Six Tips to Combat Insomnia During Your Divorce

 Posted on February 20, 2018 in Divorce

Going through a stressful divorce can cause you to develop insomnia. Your thoughts are dominated by worries of how you will settle your divorce and what your life will be like afterward. It can be difficult to turn those thoughts off once it is time for sleep. Even when you manage to fall asleep, your overactive mind may create nightmares that wake you up. Dealing with your divorce on top of your normal responsibilities is tiring. You need meaningful sleep each night in order to refresh yourself for the next day. You can take steps to combat insomnia, both leading up to your bedtime and when you are trying to fall asleep:

1. Regular Exercise: Find a time in your schedule when you can routinely exercise. The activity relieves tension and may expend enough energy to make you tired when it comes time to sleep. A tired body can override an active mind.
2. Decompression Time: Your mind needs a chance to settle down before you go to sleep. Create a cutoff point during the evening after which you will try not to think about or do any work related to your divorce. Find a relaxing activity that will distract your mind.
3. No Late Night Snacks: Food or drinks that have caffeine, nicotine or sugar can stimulate your body at a time when you are trying to sleep. Do not eat snacks containing these for at least three hours before you go to bed. Also, do not use alcohol as a means to go to sleep. Drinking may make you drowsy, but it can also interfere with you getting the restful sleep you need to recover.
4. Sleep Schedule: It is easier to fall asleep if your body is familiar with a regular sleep schedule. Try to stick to a normal routine of when you go to bed and when you get up.
5. Tiring Yourself Out: If you are trying to sleep but are not tired, you may be better off getting up and doing something instead of lying in bed awake. A stress-free activity may help you relax and eventually grow more tired.
6. Calming Thoughts: When feeling overwhelmed by stressful thoughts, some people use mechanisms to calm themselves. It could involve repeating a mantra or concentrating on a noise or physical sensation. The idea is to focus on something that puts you in the present.

Stress of Divorce

Divorce can be a long and difficult process, but you will not go through it alone. A DuPage County divorce attorney at Calabrese Associates, PC, can handle many of the stressful aspects of your divorce. Schedule a consultation by calling 630-393-3111.

Source:

http://www.divorcemag.com/blog/sleep-during-divorce-handle-3am-divorce-gremlins