What can you do if you can't sleep?

Do you ever feel too anxious to sleep? Maybe you dread an upcoming event or you can't stop beating yourself up for something you did or didn't do 10 days/months/years ago. Or maybe you just think about the meaning of life.

Whatever it is, you can't fall asleep. You twist and you turn, but the dream world is like a runaway bride. Just when you feel it coming your way, it brushes past you, leaving you desperate and alone (well, at least you have your pillow.)

I've been through this numerous times, but I've found a few things that really helped me, so I decided to share them with you. Have in mind that all of this works best if you're consistent.

• Lavender essential oil

This was a revelation for me. Lavender is known for its calming effects, and it can be helpful for anxiety, deppression, nervousness and restlessness. I would put a drop or two on my wrists before sleep, and the scent was subtle and calming enough for me to soothe me. You should have in mind, however, from which type of lavender the oil is made of, because there are different types of lavender and not all of them have the same calming effect. Every respectable producer should have a latin name of the plant on the bottle. The one that I use is Lavandula angustifolia.

• Chamomile tea

This tea is also known for its calming effects, it helps with stress, anxiety, and troubles with sleep. I would make myself a cup of this tea about an hour or so before I planned to go to bed. You can also try out other calming teas, some brands even have calming goodnight tea mixtures.

• Stop exposing yourself to screens before sleep

Blue light emitted from your phone, laptop or TV keeps your brain awake. So try reading a book before bed instead of scrolling through your feed. If you can't do that, at least download some of those apps which turn this blue light into red. It's less disruptive to your circadian rhythm.

• Guided meditations
  The previous three steps are aimed towards helping your body calm down, relax and release tension.
  This step is aimed towards calming your mind. I personally believe that the main reason why so many people have trouble falling asleep is that their minds are working too much. They just keep thinking and thinking and thinking. And they won't stop. This was my issue also, and I realized that I had to find a way to soothe my mind, so that it stops going all over the place at full speed. Guided meditations saved me, honestly. I enjoy the calming music, and there's always some kind of a story going on (which is great for drawing your attention towards something more positive), and even if I don't manage to fall asleep, at least I come closer to my own self. Oh, and I'm also a sucker for deep, hoarse male voices so that's always a plus for me in guided meditations. My favorite meditation channel on yt is Jason Stephenson's, so maybe check him out if you want to try.

There are many different things that you could try out, but these are the ones that always work for me, and I recommend them from the bottom of my heart. Hope it helps :)