Insomnia, or sleeplessness is a disorder in which a person is unable to fall asleep or stay asleep for an optimum duration. The problem can manifest either as a primary disorder or can be a symptom of any other major disorder. Anyone who is unable to sleep at night or cannot fall asleep after waking up in the middle of night or wakes up too early in the morning, is actually suffering from the disorder.
Any small or big reason that prevents you from sleeping is a cause of insomnia, be it pain, any medical condition, restlessless, caffeine, depression, or anything else. That means, if you cannot sleep because you have too much coffee then you are an insomniac.
The problem can get worst if it is not treated at the begining itself. Insomnia reduces of concentration, focus, ability and it may also lead to serious issues such as depression and heart problems. Hence, insomnia should be treated at the very first step, before the situation gets out of our control.
6 Effective Home Remedies for Insomnia
Reduce Caffeine Intake
Caffeinated products (such as coffee) are sleep inhibitors. It is a wide known fact that coffee helps you to stay awake. People studying for exams take coffee at regular intervals to stay awake. But, it should be avoided by those who already have problems in sleeping. Coffee works by affecting adenosine.
High levels of adenosine causes you to sleep, where coffee interferes with the procedure by inhibiting adenosine activity. This prevents you from sleeping. Even if you fall asleep by putting a lot of effort, the quality of sleep would be poor. Also, coffee can stay within your body for hours working against your sleep. Do not think that the coffee you had in morning will not affect you sleep at night. Hence, it should be avoided for sound sleep.
Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol is anyways not good for health! But those who suffer from insomnia should strictly limit alcohol intake as it adds to the problem. Though it causes dizziness and a sense of sleep but it is actually not working in your favour.
It causes waking up in middle of night and does not let you sleep again. Also, when the effect of alcohol ends, it works extremely opposite and causes you to stay awake hampering sleep cycle . All those who do not find it easy to fall asleep should avoid alcohol.
Have Tryptophans Before Going To Bed
Tryptophan, the complex name is nothing but an amino acid present in bananas, chicken, milk. The amino acid is used to produce serotonin which regulates sleep. Thus, having a banana or a slice of chicken before going to bed would allow you to have a sound sleep.
Infact, the concept of warm milk is known from ages. People in early times used to have a glass of warm milk before going to bed, which caused them to sleep well. You can adopt the same technique! In case you are lactose intolerant or do not like milk then, you can go for a banana.
Lavender Oil
You might be sleepless because you feel uncomfortable or tensed or there may be a similar reason. Your body needs to relax before it can go in a sleeping mode. That’s because, your body and brain need to know that you want to sleep. Infact, they need to be at peace to let you sleep.
One of the remedies to relax yourself is by using lavender as it has calming properties. In case you have lavender flowers, keep them below your pillow to let the aroma work upon you. Those who have dried lavender can make tea. Boil one cup water and turn it into a cup containing dried lavender flowers.
Strain the liquid leaving behind dried flower traces. You can add honey, sugar, milk or anything you like for taste. Sip the hot tea and feel the lavender working to relax you. If you do not have lavender flowers at home, you can simply use it’s oil. Apply a little oil on your forehead to feel the aroma. Fragrance of the flower will relax you in no time, allowing you to fall asleep.
Strict Routine
For better sleeping cycles, it is important to have a strict routine. Wake up early in morning and go to bed on time. Even if you could not sleep properly at night or woke up in between, keep the schedule strict and wake up at the same time.
This would let you fall asleep easily at night. Avoid any afternoon naps as if you sleep during the day, your body will not feel a need to relax at night. Though people who do not suffer from insomnia are advised to have a small relaxing nap in afternoon. But the ones with sleeplessness would worsen their sleeping cycles by these mini naps.
Switch Off Light
Keeping lights switched off while you try to sleep is a good idea to let your body know that you wish to enter the dream world. In case you fail falling asleep, do not switch on the lights to utilize the time in doing something else. Have you ever thought the reason of sleeping in dark? Why do you switch off light before going to sleep?
Well, light might be disturbing while you try to sleep. This is not because the brightness of light causes irritation and is not comfortable to allow you to sleep. The actual reason is a little scientific.
Actually, light inhibits production of melatonin in body which can otherwise be produced in dark. Melatonin is a hormone produced by pineal glands in brain and is responsible for controlling sleeping cycles. Light reduces production of this hormone causing sleeplessness. Hence, make sure to sleep in a dark room for easy and sound sleep.
All of the above remedies should be followed strictly to overcome insomnia. Relaxing your body is really important before going to bed. Hence, make sure you do not go for any vigorous exercise atleast 4 hours before going to bed. Exercise increases your body functioning making it difficult to relax. Also, avoid heavy meals before sleep. Digesting big, heavy meals would require your digestive tract to function a lot, hampering the idea of relaxation.
Caution: Please use Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.
