{sleep troubles & solutions}

{source}

It's no secret that college {or high school, for that matter} is stressful. Classes, exams, papers...the list goes ON!  Some people deal with stress well; others...not so well.  Guess where I fall?

Yup--in the not so well category.  Stress causes two things for me: panic attacks & insomnia.

Starting in September I started having this little panic attacks late at night--sometimes in the middle of the night--and they were so so so annoying. I would start breathing really fast, my heart would speed up, I'd feel really hot, and I'd just have this overwhelming panicky feeling. Random things would pop in my head & I would really believe them to be true. For example, one night I convinced myself that I was going to drop out of school the next day.

See? Craziness. They would only last a few minutes {& maybe four times since September} So whenever this would happen, this is what I'd do:

1.) Turn off all the lights
2.) Lay flat on my back & relax every muscle {and put my palms facing up}
3.) Close my eyes
4.) Repeat in my head: I'm going to be alright. I'm going to be alright.


After a few minutes, I would feel fine & if it was late at night I would even fall asleep.  Since January I haven't had any, but if they return, I know how to handle them.

Another thing that stress causes is sleep troubles! Ugh. Some nights I'll go to bed at midnight but I won't be able to fall asleep until two or three in the morning. To help this problem I began this little ritual each night.  I make myself think I'm getting ready for bed around 9:00pm, so my mind would start shutting & slowing down.

First, I turn off my room's main light, but I keep the bathroom light and a lamp on so I can see. I also don't have any caffeine after 2:00pm, or a ton of sugar at night.  Then I make myself a cup of Sleepytime Extra Tea.

OMG you guys. This stuff is DIVINE.  I sometimes have two or three cups of it....it's just that good. {And yes...I may have had some during breakfast once too.}  It doesn't need any sugar or honey...just hot water.

And then on the nights when I really have trouble sleeping, I pop in a DVD of Friends, turn the TV monitor brightness down really low, and right before I catch myself falling asleep, turn off the TV. Works like a charm.

If you have little panic attacks or sleep troubles, what works for you? Any tips? I'm always open to suggestions!

Have a lively day!