Insomnia – What to Avoid Before Bedtime

Man suffering from insomnia- needs acupunctureAvoid insomnia for many reasons! I’ve written on the topic of sleep before, including some tips for sleep and insomnia before. There are many things that can be done to deal with insomnia besides medication. Acupuncture can make a huge difference in your ability to fall asleep when it is time for bed and it can help you achieve truly restful quality sleep without drugs or herbs.

Acupuncture is just one technique of many available for dealing with insomnia. When you are lying in bed, wide awake at 3 A.M., it is a small consolation that you can make an appointment tomorrow, or the next day for acupuncture. You want to sleep that very night!

Don’t Bring Technology to Bed

A recent Bank of America consumer trends report found that roughly 71% of survey respondents sleep with their smartphones and 23% actually fall asleep with their tech tool in their hand. It’s time to break free from the dependence and reclaim your bed.

Don’t Drink Coffee

A cup of coffee contains anywhere from 80 to 120 milligrams of caffeine per cup, and you probably already know you should avoid it right before bed. Even though you might like the idea of a hot drink after dinner, did you know that although bedtime might still be several hours away, this could disturb your sleep. Why? Because caffeine can stay in the body for up to 12 hours.

Don’t Eat Spicy or Fatty Foods

You should have dinner at least two hours before going to sleep to give your body enough time to begin digesting it. If you’re used to eating something right before bed, stick with sleep-promoting foods like simple carbs or a glass of milk but stay away from spicy food.

Oh, and do go ahead and make that acupuncture appointment or set up a free face-to-face consultation. Sleep does not need to be hard to come by.

To see if acupuncture might be right for you, give us a call at our Durham location or you may call us at 919-228-8448. If you find it easier to make an appointment online, you can simply click here to use our online schedule to set up a free face-to-face consultation.

4 replies
  1. Victor Lido
    Victor Lido says:

    Thanks for the helpful hints.
    Does the world know that Lido’s all have no sleep problems – but do, on occasion, have get up and go problems in the morning.

    Maybe that is another topic for you to tackle.

    Best of luck.

    Reply
    • Jon-Erik Lido
      Jon-Erik Lido says:

      I think for a lot of people difficulty waking has to do with Earth energetics. In our culture we usually try to wake in the time of day that the energy is concentrated in the Stomach and Spleen/Pancreas.

      I believe that shift in diet away from lots of carbohydrates would help a lot of people, including the Lidos. We basically overload our Earth energetics with all of the sugars in the western diet- pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.

      There’s a lot there to look into, so I’ll see what I info can provide in future posts. Thanks!

      Reply
  2. delilah weeks
    delilah weeks says:

    JON ERIK THANKS FOR THE ADVICE, RECENTLY SLEEP HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR ME, ALSO WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO SAY THAT BEING YOUR PAITENT HAS HELPED ME SO MUCH, LIFE IS WORTH LIVING AGAIN AND I EVEN SEE THAT I MAY SOMEDAY RETURN TO NORMAL . IT IS MY PRAYER THAT YOU ARE BLESSED AND PROSPEROUS . MAY GOD GRANT YOU ALL OF HIS BLESSINGS FOR YOU LOVE AND CARE AND FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME. THANKS, DELILAH

    Reply
  3. Ciprilica
    Ciprilica says:

    I agree that insomnia should be treated in traditional ways, so acupuncture is a great opportunity to get back your night sleep. Another “pills free” way is a good old relaxing massage nh. The lifestyle practices described here can also be applied for any physical disorder.

    Reply

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