Losing the insomnia wars is the position in which many of us find ourselves night after night. Sleeplessness wins, and there we are, wide awake in the middle of the night…again! It's easy to feel mad at the whole wide world when we are really just really angry with ourselves for not being able to simply turn off our busy minds, shut our eyes, and go to sleep…like NORMAL people, we tell ourselves. Well, actually, if you are suffering from occasional insomnia, you ARE normal people. Most all adults fight occasional insomnia wars…and lose them.

So what can you do when insomnia is winning and you are losing sleep? Try heating a cup of milk and adding a teaspoon full of honey to it. Sip it slowly while you read the most boring piece of reading material in the house…the back of a cereal box, or maybe the dictionary. Maybe that will help. If it doesn't, try this relaxation technique:

Lie on your back and get as physically relaxed as you can. Now, first think about your toes. Concentrate on them, and then consciously relax each toe on both feet. Move your mind up to your feet. Think about your feet, and then consciously relax the muscles in each foot. Move your mind up to the calves of your legs, and consciously relax those muscles. Keep moving your mind up your body as you consciously relax tense muscles. Sometimes this exercise in relaxation will cause you to turn your restless mind off and be able to win the insomnia war.

If neither of these techniques put you in the win column against insomnia, just make it through this night as best you can and then tomorrow go to the drug store and buy one of the over-the-counter sleep aids as ammunition for future insomnia wars.