Sleeplessness or insomnia is one of the widespread disorders of the sleep-wake cycle that damages the lives of millions of inhabitants all over the world. More specifically, insomnia is a disease characterized by an individual’s inability to promote sleep or even if someone gets in to sleep during night time, wake up early. Due to sleep disorders, they may have many sicknesses, for example fatigue or irritation etc. Although there are many used drugs, people always wish to advance home remedies that can assist enhance sleep quality.
In the following article I will list and explain the most useful home remedies for insomnia and how to implement them into one’s bedtime schedule. As a starting point to try to answer some of the questions both from realities and patients that may come with insomnia and its treatment we must define firstly what insomnia is and what might be the causes.
There are two basic types of insomnia
- Acute insomnia is usually short-term sleep disorder and may
even last from several days or weeks and can even be associated with stress,
environment change, or more problems in life.
- Chronic insomnia develops for at least three weeks, three nights in a week for three months more. Chronic insomnia may be caused by other diseases, mental condition, certain medication, or any habits.
Some of the common causes of insomnia are:
- Stress and anxiety
- Depression
- Poor sleeping behavior
- Intake of caffeine and nicotine
- Medical Conditions like Chronic pain, asthma etc.
- Certain medications
Home Remedies for Insomnia
1. Herbal Teas
- Chamomile Tea: Chamomile is the herbal tea and the one
people take to get a calm heart. An hour before sleeping, a glass of chamomile
tea may help the human body and the mind to relax.
- Valerian Root: It is a flowering that was formerly used to
treat insomnia. Valerian root can be taken as warm tea or in the form of
capsule for sleep related issues and for relaxation.
- Lavender Tea: The herb is also famous for its calming fragrance. The aroma created by drinking lavender tea or putting lavender essential oil in a diffuser creates an environment that leads to sleepiness.
2. Warm Milk
Perhaps one of the oldest and most universal remedies for
sleep, is warm milk. The milk provides a known building block for creating
serotonin and eventually melatonin; these two hormones have critical roles to
play in an endogenous system designed to facilitate sleep. Perhaps if honey
added with a spoonful of a relative in might do magic.
3. Sleep-Inducing Foods
There are sleep-inducing foods and foods to sleep better; these can easily be incorporated within daily meals:
- Almonds: this is rich in magnesium, and it could make the
muscles relaxed with improved quality of sleep.
- Bananas: fruits mainly contain, both potassium and
magnesium-rich. These may relax and help to sleep.
- Oatmeal: oatmeal porridge, which has to be warm is as gentle as any drug that ought to be hot enough that elevates insulin. That will guarantee tryptophan can go about better into the brain
4. Aromatherapy
Most of the essential oils have been used even before to sleep and relaxing to make better the quality of their sleeping. Main recommended essential oils for insomnia are:
- Lavender oil. Lavender oil is so
soothing, use in diffuser in your bed room or with pillow.
- Bergamot Oil: Citrus bergamia oil reduces anxiety and
improvement of sleep quality. Use it in a diffuser or add some drops in your
bath.
- Cedar wood Oil: Cedar wood oil increases the production of
melatonin; thus, quality sleep is produced.
5. Relaxation Techniques
Put in some relaxation techniques into that bedtime routine of yours and calm down that thinking head of yours before preparing that body of yours to sleep. Here are some of the best:
- Deep Breathing: Deep breathing is used to calm the nervous
system. Deep breathing in via the nose, holding for some seconds, and then slow
exhalation via the mouth is recommended.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation: One begins with tensing and
relaxing all muscle groups from toe to head
- Meditation: Guided meditation or mindfulness exercises may decrease the anxiety that contributes to difficulty sleeping.
6. Establish a Sleep Routine
Make sure you have the same sleeping and waking hours, this
helps the body to put its working time clock in order. Avoid going to bed late
and waking up late during the weekdays, even during weekends, especially Friday
and Saturday. This should probably lead to an enhanced quality of your sleep at
night or during the period that you chose to sleep.
7. Create a Sleep-Promoting Environment
The environment will also determine the likelihood of falling asleep and staying asleep. Consider the following tips:
- Keep it Dark: Install blackout curtains that will keep light
out of the bedroom and help to maintain a dark environment in which sleep will
do well.
- Keep it Quiet: Use earplugs or white noise machines to
dampen up other sounds that could be interfering with your sleep.
- Keep it Cool: Many people like sleeping in a cold
environment. Try the temperature range from 60-67 F or 15-19C.
8. Consume Least Quantity of Coffee and Alcohol
Both may lead to disruptions of the sleep. A person must
restrict his caffeine consumption after mid-day, while a minimal number of
drinks shall be taken during evening hours as well. Liquor may have
sleep-inducing qualities, yet a person feels aroused in between sleeping hours.
Therefore, they shall be used to a restricted limit.
9. Exercise Daily
Regular exercise may help your sleep. If possible, engage
yourself in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day except
for right before bed due to vigorous physical activities that cause the mind to
awake.
10. Avoid Bedtime Screen Time
It has been known that the process of melatonin production
gets distorted when a person is exposed to blue light coming from screens.
Spend lesser time in reading books or any other hobby an hour prior to sleep time.
11. Take Natural Supplements
Some natural supplements can improve your sleep. Never forget to consult with your healthcare provider before taking a new supplement. The following are some popular natural supplements:
- Melatonin: This is claimed to be useful for controlling the
sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin supplements are just fine for short-term use.
Conclusion
Their research suggests that insomnia is a very difficult disorder
but home treatments could be applied at night to reduce the severity of
insomnia and so enhance the quality of sleep. To this much needed restful sleep
you can add herbal teas, relaxation techniques and a sleep friendly
environment. Just remember that repetitive messages are what really matter. In
case of the continuation of insomnia you should consult a doctor. More simply
put, sleep health is something one needs to pay money into because he or she is
going to start waking up with a better mood and most certainly a higher
productivity level.
Please book an appointment with the best Psychologist in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and all major cities of Pakistan through InstaCare, or call our helpline at 03171777509 to find the verified doctor for your disease.
