Insomnia is no stranger to most of us as almost everyone at one point or the other has been unable to fall asleep or stay asleep. For the sake of the few that have no idea, insomnia is difficulty falling or staying asleep, even when a person has the chance to do so. People with Insomnia can feel dissatisfied with their sleep and usually experience one or more of the following symptoms: fatigue, low energy, difficulty concentrating, mood disturbances and decreased productivity.
Insomnia is characterized based on its duration. Acute Insomnia is brief and often happens because of life circumstances. Quite sure everyone knows what this feels like. it tends to resolve without any treatment.
Chronic insomnia is disrupted sleep that occurs at least three nights per week and lasts at least three months. This disorder can have many causes. Changes in the environment, unhealthy sleep habits, shift work, other clinical disorders and certain medications could lead to a long-term pattern of insufficient sleep
Sleeping pills and other sleep-promoting pharmaceuticals can offer a short-term solution to a temporary bout of insomnia. That’s the most popular aid of insomnia. However, these aids come with unpleasant side effects like headaches, sore muscles, constipation, dry mouth and daytime fatigue. And reasonably speaking that’s about as bad if not worse than the initial problem at hand, which is why you should not take pills to cure your insomnia
Even those who don’t experience side effects from taking sleeping pills .are not exempted. It’s benefits wont be for long. This is because the body builds up tolerance for the pills which will naturally mean that you would require a higher dose to get the same effect. Hence, in trying to solve a problem we end up creating bigger ones. Taking sleeping pills is a lot like crash dieting. Sure, both might work in the short term. But if you want to up your odds of achieving longer, more restful sleep for a lifetime, you’ve really got to build healthy, pro-sleep habits.
The alternatives to pills are actually easier than you might think. We’ll take a look at the multitude of lifestyle changes-both big and small- that you can make to help you sleep better.
Making Time for Exercise
In case you missed the memo, being physically active is essential for sleeping well. Multiple research shows that people who exercise regularly tend to snooze better than those who don’t. This is especially true for those with chronic insomnia.
Taking Steps to Manage Stress
If you often find yourself lying in bed with your mind racing, stress could be stealing your ability to fall asleep. Studies have shown that stress is a leading factor in insomnia. Over time, the whole stress-sleep thing becomes a vicious cycle. Which is why taking time to manage your stress is so critical for achieving deeper, more restful sleep. There are a few ways to relieve your stress level:
Journaling
Yoga
Guided imagery
Progressive muscle relaxation
Make sleep-Friendly Lifestyle Change
Lifestyle changes have proven effective in insomnia. A few to consider includes: Powering down in the evening, Showering at night,sniffling lavender before bed,turn down the tempt,turn off the lights, turn down the noise.
When all of the above fails, please see your doctor as it may be a symptom of something more severe.
Have you found a way to manage your insomnia?