I Was Diagnosed with Insomnia. Here’s How I Get More Sleep.

• If you are tired most days, have trouble retaining information, concentrating, or feel like you got off on the wrong side of the bed, you might be fighting insomnia.
• Aromatherapy, melatonin, chamomile tea and acupressure are often experienced as a temporary fix.
• What makes insomnia worse is the dread with sundown, knowing that you will toss and turn, desperately trying to sleep and obsessing over why you can't.

Look at your full day to identify the causes of insomnia, not just the hours before you go to bed.

For example, setting too many meetings or not permitting yourself to take a break can leave you too wound up to fall asleep later at night. Instead, schedule your most intense work in the morning, and do more mundane tasks in the afternoon.

What works for you may only be discovered with trial and error.

For example, one can use smart mattresses, apps like Headspace, or fenugreek seeds. A mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon, and fennel boiled in water contains flavonoids and antioxidants that help calm the body. Mindfulness meditation can help aim your focus on the moment-by-moment experiences, thoughts, and emotions instead of thinking of the past or daydreaming.

Research shows that if you bring your work to your bed, you're likely to continue thinking about work even after you stopped working.

Try to create a separate work area - it could be your kitchen table or a small nook in your living room. Then retain your bedroom for sleep.

Cut out caffeine after midday, and limit blue light at bedtime.

We face relentless stimuli daily. We regularly talk, text, absorb voices, travel, and multitask. Try to disengage from all electronic devices after 9 pm, as the blue light interferes with melatonin and makes it hard to sleep.