a depression between the muscles of the lower leg. Massage the point on each leg 30 to 50 times. This is acupressure point ST36.
10. Find the point 3 inches above the tip of your inner anklebone on the back of your lower leg. In acupressure, this point is known as SP6. Massage 30 to 50 times on each ankle.
11. Stimulate the acupressure point KI1, located in the depression just behind the ball of your foot toward the heel. Use the palm of the opposite hand until the palm feels hot. Repeat on the other foot.

Three Homeopathic Remedies for Three Types of Insomnia
The simple remedies of homeopathy can help almost anyone sleep better, says Steve Nenninger, N.D., a naturopathic physician in New York City. For each of these remedies, take the 30C potency, letting three pellets dissolve under your tongue three times a day, for as long as symptoms persist, he says. Here are his recommendations.

IGNATIA AMARA: If You Can't Fall Asleep
This remedy works best for people who have trouble falling asleep and who have a past history of grief, says Dr. Nenninger.

ARSENICUM ALBUM: If You Wake Up in the Middle of the Night
This is the right remedy if you wake up in the middle of the night feeling anxious or restless and take a long time to fall back to sleep, says Dr. Nenninger.

NUX VOMICA: If You Wake Up Early in the Morning
If you wake up early in the morning worrying about business or stressful events, and you can't fall back to sleep, use Nux vomica, says Dr. Nenninger.