This is a guest post by Ben Jacobs. His information is at the bottom of this article.

Sleeping problems afflict millions of people in around the world. Chances are you or someone you love has suffered from sleep problems at some point in their life – if not right now. Lying in bed being unable to fall asleep is a frustrating experience. In some respects, even dangerous when it creates condition wherein which sleep deprived people drive, operate machinery, and work at their jobs without proper attention due to lack of sleep.

If you find yourself lying awake at night, unable to sleep, here are a few tips to consider to change the situation. Keep in mind there is no one-size-fits-all solution for insomnia; everyone is different. Taken in their totality though, these tips should help out anyone suffering from sleep problems. Also note the holistic nature of these solutions; nothing here involves insomnia tablets, sleeping pills, or other intoxicants.

1. Take Deep Breaths
Focusing on your breath has powerful effects on the mind. If stress, external noise, or a racing mind is a reason for insomnia, learning to focus on your breathing while falling asleep is a very helpful tactic to fight insomnia.

Start by simply closing your eyes, and taking a long, deep breath.

Follow this by a second, and then for the third – take the deepest breath you can and hold. Release.

Start over, slowly counting to 10.

2. Visualize Your Body Relaxing
This method involves intentionally visualizing parts of your body as relaxed and content in a slow and methodical manner.

Start by closing your eyes and imagining a wave of relaxation starting at your feet. Concentrate on this sensation in your feet for a moment. Take a breath, and slowly move the relaxation upwards to your legs. Continue to your pelvis; hold. Carry it over your stomach, chest, neck, into your arms, to your head, and past your head.

Note: This tactic can be combined with the deep breathing exercises if you wish.

This method has amazing results – it’s common to experience tingles in addition to a distinct sense of relaxation and warmth all over your body.

While these methods may not work for everyone, many will find success in using them to calm the mind in a completely natural and healthy manner. Unlike prescription medications, which have nasty side effects, all effects resulting from deep breathing and visualization are positive. For those skeptical, just give it a try – you might wake up the next morning surprised to find it worked.

Byline: Ben Jacobs is the blogger behind Dreaming Life, a blog on sleep/dream health, lucid dreaming, and consciousness studies.

Sleeping problems afflict million of people in America. Chances are you are someone you love has suffered from sleep problems at some point in their life – if not right now. Lying in bed being unable to fall asleep is a frustrating experience. In some respects, even dangerous when it creates condition wherein which sleep deprived people drive, operate machinery, and work at their jobs without proper attention due to lack of sleep.

If you find yourself lying awake at night, unable to sleep, here are a few tips to consider to change the situation. Keep in mind there is no one size fits all solution for insomnia; everyone is different. Taken in their totality though, these tips should help out anyone suffering from sleep problems. Also note the holistic nature of these solutions; nothing here involves >a href=”">insomnia tablets</a>, sleeping pills, or other intoxicants.

1. Deep Breathing
Focusing on your breath has powerful effects on the mind. If stress, external noise, or a racing mind is a reason for insomnia, learning to focus on your breathing while falling asleep is a very helpful tactic to fight insomnia.

Start by simply closing your eyes, and taking a long, deep breath.

Follow this by a second, and then for the third – take the deepest breath you can and hold. Release.

Start over and count your breathes to 10.

2. Visualization
This method involves slowly and intentionally visualizing parts of your body as relaxed and content.

Start by closing your eyes and imagining a wave of relaxation that start at your feet. Hold this intention on your feet for a moment. Take a breath, and slowly move the relaxation upwards to your legs. Continue to your pelvis; hold. Carry it over your stomach, chest, neck, into your arms, to your head, and past your head.

<em>Note: This tactic can be combined with the deep breathing exercises if you wish.</em>

This method has amazing results – it’s common to experience tingles in addition to a distinct sense of relaxation and warmth all over your body.

While these methods may not work for everyone, many will find success in using them to calm the mind in a completely natural and healthy manner. Unlike prescription medications, which have nasty side effects, all effects resulting from deep breathing and visualization are positive. For those skeptical, just give it a try – you might wake up the next morning suprised to find it worked.

Byline: Ben Jacobs is the blogger behind <a href=”http://dreaminglife.org”>Dreaming Life</a>, a blog on sleep/dream health, lucid dreaming, and consciousness studies.