Eszopiclone. Ramelteon. Triazolam. Zaleplon. Zolpidem. If you can not pronounce any of those words, well, neither can I. Millions of Americans take these artificial drugs every night. And it’s all to battle insomnia. These drugs are called Ambien, Sonata, Lunesta, but that doesn’t cover the proven fact that they are man-made and not a perfect long term solution to insomnia. This is why I have a belief in finding an herbal insomnia cure in place of synthetic tablets.

What happens when your head hits the pillow? Do you quickly fall into a deep, restorative slumber? Do you peacefully transition into sleep? Or do you lay awake ; eyes totally open, considering why something as natural as sleep can be so elusive?

I am a recovering insomniac. It takes me about 5 to 10 mins to go to sleep now. When I had insomnia it took me one to two hours. I’m not taking Ambien or other man-made tablets, but I do use natural herbal additions when I need the additional help in going to sleep.

I thought I’d share some of my techniques to dropping off fast without the pills.

Secret 1 : Caffeine really does make a contribution. I know, I know. We’ve heard it 1,000,000 times : Don’t drink caffeine if you have insomnia. Well, I need the caffeine, particularly in the morning. It’s hard to give up. My solution is to just use green tea for caffeine, and to only use it before noon. It really helps!

Secret 2 : Expose yourself to bright lights RIGHT when you wake up. You can go outside or use a light box. In the morning, light will “reset” your body clock. This means that when you trot off to bed the following night, your body will be ready to sleep too.

Secret 3 : Take magnesium. Yup, magnesium, just like calcium and potassium, is urgent for health. Magnesium controls your brain activity by keeping brain cells from over-firing. A little bit of magnesium before bedtime can help your cerebral cortex from being too hyperactive.

Secret 4 : Take a natural sleep aid. Yup, the good news is that there are additions that contain natural herbs for insomnia. They’re not only healthy, but aid relaxation before bedtime. Many of these supplements also contain melatonin, which as many of you know, helps trigger “sleep mode” in your brain.

Insomnia problems? – causes of lack of sleep. if you are serious about insomnia, read this article Insomnia Reasons.