thanks for the info. about apples, too.

A warm bath is a great way to relax to help you to sleep. If you can’t take a bath, you can give yourself a foot massage with slightly warm massage oil, sesame oil, or castor oil from a health food store.

What was very helpful to me, especially when my mind was racing, was to lie in bed and listen to relaxation CDs, especially those that contain someone speaking with relaxing music in the background. Many of these CDs are available on eBay for very low prices.

A helpful technique is to relax your body one part at a time. So you could relax your feet, your lower legs, upper legs, moving up from your lower belly up to your chest, etc., until your whole body is relaxed.

Of course, guided relaxation methods can help, imagining yourself in the country, the beach, or whatever is most soothing to you.

If you have annoying thoughts or personal issues that run thru your mind when you are trying to sleep, you might have to deal with those issues first. You might want to talk to a counselor or therapist about that. I suggest avoiding prescription sleeping pills unless nothing else helps.

There are herbs that are helpful for sleep, eg, valerian root, kava kava, chamomile, hops, passion flower, skullcap. Probably, valerian root and kava kava are the best. With some herbs, it can take a few weeks to build up in your system before it works.

You can also try 5-HTP, trytophan or GABA.

There are articles on Insomnia and How to Beat Insomnia, if you would like to get further information, please feel free to visit my blog at http://sleepapnea-insomnia.blogspot.com

I’ve had insomnia for years and my main problem is my mind wont stop thinking. If you are ready to sleep, willing to put forth some effort and give it some time(a couple weeks of this routine and 1-2 hours per night at first), you can sleep without drugs =)

First-Look up sleep hygene and make sure you are following as many of these recommendations as possible like: no caffeine/stimulants, keep the room dark, cool and quiet, turn off your phone, get a loud fan that will drone out other noises, watch what you eat/drink for dinner or late night snacks, make a list of what you need to do tomorrow so you dont stay up thinking about it, stretch, brush teeth, warm shower, etc….

Second-Find a tv show that is slightly entertaining(too much and you will be winding up vs. winding down) and somewhat dull( too dull and you will not stay focused on the show), Fraiser works for me. Record 2-3 episodes for each night or find a second show so you have at least an hour and a half worth of shows to watch and wind down. Do all of your sleep hygene before climbing into bed and starting the show.

Then keep the volume at a low level and stay focused on the show. If your mind wanders, when you notice this, re-direct your attention back to the show. After 30-45 mins, you should start feeling sleepy. This is where it takes effort, do not turn off the tv yet. Instead, turn the volume down a bit, lie down and close your eyes. Make sure you can still hear the show and keep your focus on what they are saying. After 15-20 mins, the volume will become loud to you as you relax more, so turn the volume down a little more. Now keep listening to the show until you start drifting off to sleep. You will probably wake up to the tv after a breif nap and now I can turn off the tv here and fall asleep. You may want to turn the volume down a little more before turning the tv completely off or even be ok with leaving the tv on all night( if the light doesnt bother you). Once you notice that you woke up from being asleep, you can usually fall back asleep easily.

This method takes some practice and focus but it works! It will bring your mind to a relaxing state and also help you stay asleep throughout the night because you wont be physically falling asleep with your mind still being active. Good luck!