Top tips to Cure Insomnia naturally at home without medication

Insomnia is a very common problem which affects Children, Adults and the Elderly. Most of us think that Insomnia can only happen when we get old or when we reach our 50's but that’s not the case, you can get insomnia at any age. It affects almost 1 in 5 adults worldwide. Most of us will struggle to sleep at some point in our life.

What actually do we mean by Insomnia?

Insomnia in easy terms means when you are not able to fall sleep in the night or you cant stay asleep as long as you want. This doesn’t mean that you will stay awake all night. It will take you a lot of time to fall asleep or you will wake up again in the middle of the night or very early in the morning.

If you are having the following symptoms at least 3 times a week then you are suffering from chronic insomnia.

Common Symptoms of Insomnia are:

·         Very difficult to fall asleep

·         You will wake up again at any time in the night

·         Difficult to stay asleep as long as you want

·         You will wake up very early in the morning

·         Getting back to sleep will be nearly impossible

·         You wont be able to fall asleep without your sleeping pill

What causes Insomnia?

Problems causing Insomnia differ from person to person. Not everyone will have the same symptoms of same causes. It is one of the most common sleep complaints.

Most Common causes of Insomnia are:

·        Anxiety, Stress and Depression

·        Having a Chronic Disease or Medical Condition                    like Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease(GERD),                     Overactive Thyroid, Arthritis, Cancer, Parkinson’s,                   Alzheimer’s Disease etc are linked with insomnia. Treat         and manage these medical conditions, get yourself               checked and scanned for any unknown medical                     condition you may have.

·        Some Medications will give you Insomnia as                          their side effect.

·        Irregular Sleep Pattern

·        Exercising or doing activities late night

·        Smoking and too much Caffeine

How to get rid of Insomnia and have a Peaceful Night’s Sleep Naturally?

What I think the first step to fight insomnia will be to have a quiet, comfy sleep environment and a very good regular relaxing routine at sleep time. 
Insomnia is treatable, but everyone responds differently to the treatment they get. Prescription sleep medications do work but they provide temporary relief, are very addictive and have plenty of unwanted side effects. Its best to use these medication as your last resort and only on a very limited basis as they are very highly addictive and after some time you wont be able to sleep without taking your sleeping pill. So lets try to manage this naturally without any side effects.

Top tips to Cure Insomnia Naturally

1.  Change your eating habits, especially at bedtime

If your GERD/Acid Reflux or other Stomach related problems are the cause for your Insomnia, then make it a habit to stop eating anything before 3 to 4 hours of your bedtime. For example If you sleep at 10 pm, then its best that you stop eating at 6 pm. You can have light fruits after but not after 7 or 8 pm.  Fried foods, heavy, fatty and spicy foods can really cause your acid reflux to explode when consumed in large quantities or when eaten late at night near bedtime. Alcohol and caffeine are also very bad for your GERD/Acid Reflux so avoid that as much as possible especially near bedtime.

2.  Do some light moderate intensity exercise

Many studies have shown that being active all day and doing a light intensity workout like going for a walk, cycling in your neighborhood or going to the gym can help make you fall asleep easily at night and it will also increase your duration of sleep. This helps sufferers of chronic insomnia a lot. Exercise will also improve your immunity and help with your other chronic conditions as well. But do finish your exercise sessions at least 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.

3. Build a good regular sleep pattern

Whatever we do in the daytime will have an after effect on our bodies in the night. When you sleep late every night till 2 or 3 am because you are watching your favorite movies,TV shows and eating late night snacks when you already know that you have have to wake up early in the morning to go to work or to your university, college or school, what will happen? you will be taking naps as soon as you get a chance whether it will be your office, place of study or your break time. So your body clock will not function properly because of this. Its better to adopt a regular time pattern and at least get 7 to 8 hours of sleep so you can be fresh in the day and tired by bedtime.  Avoid napping during the day will also help a lot.

4. Avoid using your electronics at bedtime

Stop using any electronic equipment like your smart phone, tablet, computer or TV just at least 1 to 2 hours before bedtime to get your quality sleep. Studies have shown that using these electronic devices before bedtime will adversely affect your sleep. The blue light emitted by these devices is the main culprit. It wont help you relax but it will keep your brain more active and make it more difficult to fall asleep. 

