by Fontez Brooks
Photo by ohsoabnormal

I’m not good at waking up. Go to bed at an earlier hour, my friends and family tell me.  That’s a noble idea, undoubtedly, and I have given it some serious consideration, yet I still find myself roaming the city until about 5 AM, searching for any remedial task that will help distract me from the necessary task of falling asleep.

Luckily for me, and for those like-minded individuals who fearfully run from a good night’s sleep, some natural, high-tech, and and just plain unconventional remedies do exist.  But first, you must assess how many hours you sleep each night.

Most people need between 7 and 9 hours. Notice how long it takes you to fall asleep. If you are still awake after 30 minutes, either you’re going to bed before you’re tired or you may be suffering from insomnia.  Try to lengthen your sleep time. Do it in 15-minute increments until you feel rested. However, 15-minute increments can turn into 30-minute or 2-hour increments, which don’t work well in the real world.

Keep out the noise and light. You could wear earplugs to block out the sounds of your roommate snoring or wear an eye mask. Also, check the temperature because optimal sleep happens in rooms that are cool, not hot or cold. Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even if you don’t have to go to work. You will sleep better and feel better in the morning. This option really depends on the discipline of the person.

If you are still having trouble sleeping, you can try one of many new products on the market.  Though you’ve probably never heard of it, SLEEPTRACKER can monitor your sleep cycle, searching endlessly for the perfect time to wake you up.  At first glance, SLEEPTRACKER looks just like a watch with a digital time display, which is held in a sleek, titanium casing, and a wristband to strap to your wrist.

While you sleep, the tracking system tries to find that specific person’s own individual waking moments. In other words, the potential sleeper sets an alarm span, the period of time during which that person wants to wake up, and this relatively small device monitors your body during that time period and searches for the most awake moment.  This device could actually be pretty handy, though the tracker is pretty expensive ($149 for Standard, $179 for Pro).

The software inside could definitely be considered ahead of its time, yet many people, largely college students, are wondering “why don’t I just buy an alarm clock?”  The SLEEPTRACKER does have a lot of the same features as regular, run-of-the-mill alarm clock. It tells the time, it obviously has an alarm and for those who like to sleep in, it will more likely than not become your worst enemy. But that’s where the similarities stop.

Wake Up On Time, a new supplement, seems to be just as handy and a lot cheaper. Take a pill right before you hit the sack and when you wake, the ingredients will give you the energy needed to carry you through the day. This product is definitely something to look into as the personal testimonies on the website seem to be all positive.  With a price of $29.95 plus $5.95 shipping, it’s definitely a little more obtainable than the SLEEPTRACKER , but it does contain guarana extract which has inevitably made a name for itself for being the ultimate crash inducer.

Something else that might interest the insomniac in question are sleep generators.  The mp3s from Pzizz aid you at the most pivotal moments of the day: midday naps and night time slumbers.  On the website they offer many ways in which you could catch a good night’s sleep and wake feeling better than ever; however, I’ve only been using 2 mp3s, the default sleep and the default nap, and already I’ve noticed the differences.

What these soundtracks feature is a man’s voice, which’s deep enough to emasculate Barry White, accompanied by the soothing sounds of nature and various other ambient sounds. All the while these sounds are happening the voice is explaining to you just what is going to happen within the next thirty minutes.  These soundtracks feature some really great advice actually. The man’s voice, who since he is unnamed I have called Frank, speaks to you so gently and guides you as you inevitably roll off to sleep.

This is what he says just within the first few seconds: Now having settled on this time to begin a process that your body knows how to do all on it’s own. For a few moments I’ll be sleeping quietly with you. And there’ll be some quiet music. And you might even enjoy listening for awhile before drifting off to sleep. Or you might prefer to let my voice wash over you. Letting the sounds carry you off into a refreshing sleep.

The Pzizz sleep generator is definitely handy, but it costs money. Though this specific mp3 is free on the website, they still offer more effective tools for sleep management at a fair, but hefty price. You don’t need a brand name anything to help you wake up better, but they do help.

I once read about a technique in which the person would sleep for about 30 minutes, wake up and crawl around on the floor like a wolf, go back to sleep and repeat this cycle throughout the night, it was called the “Wolf Sleep System.” I tried it once. Literally, once I crawled out of bed after only 30 minutes of sleep and crawled around on the floor like wolf for a few seconds and went back to sleep for the rest of the night. But that’s just me. Everyone’s different. And if none of these things help, if you’re still waking up feeling more tired than the night before then maybe you should go to bed just little bit earlier.