How Unplugging at Night Improved My Sleep Quality

I have been an insomniac for most of my life. As much as I love sleep, sleep doesn't reciprocate those feelings and I have tried everything to combat this insomnia. I have lavender everything near my bed, I keep my apartment a bit cold, write in a notebook when ideas strike, read a book, count sheep -- I've done it all. But recently, I found my insomnia had reached new heights. I was staying up at all hours of the night simply because I couldn't get myself to fall asleep. I often go through phases, a couple of weeks here and there, when my sleep quality just plummets (more than usual). But this phase didn't seem to have an end in sight, so I knew I needed to make some changes.

I knew that using electronics before bed was a bad idea, but I seemed to ignore logic because I was tired (from the lack of sleep) and felt like I needed something to do when I couldn't fall asleep. Most of the time, I would pick up my phone and start reading articles and watching videos on YouTube. Obviously, this was just making things worse.

So, I decided that my phone was no longer allowed to come to bed with me. I put it on silent and charged it on the other side of my apartment where it can't tempt me. Instead, I read a book (a real-life, hold it in my hands book). I have to limit myself to one to two chapters a night (I've been known to read through the night because a book was just too good). If I still can't sleep, I grab my notebook and start writing whatever comes to me.

I've found that the simple act of not bringing my phone to bed has helped my sleep quality A LOT. Now, most nights I find it much easier to fall asleep and get enough sleep so that I don't feel like a zombie the next day. This has also ensured that my phone isn't the first thing I see in the morning, allowing me to make my mornings my own before I start working (which is pretty hard as someone who works from home).

How do you combat insomnia? Tell us in the comments below!