Insomnia is one of the worst disorders you could possibly have, in my opinion.  You feel restless, nervous, and uncomfortable.  All you want is to be able to go to sleep.  I've suffered from insomnia for ten years, so over time, I've been able to find tips and tricks that sometimes work to curb my insomnia for a night or two.  Check out the last ten tips here. 

Here are the next ten tips for beating insomnia:

Try to resolve stress in your life before you go to bed.  You just got into a huge fight with a good friend.  You just broke up with your significant other.  You're afraid you're about to lose your job.  You have a huge exam tomorrow.  Some stresses you can't deal with... others, you can.  If you're in an argument with someone, try to resolve it before bedtime or chances are, you're going to worry about it all night long.  If you have an exam coming up, study for it during the day until you're confident about making a good grade. 

Try melatonin.  Melatonin is a natural herb that is supposed to help you sleep better at nights.  I took the recommended dose of melatonin every night for at least a couple of months and it didn't seem to do any good... but that's just me.  A bottle of melatonin is only $15 or so at your local health store or even Wal-Green's.  Feel free to try it out. 

Put on lotion right before you go to bed.  Not only can lotion feel soothing and relax your muscles, it will also cool down your body temperature, which will make it easier for you to fall asleep.  I always put on lotion before I go to bed.  I use a special lotion from Bath&Body Works that is a special aromatherapy recipe that is supposed to be extra soothing to help people sleep.  My favorite is Lavender Vanilla body lotion, which you can purchase here, but there are other scents, along with body mists, pillow mists, and other things.

Write out your frustrations before bedtime.  Do you keep a journal?  If not, this might be a good time to start.  Writing out every frustration and worry about your future and your day an hour or so before bed can help you release your worries enough to fall asleep.  A horrible feeling is to lie in bed and worry, worry, worry.  Writing everything out can help close that part of your mind so it will focus more on sleeping.

Relax different parts of your body.  This sounds silly, but when you're in bed, focus on relaxing your toes, your ankles, your legs... until your entire body is relaxed and comfortable.  Your body needs to feel relaxed in order for you to sleep and simple relaxation exercises can help that.

Watch a funny television show around an hour or two before you go to bed.  Laughing actually helps to relax your body and your mind.  Try watching a silly sitcom such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire or The Nanny.  Be sure not to watch TV too close to bedtime because the bright light could actually wake you up a little.

Avoid a big meal in the evenings.  Don't go to a nice restaurant or eat a huge family meal at nine o'clock at night.  You'll want to eat your big meal around five or six, but definitely not past eight o'clock.  Indigestion and simply being full can keep you awake.

Sleep alone.  Sometimes sleeping in the same bed or bedroom with somebody can cause insomnia.  The sound of breathing, snoring, talking, or kicking... or merely being concerned about waking the person in the room with you can keep you awake all night.  If you have severe insomnia and you share a room with your sibling, friend, or spouse, it may be time to sleep in your own bedroom... for a while, at least.

Go to an uncomfortable spot for a while.  This might sound crazy, but it actually works.  When I've spent hours tossing and turning, sometimes I take a pillow and go stretch out on my staircase or curl up in a chair and try to sleep.  For some reason, the change of environment often makes me sleepy and I try to doze.  Stay in your uncomfortable spot for at least half an hour... and when you return to bed, it will feel as soft as a feather compared to your uncomfortable position before.

Avoid thinking about the consequences of no sleep.  You probably know the feeling of thinking, "If I don't sleep, I'm going to be miserable all day.  I won't be able to focus.  I won't be able to have a good time.  I'll..."  No.  Try to think of it this way.  "If I can't sleep tonight, I'll be a little tired tomorrow, but I'll survive.  In fact, I'll probably be able to sleep even better the next night."  Worry will only cause your insomnia to increase.

Tune in on Monday for the next ten tips for insomniacs.  

