photo by nmack28

Financial worries and fears cause many people stress, and you don’t need to be dirt-poor or drowning in debt to lose sleep worrying about it. Let’s face it: Counting sheep doesn’t work for everyone, so I’m sharing reader tips for those nights when you can’t get to sleep.

WORK OUT: Exercise and fresh air are important. Regular bedtimes and wake-up times, and limiting caffeine to only morning hours are important, too. Write down whatever is bothering you before you go to bed. Get it out of your head and onto paper. It’ll be there to deal with in the morning. — Darlene, e-mail

BATH AND A BOOK: One thing that has worked for me is a hot, relaxing bubble bath before trying to go to bed. I will also take a book, one I don’t find too exciting, with me to bed and read until I fall asleep. — Pepper, Oklahoma

AROMATHERAPY: I found a pillow spray that helps me sometimes. It’s lavender vanilla and calming and smells really good. It relaxes me enough to shut my brain off and sleep. — Kimberly, e-mail

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: I eat foods with tryptophan like bananas, yogurt, milk, cheese, tuna and turkey. — Paula, e-mail

MEDITATE: Talk to your doctor about sleep hygiene, meditation, yoga, regular exercise, the reduction or elimination of caffeine and sugar, light evening meals and stress management. — Babs, Canada

TELEVISION: I usually go out to the living room and put on The Weather Channel. There’s something about the repetitiveness of that channel that helps me get back to sleep. — Heather, New York

GAMES: I play a game in my mind. This is something my mother taught me. It is an ABC game. You begin with “My name is …” and you have a name with the letter A. An example:
“My name is Annabelle. My husband’s name is Arnold. We have three children: Archie, Alice and Abigail. We live in Alaska, and we sell apples. My name is Betty. My husband’s name is Bob. We have three children: Brian, Brianna and Belinda. We live in Boston, and we sell beans.” Then you go to the next letter and so on until you have gone through the alphabet. It takes your mind off other things, and I fall asleep before I get through the alphabet. — Emily, Georgia

HERBAL REMEDIES: I have in the past drank teas such as “sleepy time,” “nighty night” and chamomile. — Joanne, Maine

Melatonin helps. You aren’t knocked out like with sleeping pills, just drowsy and you want to sleep, but check with your doctor before trying any herbal remedies. — Pammy, Texas

Valerian root or calcium/magnesium supplements, vitamin C and B-complex vitamins. — Trish, e-mail

You can pick up some St. John’s Wort at the pharmacy or the health-food store. It’s good for insomnia and anxiety. Try counting backward from 1,000 silently when you go to bed. It will force you to concentrate on something less important (if you are prone to replay the day or worry about things to come). It’s really hard to do without putting your other thoughts aside. — Jen K., Canada

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