Every human being needs to sleep to help the body regain energy. Sleeping is also vital since it helps the mind to relax and re-energize at the same time. The brain controls all the functions of the body organs, hence its need for rest.
However, some people find it hard to fall or stay asleep. This condition is called insomnia and it is a cause of concern among many affected individuals. It can affect your concentration and even cause fatigue.
Insomnia, however, does not always require medication. Natural remedies, like a change of lifestyle, can help you overcome this challenge smartly.
Unlike conventional medication such as sleeping tablets, natural therapies to treat insomnia are safe and have no side effects. As such, the following seven tips can significantly help you in beating insomnia naturally.
Maintain Sleep Hygiene
It is easy to treat insomnia naturally by maintaining a good sleep hygiene. There are simple rules that you should follow, like adhering to a consistent sleep schedule. If you choose to sleep at 10 PM, then you should maintain that time to condition your mind and body. It is also important to manage time for waking up every day.
The other important rule is that you should use bedtime for sleep and avoid other activities like exercising, reading or watching television. These will distract your sleep.
However, you can do them at least three or so hours before your rest. Exercise is essential during the day since it helps improve the flow of blood and it also makes the body tired.
When you go to bed, you can quickly fall into deep slumber since the body is ready to relax. If possible, you should try to avoid daytime naps or shorten them. It is also essential to take a bath a few hours before you go to bed to refresh your body and mind.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Lack of sleep is a result of a combination of different factors such as stress or anxiety, usually caused by negative thoughts and fear of the unknown. Thus, cognitive behavioral therapy is effective in treating primary insomnia.
A therapist can help you to focus on positive things while avoiding stressful thoughts. If you want to overcome the negative issues affecting your mental state of mind, you should think positively. You need to face reality and accept some of the things that you can’t change.
A positive attitude helps build confidence. If you think positively, you gain peace of mind which can help you rest at night.
Erase Sleep Myths From Your Mind
There is a full belief that a human being should sleep for at least eight continuous hours at night. This belief is not true since it is very reasonable for an average adult person to rest for about six hours or less. If you sleep less than eight hours per night, do not despair as it is normal.
The other myth is that you should wake up refreshed. Instead, you feel somehow tired immediately after waking up. After about 30 minutes, your body fully gains energy and becomes active. The inertia during wake time is typical.
Waking up during the night is also a regular thing. It’s a part of the sleep process and it should happen at least 30 minutes every night. You should also know that spending a long time in bed does not improve the quality of your sleep. Instead, it can lead to depression.
Share Your Sleep Problems With Others
Sharing your sleep problems with other people is an excellent way of solving them. When you talk to someone about your problem, you’ll realize that you’re not the only one dealing with it.
You can quickly get help from someone who experienced a similar condition. Also, you’ll gain confidence when you discuss your challenges with others as you stop keeping it to yourself.
Depression forums can also help you deal with your sleep problems. Such platforms consist of people who share similar interests and they also share helpful ideas about various issues. The good thing about these platforms is that your identity can remain anonymous, but you can freely interact with others online.
Practice Meditation
Meditation is probably the best method that can help calm your body. It involves a variety of activities, such as focusing on your breathing patterns which is effective in lowering your heart rate.
When your heart rate is fast, your mind is not settled and it may not be able to rest peacefully. Controlling your breath is an excellent form of meditation that helps to calm your body.
Meditation helps to calm the body and the mind. When the mind is relaxed, it can think properly and it can also rest peacefully at night. You should make an effort to relieve your mind of any negative thoughts since these may affect its normal functioning.
Bright Light Therapy
With bright light therapy, you sit for about 20 to 60 minutes in front of a therapeutic box with bright light. The light box should produce bright fluorescent light and its purpose is to reset the circadian rhythms. These are the body’s internal clock that regulates hormone production.
When the internal biological clock is not correct, it can give a wrong impression. It’ll make your body think that it’s still daytime when it is dark. This scenario affects the production of melatonin, a sleeping hormone.
When the mental clock is reset, you can experience normal sleep patterns.
Sleep Restriction
Sleep restriction comes as part of cognitive behavioral therapy. The strategy helps you to limit the time you spend awake in bed. For instance, you can delay going to bed for 15 to 30 minutes but maintain a fixed wake schedule.
If your wake schedule is not affected, the sleep restriction strategy can help you to lower the time you spend awake in bed. Instead of waking up during sleep time, you would slightly delay going to bed and then sleep continuously without interruptions. This strategy only requires behavior change.
See Also: The Best Home Remedies For Insomnia You Should Know About
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