I'm not going to lie to you, I used to suffer from really bad insomnia during my teenage years up to when I was in college. It's an absolutely horrible thing being an insomniac - being awake when everyone else is asleep. The worst for me was when I was awake for three days straight.

I guess, to be fair, many teenagers nowadays suffer from a mild case of insomnia due to the many distractions we have - the internet (twitter, Facebook, youtube), mobile phones, late night movies, assignments, etc. It usually stems from bad habit (because being a teenage rebel was what we thought as cool) which eventually turns into something more serious later on in life. If we're lucky, like I was, early morning routine will eventually cure mild cases and fix sleeping habits. Otherwise, you'd need to ring in a professional.

STAGES OF SLEEPINESS: HOW SLEEPY ARE YOU?

Tired: Where you yawn occasionally but still have energy to stay up.
Slightly sleepy: Where most people can tell that you're tired and you yawn constantly.
Extremely hyper (only for some people): Where your body somehow gathered up enough energy for you to abuse, which later ends up in a crash.
Super sleepy: Where you can barely keep your eyes open, and it's obvious that you're extremely tired.
Cranky: Where you're beyond tired and could probably kill someone if you don't get your sleep.
Knock out: Where you fall asleep almost instantly and almost anywhere.

Feeling sleepy yet? No? Well, you can try some of my sleeping tips that have helped me over the years.


BEAR IN MIND: SLEEP EQUALS BEAUTY
First up, you need to remember why sleep is important. Without that all-important beauty sleep; you gain more weight, have duller looking skin, maintain your raccoon-eyes (dark circles) and will always have that pair of black Prada eye-bags under your eyes. Not pretty. Aside from physical beauty, you risk ruining your inner beauty too. Lack of sleep makes you moody and grumpy. Boo!





SYNC & REGULATE HOURS
Sleep at regular hours. Unless you travel a lot and suffer from jet lags, you should sleep at the same time every night. This helps your body get used to the 'routine' and soon enough, you will find yourself feeling nice & sleepy in time for a good snooze. Remember, set your sleeping time no later than 12am.


HELL NO CAFFEINE
Stay away from coffee, chocolate, sodas or any other sweet & caffeinated drinks at least 3 hours before bed. The caffeine & sugar content is what keeps you too hyped-up for sleep (ever heard of 'sugar rush'?). Don't go to bed too full or too hungry either, your stomach's digestive system affects your sleep too.


WIND DOWN
It always helps to be doing something relaxing before hitting the sheets. I'd suggest meditation because that seems to have worked the best for me. The slow breathing and mind-clearing process of meditation really helps you get into that sleeping lull. A lot of people have suggested reading before sleep but why I don't condone that is because unless it's a boring book, your brain will keep you focused and awake to keep going on. If you really want to try this out though, I'd suggest reading a history book.


KEEP DISTRACTIONS AWAY
Keep all things like phones, laptops, food and cats away. Not only keeping your phone near you while you sleep is a hazard, it's really distracting when you're about to fall asleep and it starts beeping. I have now learnt to switch off my BlackBerry & laptop every night before I sleep. As for cats (or dogs), well human sleeping rules don't apply to them so they might cause a distraction for you while you're trying to sleep. For example, my cat jumps onto me and presses his paws against me in an act of wanting affection.




PIMP YOUR BED
Invest in lots of good fluffy pillows and a good comforter. You sleep best when you're totally comfortable (you'll then have that trouble of having to wake up every morning) and comfort bears good rest. Have your mattress replaced every 5 years or so, old mattresses tend to harden a little over time.





BLACK AS NIGHT
Darkness helps you sleep better. Unless you have nyctophobia (fear of darkness), try to keep your room as dark as possible. This differs from every individual but I find that I sleep better in complete darkness. If you still feel you need your dim lights but find it hard to fall asleep, you can also invest in a sleeping eye mask. That way, you can cheat having to turn off your dim lights.


The main thing is, get yourself nice and comfortable, mind cleared and body relaxed before you get into bed. Have a great night's sleep! :)