Counting sheep, drinking warm milk, eating … lettuce?
For as long as humans have been around, they’ve been sharing incredibly unusual cures forinsomnia.
Some solutions that are off the beaten path could just be worth a shot.
Hopefully, you’ll be paying a much-needed visit to dreamland soon.
Strange, yes, but arguably more pleasant than eating a raw onion.
When it’s ready, mix in some honey to improve the flavor.
Facing your head east is instead the preferred sleeping direction.
Alternatively, you might try placing your pillow toward the south.
And who wouldn’t want that?
It works to alter your circadian rhythm (your body’s 24-hour internal clock), according toWebMD.
This can be reading, listening to a podcast, knitting really anything that tends to quiet your mind.
When you get to the point of feeling sleepy again, head back to bed.
Again, give yourself 20 minutes to drift off.
There is some science behind this method.
It’s also known as lettuce opium, and it can have a sedative and even hypnotic effect.
If it works for you, kudos.
S buildup of anxiety around trying to get to sleep often results in sleep slipping further out of reach.
This paradoxical intention practice is all about stopping that merry-go-round.
To try it: From bed, tell yourself you’d like to stay awake a little longer.
fall asleep) disappears.
Physiologically, this means the body and brain can finally calm down and relax."
It’s often utilized to help with breaking habits like smoking or even managing pain control.
Hypnosis uses visualization to direct focus to calming thoughts or images, then deepening that level of relaxed focus.
Next, the listener receives therapeutic suggestions geared toward falling asleep.
Another unusual cure is eating sea slug entrails, a folk remedy out of Japan.
And, not to be outdone, medieval Europeans advised sipping a concoction made with castrated boar bile.Yum.
Oh, and regardless of how little you sleep,don’trestrict yourself to any less than 5.5 hours.
This is especially true for those who work off-hour schedules.
Calledpolyphasic sleep, this method entails getting your sleep in two or more chunks per 24-hour period.
Although polyphasic sleep may be effective initially for some, it often isn’t sustainable.
Nevertheless, some people just tend toward this style of sleep.
