How to Overcome Insomnia : 10 Tips to Overcome Insomnia

How to Overcome Insomnia

Do you feel restless at nights or trouble falling and staying asleep? This might be insomnia. Insomnia refers to the inability to fall asleep or acquire sound sleep at night. It results in unrefreshing or non-restorative sleep. Insomnia is a ubiquitous problem, that sucks out your energy and ability to function during the day. Cases of insomnia are increasing many folds due to our hectic and unhealthy lifestyle. Cheery on the top is the corona virus pandemic, which is creating anxiety among the comrades. Stick with us a tad longer and unravel some tips on how to overcome insomnia and say adios to this tenacious foe.

What is the main cause of insomnia?

Insomnia can vary from person to person. Acute (short-term) insomnia can last only for a few days or weeks. It can be the result of stress, workload or any traumatic event. Whereas, chronic (long-term) insomnia lasts for a few months or more. It can be a result of any medical/health condition, or prescribed drugs.

Common causes of chronic insomnia:

1. Stress, Anxiety or Depression

This is a common factor of chronic insomnia. Perturbation or concerns related to work, health, finance, family, grief, emotional disorders, or trauma may lead to insomnia.

2. Poor sleeping schedule

Bad sleeping schedule or irregular seeping pattern, naps, spending most of the time on the bed for working, eating or watching television, exercising too much or just before bed, can ruin the sleeping pattern and interfere in your sleep.

3. Eating late

Light snacking before bed is harmless but a heavy snack just before bed without any physical activity can cause problem in sleeping. Heartburn, acid and food backflow from the stomach into the esophagus after eating, may keep you awake.

4. Sleep disorder

While we are talking about insomnia, there are other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or circadian rhythm. Sleep apnea causes breathing problem throughout the night. Circadian rhythm is the result of jet lag or late-night shift. Restless legs syndrome causes irritable sensations in legs which disturbs the sleep.

5. Medications

Several prescribed drugs interfere with your sleep. These include anti-depression pills, ADHD stimulants, high blood pressure pills, contraceptives, etc. Other drugs such as for cold, cough, flu medicines including alcohol, pain relievers containing caffeine, slimming pills are common culprits for insomnia.

6. Consumption of Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol

Coffee, cola, nicotine or alcohol act as pep pills. Consumption of these in the late evening can keep you from falling asleep at night. Nicotine is a stimulant that interferes with your sleep whereas, alcohol may help you in falling asleep but they do not promise you a sound sleep or cause you to stay awake in the dead of the night.

 

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Tips on how to overcome insomnia

As you have now become familiar with the causes of chronic insomnia, let us talk about some natural tips on how to overcome insomnia. Following are a few natural tips that can help you to overcome insomnia and maximize your chances to grab a sound sleep at night:

1. Relax your body

It is mandatory to relax your body before going to bed. Constant overthinking about stuff while trying to sleep will interfere in sleeping and you will not be able to sleep. Try taking a bath before sleeping, or meditate for a few minutes before bed. It will help to calm your brain and body nerves.

2. Change your sleeping area

The surrounding plays a vital role while sleeping. For a sound sleep, your surroundings should be calm and peaceful. Choose a comfortable bed, as it ends to keep you in perfect sleeping posture. Also, check if your sleeping area is noise resistant, or is quiet and dark.

3. Keep a tab on what you eat before bed

Having heavy snacks before bed is not advisable even by doctors. If you are craving, go for light snacks instead. Try not to consume anything that stimulates and energizes your body before sleep. Also, try avoiding nicotine, caffeine, alcohol or sugary beverages before bedtime.

4. Regular exercise

Daily exercising is mandatory for a healthy body. It keeps your body fit. It stimulates your blood pressure and pumps blood in your heart. A regular twenty to thirty minutes of exercising keeps your body & mind fit and it is necessary. Either go for a jog or run or try aerobics, yoga or any such activity but avoid exercising just before bed.

5. Avoid siesta

Although you are facing difficulties while sleeping at nights, avoid taking a siesta at any cost. Daytime nap results in troublesome sleep. If you are feeling too dizzy, tap a short nap for around 30 minutes but before 3 p.m.

6. Have a wake-sleep pattern

No matter how tempting it is to sleep late at weekend, be consistent enough to wake up daily at the same time. Establish a wake-sleep pattern. Once you start sleeping & waking up on time, your internal body clock will start giving you cues for sleeping & waking regularly at the same time.

What Foods Help Fight Insomnia?

Food is something that helps in soothing our nerves and helps our cravings. Following list of food is the key to your question of how to overcome insomnia:

Try some walnuts

It’s a proven fact that walnuts are good for heart health. They add crunch and provide a dose of beneficial fat. Researches have proven that walnuts contain a hormone that helps in regulating a healthy sleep-wake cycle for our body. Munching a morsel about 20 minutes before bed is your answer for how to overcome insomnia.

Eat an hour before bed

Eating a small and nutritious snack before bed could help you fall and stay asleep. A small snack an hour before bed stabilizes your blood sugars.

Have a glass of milk

Milk helps in controlling melatonin production as it is a splendid source of calcium. Milk is also a rich source of amino acid tryptophan which calms your body.

Limit your caffeine intake

Limit your caffeine intake as it stimulates your body, but make sure to take it before 1 p.m. if you are looking for an answer for how to overcome insomnia.

Hope you’ve enjoyed our article on How to Overcome Insomnia & Tips to Overcome Insomnia

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