There have been times when I have paced all night, completely wide awake and hardly able to shut my eyes.  Other nights, I truly feel exhausted, but I can't get my body to fall asleep.  As a ten year insomniac, I have discovered many tips to beating insomnia... some of them actually work!  To see the last ten tips, click here.  Here are today's ten tips to beating insomnia:

Actually try to sleep.  There are times when I can feel my insomnia approaching.  Hours before bedtime, I'm already worrying about the oncoming night.  On those nights, I sometimes don't even bother trying to think, assuming that I won't be able to sleep anyways.  Your worried mind isn't always correct.  Sometimes if you try to sleep and keep trying, it will actually work!  This trick does not always work, but it never hurts to try.

Stretch before bed.  If your body is relaxed, you will sleep better, so about half an hour before you go to bed, practice some basic stretching exercises.  This will help ease your muscles that have been tightened from stress, and it will also relax your body and even curb some back and shoulder pain.  Don't work yourself out to the point where your adrenaline and blood starts pounding.  You want to relax your body, not work it up.  Click here and here for two different websites with nighttime stretches available.

Take a hot bath or shower.  Hot water also relaxes your tight muscles, so taking a bath about an hour before bedtime can help to relax your body and even make you sleepy before bed time.  I've heard that some people prefer cold baths or showers, but in my opinion, they only tense you up.  If I want to wake up in the morning, I'll take a cold shower.  But it's up to you and what makes you tired.

Eat a light snack before bed.  Eating something small will help to curb any nagging hunger that might keep you up or wake you up during the night.  A perfect snack would be a small turkey sandwich.  Turkey contains a substance called tryptophan that will actually help your body become sleepy.  Other foods that carry small amounts of tryptophan are eggs and chicken.

Go to bed with damp hair.  For some reason, when I go to bed with damp hair, I sleep better.  Damp hair keeps my overall body temperature cool, which I think is what helps me sleep.  If I go to bed with soaking wet hair, I'm too cold, but when I go to bed with dry hair, I'm often too hot.  Taking a shower about forty minutes before bedtime (I have fairly long hair that takes a while to air dry), leaves my hair at the perfect dampness.

Keep an active lifestyle during the daytime.  Truth is, couch potatoes are more likely to have insomnia than active people.  Try to do something active every day, even on lazy weekend days.  I'm not just talking about plain exercise.  Go to the grocery store.  Walk through the mall.  Have a lunch with friends.  Go on an evening walk.  Keep your life active and happy and you'll  most likely have an easier time falling asleep at night.

Avoid lights from bright screens.  About thirty minutes before bedtime, turn off your phone, television, iTouch, iPod, and computer.  The bright screens remind your mind of the brightness of morning and it will actually make you less tired!  If you spend the last thirty minutes to an hour before bed using the low lighting of a lamp, your mind will begin to realize that it's bedtime.

Don't nap during the day.  Not only are you giving your body rest during the middle of the day that will help you have more energy throughout the daytime -and nighttime- hours, you are also teaching your body that there isn't such thing as a nightly routine.  You're basically getting your nights and days confused.  While you suffer with insomnia, force yourself to abstain from any naps after about one o'clock in the afternoon.

Listen to soft music.  For some people like me, the room needs to be completely silent in order for sleep to come.  However, silence can actually keep some people from sleeping.  Try to find some peaceful classical music, a recording of an acoustic guitar, or even an easy artist to listen to like Colbie Caillat or JJ Heller.  Play the music on one of its lowest settings from a stereo until you drift gently off to sleep.

Drink warm milk.  According to what I've read, milk also contains tryptophan, something that makes your body tired.  Warm milk is soothing and gentle.  It will curb any hunger you have, relax you a little, and possibly even soothe your mind and make you feel tired on the inside.  Try drinking warm milk before bedtime and see if it works for you.  I like vanilla steamers from Starbucks.  They're sweet enough to taste better than plain milk, but they are plenty soothing. 

Stay tuned until Thursday to get the next five tips for beating insomnia.