MAKE IT DARK
Your eyes are tuned by nature to be awake in the light and asleep in the dark. Your eyes sense light even through closed eyelids. Get darkening shades, heavy curtains. Get an eye mask if you have to. Find some way of making it dark for your eyeballs.
MAKE IT QUIET
Noise interrupts the sleep cycle. If you have noise canceling headphones, these work wonderfully! If not, get a CD of ocean music or something similar. They work wonderfully! They help mask any sharp noises with their general "white noise", sort of like a vacuum cleaner or rainstorm does.
AVOID CAFFEINE
If you can avoid caffeine in your diet, it really makes a big improvement in your sleep patterns. Once you get through the withdrawal period, you'll find your general blood pressure level and sleep patterns are much more smooth.
BUILD A ROUTINE
Every night before you sleep, put together a routine. Brush your teeth. Have a glass of water. Whatever you can to do help train your body to relax, put that into your schedule.
KEEP PAPER BY THE BED
Often you're kept awake worrying about things. Jot them down on the paper and let yourself know "I'll handle it in the morning". That way you can reassure yourself that it won't be forgotten - but it isn't something for now.
It's also important to note that in addition to blood pressure, lack of sleep creates an imbalance in ghrelin and leptin hormone levels. These imbalances cause you to be overly hungry the next day. In some studies people ate up to 1000 more calories on the subsequent day solely because of those hormones. The lack of sleep can lead directly to obesity issues.
It is well worth it to take concerted steps to help you get a long, healthy period of sleep every evening. Even small steps can lead you to a good result, and help ensure that you get the 7-9 hours of sleep that are recommended for most people. If you find you are still stuck even after several weeks of trying, talk with your doctor. It is well worth it to get this resolved!
Lisa Shea's Library of Low Carb Books
