Mattress Forum

1) Stretch before bed. I stretch right before I get in bed, putting my hands way up high and leaning slightly backwards. I may also lean all the way forward. Do it slow and easy, don't take the chance of throwing anything out!

2) Do some twists. I stand with my elbows pointing out to my sides, try to keep my spine straight and twist gently from side to side. Start out rather slow and gentle then increase the range. I often get my back to "crack" (i.e. as in a chiropractic adjustment) by doing this. I also do this throughout the day when I think of it or when I feel stressed or have been sitting for a long while

3) Roll your shoulders forward and backward, first forward then backward or vice versa. Again, I get a lot of "cracking" sounds by doing this. I am pretty sure it's good for me. YMMV.

4) If you are a tosser and turner, as I am, and you wake up during the night, straighten your body and stretch and adjust your pillow

5) Maybe this should be #1: MAKE SURE YOUR PILLOW IS NOT TOO HIGH NOR TOO SHORT for proper support of your neck. For a long time I was sleeping with a pillow too thin for my neck. I think many of these memory foam and latex pillows are indeed too low/short/thin and cause back pain. I finally went to Ross Dress For Less and bought a regular old polyfill pillow for about $8 (usually $20 or so) and that is working much better than the expensive latex or Tempurpedic pillows I had used before. Note: Don't be afraid to open it up and take the polyfill out if it is indeed too high or tall for your neck, then sew it closed again.

6) I am not a doctor and cannot prescribe medication but I can tell you what works for me: Sometimes I take herbs from Puritan.com called Calm Tabs. (I am not affiliated with Puritan.com in any way.) They are a mixture of various relaxing herbs and the regular dose is 4 tabs but I usually take just 2 at night before I go to bed. I also take benadryl for my allergies and I find that taking them at night helps me sleep and also helps keep me from getting sore throats from drainage during the night. I also use Valerian caps sometimes, though usually I prefer the Calm Tabs above and don't take both at once though doing so probably wouldn't hurt me. When I use Valerian I use the standardized extract.

Melatonin is not only good for helping you sleep, but also good for extending one's life and being more healthy according to the Life Extension Foundation and others. However, it gives some people nightmares or very odd vivid dreams and I am one of those so I don't like to take it. It does not seem to have this effect on everyone. They recommend starting with a very low dose like 250mcg and then adjusting upwards as needed. Some people sell 5-10 mg doses but that's a LOT so be aware that 250mcg or 1/4 of 1mg works for some people and most experts recommend using the lowest dose needed.

I find that by using these methods I am getting a higher percentage of decent nights' sleep.

Still having issues and always trying to tweak my mattress, always looking for the best mattress or mattress configuration... but in general these tips have helped me a lot.

I also believe - though I am not a good practitioner of this - that regular exercise and meditation and/or yoga will also help you sleep.

Note that experts also say that drinking at night can cause problems with sleep. But I can't verify that, as I find a drink or two at night helps me unwind from a stressful day.