Sharing a bed with someone who isn't sleeping can affect your sleep.
Sleep is no doubt important, and the amount of sleep you get in a night will determine how you face the rest of your day. If you're not getting enough sleep, it will begin to affect your mood, your work, your social life and your hobbies. Concern for your bed-mate or being woken by his constant movement will begin to affect both of you. There are many methods and tricks to putting yourself, your child or someone else to sleep.
Pressure Points
The inner part of the wrist, the base of the skull and just below the inner ankle are all pressure points that can be accessed safely to relax or put someone to sleep. Use both your thumbs and apply pressure to these areas. If you are practicing pressure points on someone else to help them sleep, make sure to ask if you are being too firm or gentle.
For Infants
If you are a parent, then you know that if your child isn't sleeping, you're not sleeping. Being held, rocked, hummed or sung to are all relaxation methods that are used to put children to sleep. Because healthy infants do not have the stress that an adult has, sleeping troubles are likely because of the environment. Tricks to put your child to sleep will depend on her preference. Try leaving a nightlight on for one night. The next night, keep the room in complete darkness, and then gauge which night she slept better.
White Noise
Believe it or not, those cheesy "sounds of nature" albums that you once mocked might actually make a difference in sleeping habits. Just as some people sleep with fans blowing for the white noise, you might become lulled into relaxation by the sounds of rain over water, a mild thunderstorm or even sounds of the rainforest. The sound of rain, for example, is familiar and non-intrusive, and when played on repeat, its consistency will relax you to sleep. This is particularly useful for households that have a large number of people in them, especially if they are all on a different sleeping schedule.
Relax
Have someone tickle your arms or back lightly with their fingertips, or give you a massage before bedtime. Any method of consistent relaxation will soon have you sleeping.
Precautions
To avoid having to do tricks to keep you snoozing, try keeping away from carbohydrates before bedtime. As carbs digest, they turn into sugar, which will keep you awake during the night. The same can be said for anything with sugar in it, such as soda and alcohol. Before bed, avoid watching anything stimulating, or discussing topics that will get you worked up emotionally.
Warm Milk
Nearly everyone has heard to drink warm milk if you can't sleep. This is because milk has tryptophan in it, which is the same ingredient found in turkey that is said to induce sleepiness. While this is true, there is not enough tryptophan in either milk or turkey to actually put you to sleep. Still, many feel sleepy after a satisfying warm meal and the warmth of the milk might do the same for you.
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