What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a condition where an individual can have a difficult time falling asleep or staying asleep.
Are you having trouble falling asleep at night? Do you wake up to early? Do you wake up several times in the middle of the night? You may be suffering from Insomnia. Insomnia affects millions of people around the world. There are natural ways to deal with your Insomnia. Activities you do before bedtime affect the way you sleep.
We humans have an internal clock called a Circadian Rhythm. If you set a fixed schedule as to when you go to sleep and wake up, you will work in harmony with your Circadian Rhythm. Therefore, napping during the day can throw off the Circadian Rhythm. If possible avoid sleeping during the day. You can greatly support your Circadian Rhythm by establishing a fixed pre-sleep routine. For example, before going off to bed, take a warm bath or drink hot tea, or read a relaxing book.
Stress and anxiety are the number one cause of insomnia. Before going to sleep, clear all stressful thoughts from your head. Don’t let anxiety keep you up all night. If you are having stress problems, try several proven techniques to get rid of them before bedtime. Many people highly recommend meditation, yoga, and various breathing exercises. The key is to always remember that to get a good night sleep, you have to be relaxed.
Experts say that what you do during the day affect the way you sleep at night. That is why exercise is recommended for Insomniacs because it wears you out during the day and can improve your sleep. Just avoid exercising right before you sleep. Also, it is recommended that you don’t go to bed on a full stomach. Avoid large fatty meals several hours before bedtime. Instead, have a light dinner like a bowl of oatmeal or cereal. Likewise, avoid any artificial stimulants like cola, coffee, chocolate, and anything with large amounts of caffeine or sugar. Also avoid smoking as the nicotine stimulates the brains and creates wakefulness.
If you wake up frequently during the night, it is a good idea not to count anything, just keep redirecting your thoughts back to your breath, avoid clock watching and avoid getting angry that you are unable to sleep. Trying to force the issue will only make things worse. Avoid getting up and doing anything stimulating like watching TV or checking Facebook or emails on the computer. The artificial light of the screen or monitor can actually trick your body in thing it is daytime. This will throw off your Circadian Rhythm as mentioned above. Getting yourself into good sleeping habits is the key. We specialize in assisting people with natural solutions to sleeping, so feel free to give us a call or email us.