5. Take a Herbal Tea at bedtime

Herbal teas are very good for relaxing and relieving anxiety or stress. They are being used as natural sleep remedies since centuries.  Many studies have proved that these herbal teas do help in falling sleep.  

Some of the best natural teas available for you to relieve your insomnia are:

·   CHAMOMILE TEA(Natural Remedy to reduce anxiety)

·  VALERIAN ROOT TEA(Used for centuries for nervousness and headaches)

·  LAVENDER TEA(Used to relax your nerves and aid sleep)

·  LEMON BALM TEA(Used to reduce stress and improve sleep)

·  PASSIONFLOWER TEA(Used as a natural sedative and very good for insomnia)

·  MAGNOLIA BARK TEA(Used for stomach discomfort, nasal congestion and stress relief).

6. Get rid of Anxiety, Stress and Depression

This is by far the most common cause of Insomnia. Try some relaxation techniques such as a meditation program to help relax your mind and body. Stress encourages your body to stay awake so deal with your stress effectively.

Here are some tips to manage your anxiety and depression:

·    Drink Herbal Teas(already explained above)

·    Share your feelings with a loved one

·    Go for a walk or do at least 30 minutes of   exercise per day

·    Try yoga, deep breathing, or meditation

·    Try alternate therapies like Herbal           Medicines and Homeopathy which       work very well with coping with stress and   depression. I will provide a separate article   on this topic soon.

7. TRY A COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

Your Psychologist, psychiatrist or your therapist will help you learn several techniques to treat your insomnia. One of the most effective treatment for insomnia is Cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT-I). All authorities and clinical physicians agree on this. It is not a single therapy but a collection of therapies which helps in finding the elements that work best for you. CBT-I focuses on stimulus control and sleep restriction. You can check and discuss with your medical practitioner about CBT-I for more information and how it can help you get rid of your sleeplessness.

TREATMENT OF INSOMNIA THROUGH ALTERNATE MEDICINE

HOMEOPATHY

Homeopathy can make a big difference to insomniacs. Homeopathy is a very effective way to deal with your chronic and acute medical conditions. Homeopathic medicines are made from natural substances and have minimal to no side effects if taken in the right dosage only with the help of a certified homeopathic doctor.   

Some of the top homeopathic medicines used to cure insomnia are:

1.   KALI PHOSPHORICUM(Kali Phos)

This homeopathic medicine is used to cure sleep disorders, which arise due to nervousness, worrying, over thinking due to business and excessive mental exertion. The patient for this medicine will be in fear and confusion when he wakes up. 

2.   PASSIFLORA

This homeopathic remedy is prepared from the leaves of the Passion Flower plant. It is a very good remedy for insomnia for infants, the elderly, over worked and mentally worried people. It is also good for mental exhaustion. Passiflora also helps people with drug addiction habits like morphine addiction and in nervous individuals. It helps the patient with restless sleep. Passiflora has a very calming effect on the mind and is a natural sedative. 

3.   IGNATIA

The person who requires Ignatia has these symptoms:

·      Sleeps so light that he hears everything in it or is a light sleeper.

·      Dreams all night about the same subject.

·      Has insomnia because of grief, sadness,       depression and worrying thoughts.

·      Has restless sleep.

4.   COFFEA CRUDA

This is also one of the best medicines for sleep disorders. It is used when you have nervous sleeplessness from mental activity and rush of ideas in your mind. It can be used when you are wide awake, without the slightest inclination to sleep and all your senses all extremely active.  It is a good remedy when excitement, good news and staying up late is the cause of insomnia. Good for teething children who cant sleep.

5.   BELLADONA

The symptoms for patients who require Belladona are:

·      Patient who needs this remedy may be sleepy, but unable to sleep.

·      They will start to jerk or jerk suddenly during sleep or when falling sleep.

·      Sleeplessness due to congestion

·      Frightful images appear on closing the eyes and patients is scared and unable to sleep.

·      Children are woken up because of night mares and scary thoughts of ghosts and

monsters etc.

      These are some of the main Homeopathic Medicines used for effectively treating Insomnia. They work very well but you have to be very careful in choosing your remedy. There are many remedies available but you have to match your symptoms accordingly with your remedy to get the desired effects or you can always contact a Homeopathic Practitioner in your area or online to get help. 

Hope this article makes you ssslleeeeepppppp!!!!!!!!!