Much better than simple relaxation CDs or mp3... More lasting than hypnosis... Easier than relaxation techniques... Healthier than pills and other over-the-counter drugs... Brainwave entrainment is possibly the best natural sleep aid there is. And there is nothing to do.

Different brainwave "frequencies" are associated with different mental states. Brain activity during sleep, for example, is very different than during active thinking. Using an EEG machine, scientists can tell precisely if someone is sleeping lightly, or deeply, or if that person is dreaming.

What brainwave entrainment does is influence and alter the electrical activity going on in your brain.

Worth noting is the fact that the influence of brainwave entrainment is not limited to the time spent listening to a given session. If you keep listening to it every day, after awhile - two weeks, two months, nobody reacts the same - your brain will "get it", so to speak, and generate more abundantly those brainwaves it has been trained to produce. Even if you stop listening to it altogether.

That makes it a true long-term solution to insomnia. Too bad it is not more widely known!

Read more about the link between brainwave entrainment and sleep.

Your mind need some help in transitioning from its fully active and operational mode to the relaxed nighttime rest. You spend most of the day trying to gain or regain control over events and encounters. You decide, you reflect, you ponder, you react...

The brain is aroused and produces a lot of fast beta brainwaves to process all the input and respond in an appropriate manner. All that activity must subside when night comes, or sleep is impossible, as you already know all too well. You also probably already concluded that you're not very good at turning off your thoughts and worries. They happen and keep happening whether you want or not. Brainwave entrainment can help you disconnect from them and truly let go of everything until the next day, but you should still make a habit of unwinding from the day. That way you'll ease into the night gradually instead of running at 100 miles per hour and trying to put on the brakes when the clock shows it's eleven pm...

1- Take it easy
Don't throw yourself into strenuous physical activity less than 3 hours before going to bed. Since exercising elevates your body temperature and arouses you, you'd have more trouble falling asleep. For the same reason, don't take a large heavy meal just before going to bed.

2- Avoid confrontations
Spending time with your family or those you love during the last part of the day is wonderful. But avoid starting or fueling confrontational discussions. Half an hour before bedtime is not really the ideal time to start talking to your spouse about that big purchase you want to make, or to complain about something that bothers you.

3- Bore yourself to sleep
Likewise, it's really not a good idea to start surfing the internet or delve into an engrossing novel just before bedtime. Instead, tackle a boring task like doing paperwork or the dishes. You could also read a few pages of a difficult book or skim a work-related document. Choose something that'll NOT leave you saying three hours later "gee, it's two o'clock already!"

4- Take a warm bath
Taking a nice warm bath is an excellent way to dissolve tensions and leave the day behind. It has a paradoxical effect: the warm water rises your body temperature at first, but then later on makes it drop faster, easing your way into the night. For that same reason, don't take it just before going to bed.

After establishing a mellow bedtime routine it's important to create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere in your bedroom. You see, months or years of sleeping badly made you associate your bedroom with being awake and with frustration. We need to change that. The more cozy and harmonic your bedroom is the more relaxed you'll feel. Here are some tips. The first is to make sure your bedroom really becomes a SLEEPING ROOM. And that means...

Sleep or sex only
Yes, that means use your sleep room only for sleep or for making love. Nothing else! No reading, no tv watching, no arguing, no problem solving, no eating, no working, no phone calling... You get it. All these activities are telling your conscious brain to engage, to act, to be awake. That's not what you want.

You want the act of lying in your bed to be a cue to fall asleep fast, or make love. For all the rest, use the other rooms in your house.

Silence
Since you used to have problems with your sleep, it's very likely that you're sensitive to noises around you and outside of the bedroom. If this is the case and you find that noise is disturbing or interrupting your sleep, reduce them if you can...

Darkness
Your sleeping room should also be as dark as possible. Light would shut off melatonin production and tell your body that it's time to wake up. If you can't create a truly dark environment for you to sleep in, purchase an eye mask, the kind people wear in airplanes.

Good mattress, big bed
Invest in a quality mattress, your body will thank you for it and you'll experience deeper sleep.

Comfort
Try to keep your sleeping room on the cooler side. Sleep experts say that the ideal room temperature is 65 to 70 degrees F. But find the right temperature for you so you don't wake up during the night either too hot or too cold.

If at all possible try to sleep with the window open.

If you find that your room is too dry you may want to purchase a humidifier, especially in the winter months.

Wear comfortable, loose clothing. The more constrained or uncomfortable you are, the more likely you are to wake up during the night.

This is perhaps the most paradoxical advice you can get -- yet it's one of the best sleep aid you can get. Just stop trying to fall asleep.

Trying to fall asleep actually prevents you from falling asleep. Why? Simply because falling asleep is not an action, it's not something you DO. It something that happens to you. If you try, you DO, you tense up, you produce beta brainwaves... and consequently you stay awake.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't win the prize
In a well-known study, a group of people were asked to fall asleep as fast as they could. The winner would receive a prize in cash. The other group were just told to fall asleep as usual. Who do you think fell asleep the fastest?

If you said those who were left to their own device, you're right. Those who were offered the cash reward took three times as long to fall asleep!

"I don't care"
So the best attitude is one of carelessness. Stop trying to fall asleep. If you catch yourself doing it, it's probably because you've been lying in bed too long!

Teas and herbs have been used as natural sleep aids for a very, very long time. Keep in mind, though, that these should be used temporarily. If you get your sleep back on the right track (and you CAN), you won't need them.

Don't place too high expectations on those. If you've been suffering from severe insomnia, these won't help much.

Chamomille
Chamomile has been used throughout the ages as a very effective sleep aid. Chrysin, a flavonoid component of Chamomile, is the chemical attributed to Chamomile's ability to relieve anxiety and promote sleep.

You can drink a cup of Chamomile tea just before bedtime. Add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten.

Valerian root
The effects of valerian on the body are similar to that of benzodiazepine (the active ingredient in most sleeping pills), but without dulling effects or next-day lethargy. To benefit from this root you'll need to use it for more than a few days. Effects will increase slowly and steadily over time.
It should be used for about one month to produce results.

Valerian tea: pour boiling water over 2 teaspoons of valerian root, infuse for 15 minutes and drink before bedtime.

Hops
Hops fruits are natural sedatives. They're commonly paired with chamomille and valerian.

Hops tea: you can mix hops with the above two herbs, or add 1 oz hops to 1 pint of boiling water.