1.  Eat pumpkin seeds.  Many clinical trials in both men and women have shown that pumpkin seeds is a great herbal remedy for an overactive bladder. For centuries, Native Americans have been using pumpkin seeds to improve bladder health.   Pumpkin seeds are rich in essential fatty acids and phytoesterol, which have positive effects on bladder control.

2.  Do Kegel exercises every day.  Kegel exercises strengthen the muscles that help control the urethra.  When these muscles are weak, your bladder must release.  Doing kegels is easy even when you are in bed trying to fall asleep.  Pretend you are trying to stop the flow of urine.  Pull in and squeeze those muscles.  Hold for 10 seconds.  Release for 10 seconds.  Try to build up to 10 kegels, 3 times a day.

3.  Cut back on caffeine drinks, which are diuretics.  Caffeine doesn’t just stimulate the brain, it makes you go to the bathroom.

4.  Significantly reduce fluids after 4 p.m. This seems obvious, but if you are feel the need to urinate while trying to fall asleep then minimize fluids late in the day and evening.

See our comprehensive list of foods and recipes to help you sleep.

Unfortunately, falling asleep when you have a nasty headache is next to impossible…at least without headache or sleep medication.   Here are a couple of sleep tips for those headache sufferers that can’t fall asleep:

1) Take a warm bath with lavender oil.  Lavender is a natural sleep aid that also reduces headache symptoms.  

2) Buy an eye pillow and add lavender and flax seeds to it.  The lavender will help you fall asleep.  The flax seeds not only add weight to the pillow so you can lay it across your brow, but also reduce eye swelling.

Mushroom Salad Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound fresh white mushrooms (also known as button mushrooms or crimini mushrooms)
1 cup sliced celery thinly sliced on an angle
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup shaved Parmiginao-Reggiano
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
Salt to taste

Directions
1. Whisk together the oil, vinegar and mustard in a medium bowl (salt to taste).
2. In a separate bowl, mix together mushrooms, celery and parsley.
3. Liberally drizzle the salad with the salad dressing from step 1 until evenly coated.
4. Divide the salad onto plates and scatter shaved Parmiginao-Reggiano cheese on top of the mushroom salad. Serve immediately. Yields 6 servings.

Search our comprehensive list of foods high in tryptophan.

Coffee is the best thing to douse the sunrise with.  (Drew Sirtors)

Way too much coffee.  But if it weren’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.  (David Letterman)

Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation.  (Unknown)

I orchestrate my mornings to the tune of coffee.  (Harry Mahtar)

I could smell myself awake with that coffee.  (Jaesse Tyler)

I like my coffee like my women:  hot, strong, steamy.  (Author Unknown)

Coffee makes us severe, and grave, and philosophical.  (Jonathan Swift)

For other intersting quotes, be sure to visit our famous quotes on sleep.