If you have difficulty falling asleep at night, you should never lie there and attempt to fall asleep using various techniques. The more that you long for sleep, the further you will be from attaining it. Only when you stop making an effort to sleep will it naturally come to you. In fact, the reason you struggle to fall asleep at night is only that you are not ready, or not sleepy enough at that moment. When you are drowsy enough, you will naturally fall asleep. Now that we are aware that trouble falling asleep is a result of not being drowsy enough, the question at hand is what you should do when you have trouble falling asleep?

The answer to this depends on the situation

Before 10 p.m., if you are unable to fall asleep, then you should avoid lying in bed. You should get up to read a book, work, do housework, or do nothing at all and remain idle.

After 10 p.m., if you are still unable to fall asleep, then you should avoid lying in bed. You should get up from the bed and find a place to sit and meditate.

While meditating, it is better to sit on a chair with soft cushions, because by doing so you will be more comfortable and thus able to meditate for a longer period of time.

While meditating, you do not need to worry about attaining the correct posture or method of meditation. You do not need to clear your mind of your thoughts, rather all you need to do is sit there. Think about whatever comes to your mind. If you are happy then embrace your happiness. The same goes for anxiety, you should not try to rid yourself of your feelings of anxiousness. If you feel tired, you can stand up and walk around while moving your body. After that, you should continue to meditate, but do not overly restrict yourself.

You need not worry that meditating will take up your time to sleep. I assure you that you will not wake up feeling tired and exhausted the next day. Meditation is a higher form of sleep, and it is also more effective than sleep. If you meditate for the whole night without sleeping, you will still wake up feeling livelier and more energetic than if you had slept the whole night. Therefore, you only need to focus on meditating as instructed, and you should not worry about losing any sleep time.

You should continue sitting and meditating until you fall asleep, at which point you can let yourself sit and sleep for a while. After you wake up, you should stop meditating. However, you should not go to bed immediately after you finish meditating. You can stretch your body and take a walk for 10 minutes. After your walk you can go to bed and lie down. You should lie awake and avoid trying to rush to fall asleep. Continue to lie in bed awake with your eyes naturally open. Think about whatever thoughts come to your mind. If you want to adjust your sleeping position, then feel completely at ease to do so. When you lie relaxed and at ease you will fall asleep before you even realize it.

This method for coping with insomnia is very simple and effective. When you are unable to sleep, you can try it. I believe that after you try it, you will fall in love with it. You will not know its effectiveness if you do not try it first.

Some people say that while this method helps to cope with difficulty falling asleep at night, the method itself is still not natural. It requires one to meditate, while others want to sleep each night without the use of meditation. Is there are way to do this?

Yes.

You need to live right in order to sleep naturally. This requires no other method and is the simplest way to fall asleep at night.

Sleep is the result of living right. If you live right every day, then you will sleep naturally. How does one live right?

1. Get up at 6 a.m.

2. It is best not to sleep, lie down, or nod off during the day. Of course, if you are feeling particularly exhausted, you can lie down during the day, but not for too long.

3. Do not remain idle during the day. Try to find as many things to do as you can.

4. Go out to work or to participate in activities during the day. Try to stay at home as little as possible. (Of course, if you are unable to go outside then you can remain at home).

5. Go to bed at 10 p.m. in the evening and sit on your bed for thirty minutes. While sitting allow your mind to wander. At 10:30 p.m. when you lie down, your eyes should be naturally open, allowing your mind to wander. If you feel anxiety allow yourself to be anxious. If you feel sadness then let yourself be sad. If you feel pain let yourself feel hurt. If you feel joy then you should be happy. Feel free to adjust your sleeping position. If you are awake then let yourself be awake. If you are asleep then let yourself be asleep. Let everything just go with the flow. Lying awake is sleep. You are already asleep. Do not seek sleep anymore.

6. If you follow the five points above then you will fall asleep most of the time.

Some people believe that this method is only effective for those with insomnia that stems from psychological issues. Those with insomnia due to problems with their sub-health find that this method is ineffective.

That is correct. If you possess sub-health related issues, the method above may help to improve your sleep. However, it will not be able to resolve your insomnia symptoms or provide you with better sleep.

What is the solution to this?

1. Perform an hour of prostration every morning for one month. The practice of prostration, also known as the “long kowtow,” was originally a special form of worship found in Tibetan Buddhism. Prostrating is a good way to improve sub-health. It should always be done calmly, without rushing or setting a timer, and you only need to make sure to do it for an hour. If you feel tired, just take a break before starting again. If you have trouble fitting an hour of prostration into your weekday schedule, a half an hour will also suffice. On weekend mornings the more time you can devote the better, therefore you should do it for three hours.

2. Meditate for an hour every morning and evening for one month. When you are meditating, your eyes should be naturally open. Think about whatever comes to mind. Do not try to limit your thoughts or control your breathing. You do not need to use any other method; you only need to try to meditate. When you feel tired of meditating, take a break before continuing again. You can meditate for half an hour during busy weekdays. On weekends try to devote at least three hours a day. If you are not familiar with the meditative posture, you should be able to learn it online within ten minutes as it is very simple.

3. Go for a brisk walk for an hour every morning and stick to this habit for a month. When walking, hold your head up, smile and maintain a speed slightly faster than your usual pace. When you are crunched for time on weekdays, you can get away with walking for only half an hour. However, on weekend mornings, you can walk for a longer period of time, perhaps two hours, but do not walk for too long.

4. Strive to live right for a month. Poor life habits can negatively affect your health, therefore one major way to restore your health is to make positive changes to your lifestyle. In order to live right, you can begin by getting up at 6 a.m. Stay active by going out for work and other activities during the day, as opposed to taking naps and lying around. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. you should lie awake in bed. You do not have to fall asleep, as you will be aware when your body is ready to sleep. These tips are essential to living right. If your body is very weak, you can lie down for an hour during the day to recharge, but do not lie down for too long.

If people with insomnia can follow and stick to the four points above for a month, then their sub-health problems will improve, and possibly even return to their original healthy state

Some people ask what they should do if their insomnia is not due to sub-health related issues, but rather because of a serious illness. In this case, you should visit the doctor to cure your illness first. After your illness is cured, you need only live correctly and sleep will come naturally.