Insomnia

Insomnia Causes

There are many potential causes of insomnia, although it is usually a sign that something in our life is not right or something is out of balance. It is thought that more than 50% of all cases of insomnia are linked to psychological causes, including depression, anxiety, and stress.

Other causes include:

1. Sleep apnea
2. Disruptive snoring
3. Bladder ailments or prostate problems
4. Serotonin deficiency
5. Decreased levels of melatonin in the brain (often affects the elderly)
6. 'Restless legs' syndrome (RLS) or periodic limb movements (PLM)
7. Magnesium or iron deficiency
8. Hormonal imbalance
9. Shift work
10. Jet lag
11. Excessive consumption of caffeine or other stimulants
12. A side effect of some prescription medication (especially anti-depressant medication)
13. Hypoglycemia

Tips for Insomnia

1. Try to stick to a sleep time routine. Even adults need some form of sleep routine, and fluctuating sleep patterns can be detrimental to an insomnia sufferer. Try to get to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning.
2. Reduce sleeping hours. Too much sleep can also cause insomnia. Attempt cutting your time in bed by 1 hour for two weeks and see if this helps.
3. Get rid of the bedroom clock. Set an alarm so you don’t oversleep, but then hide it so that you are not constantly conscious of how much sleep you are missing. Ticking clocks are especially offensive to the insomniac!
4. Keep active during the day. Get regular exercise (at least 30 minutes daily), but avoid exercise close to bedtime.
5. Wind down each day and learn to relax. Find ways to reduce your stress and set aside time each night to unwind and relax from the business of the day. Take a hot bath; drink some herbal tea; do a calming activity that you enjoy such as writing, reading, or working on a puzzle.
6. Stop trying so hard. The worst possible thing to do when you cannot sleep is to try and force yourself to sleep. Rather, watch a TV program or read until you feel drowsy and then try again.
7. Stay clear of caffeine and other stimulants. Stop drinking tea and coffee at least 6 hours before you go to sleep. Nicotine, chocolate, and sugar also act as stimulants and should be avoided. Alcohol, even though it does make you feel drowsy initially, prevents proper deep sleep and often results in frequent waking and restless sleep.
8. Good sleepy time snacks include a glass of warm milk, banana, or a turkey sandwich – all contain L-tryptophan and can help to make you drowsy.
9. Curb the nap habit. Try to avoid naps during the day. If you must nap, make it a power nap of no more than 20 minutes, and never nap after 3 PM.
10. Improve your sleeping environment. Make your bedroom conducive to a good night’s rest by investing in dark curtains to block out all light, earplugs if night noises disturb you, a comfortable mattress. Also ensure that you are neither too hot nor cold at night.

Insomnia Home Remedies

1. Massaging foot sole with mustard (Sarson) oil before going to bed helps to overcome Insomnia.
2. poppy seeds (khus khus) dipped in water for an hour, grinded to form a paste. Boil this paste with Milk and sugar. Drinking this is very effective to overcome Insomnia.
3. Eating Mango and drinking Milk or drinking Mango milkshake (Aam ras) regularly in the night helps to overcome Insomnia.
4. Eating a raw Onion or roasted Onion in the night also helps to get rid of Insomnia problem.
5. Nut meg (joy phal0 powder mixed with water taken in the night helps to overcome insomnia.
6. consuming lot of Curd or eating Curd with Sugar or sweet Lassi induces sleep and cures Insomnia.
7. Drinking hot milk with a spoon of Ghee and sugar in the night helps to get sleep and cures Insomnia.
8. Drinking a glass of Carrot juice everyday helps to cure Insomnia.
9. Drinking a spoon of lemon juice mixed with a spoon of Honey in the night induces sleep and cures Insomnia.
10. Coriander (Dhania) leaves grinded with water and mixed with Sugar and eating this paste helps to get sleep and cures Insomnia.
11. Aniseeds (Sauf) boiled in water for 10 minutes, add Milk and Sugar. Drinking this before going to bed helps to get rid of Insomnia problem.
12. Cucumber (kheera) piece rubbed on the foot sole makes a cooling effect on the body and helps to get sleep curing Insomnia.
13. Putting Castor oil (Erand) on the head or body massaged with Castor oil regularly helps in curing Insomnia.
14. Sprouted horse gram (Kulthi) taken regularly helps to get sleep and cures Insomnia.
15. Consuming Dry fruits and Oat regularly helps to cure Insomnia.
16. Indian gooseberry (Amla) helps to improve the body's immune system by providing necessary vitamins and iron. Eating this everyday helps in curing Insomnia.
17. Blanched Almonds ground along with 1tsp Khas khas in ½ cup of milk like a paste, could be applied on palms and soles at bedtime.

Insomnia FAQ's

1. What is Insomnia?
2. What Causes Insomnia?
3. Tips for Coping with Insomnia

Insomnia Articles