Posts Tagged ‘home remedies for insomnia’

Insomnia Causes and Natural Home Remedies

Insomnia is a disorder characterized by inconsistent sleep or inadequate sleep or complete sleeplessness. We all have been victims of insomnia sometime or the other. Occasional insomnia is not a thing to worry about, but if it persists for days, it really takes a toll on the person’s health, and in that case one should seek medical help. A person who has experienced insomnia knows well how pathetic it is to stay wide awake or struggle to get some sleep when the rest of the world is fast asleep. People, who sleep for less than four hours for consecutive nights, fall under the category of insomniacs.

Insomnia may be classified in to transient, acute and chronic. Transient insomnia may continue for 2-3 days or 1-3 weeks. Acute insomnia continues for more than 3 weeks. Chronic insomnia continues for months. If one does not sleep deliberately, he or she cannot be called an insomniac. Women are more plagued by insomnia than men. The consequences of sleeplessness could be excessive fatigue, irritability, headache, dizziness, confusion, impaired memory, rapid weight loss, depression, lethargy, lack of concentration and hallucinations during day. Some of the causes of insomnia may be listed as follows:

1. Aging
2. Arthritis ache
3. Changes in work-shift
4. Changes in sleep pattern
5. Uncomfortable sleeping environment such as brightly lit room or noisy room.
6. Depression
7. Disruptive sleep happenings like nightmares and sleep walking and restless leg syndrome.
8. Dissatisfaction in sexual life
9. Extreme excitement
10. Excessive intake of caffeine
11. Going to bed hungry
12. Frequent naps during the day
13. Jet lag
14. Smoking
15. Stress and anxiety
16. Mania
17. Fear or phobia
18. Sleep apnea
19. Angina
20. Gastro-esophageal acid reflux disease
21. Hyperthyroidism
22. Frequent urge for urinating (as in the case of diabetes)
23. Traumatic injury
24. Certain medications.

Home Remedies for Insomnia

1. Mix 1 teaspoon honey in a cup of warm milk and drink before going to bed. This will help you to sleep better.

2. Extract 30 grams milk from poppy seeds. Take 1 teaspoon of this milk mixed with sugar before retiring to bed at night. This is an effective home remedy for insomnia.

3. Grind 4 nutmegs to a fine powder and take a teaspoon of the powder before going to bed at night. This enables you to get sound sleep.

4. Grind the root of piper longum to a powder. Add a teaspoon of the powder to a glass of warm milk; also add some jiggery and drink before bed time. This is an insomnia cure.

5. Add roasted cumin seeds to a bowl of mashed ripe banana and take the mixture after dinner to get good sleep.

6. Drinking a glass of buttermilk with a pinch of cinnamon and little honey ensures good quality sleep.

7. A cup of orange leaf tea is very good for treating insomnia.

8. Mix the juice of 2 oranges in a glass of hot water and sweeten with honey and drink. This is an effective sleep inducing drink.

9. Applying hot fomentations to the spine and taking warm foot bath is a useful insomnia remedy.

10. Take a teaspoon of the fresh juice of valerian before going to sleep. This helps to get rid of insomnia.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/insomnia-causes-and-natural-home-remedies-4892639.html

Posted by Oliver on July 10th, 2011 Comments Off

Help With Insomnia – Tips For Dealing With Insomnia

Help With Insomnia

Approximately 10-15% of Americans suffer according to insomnia. The sleep aid world has continued profiting immensely and in the endure few years alone, there has been a 100% increase in the use of sleeping pills. There are hundreds of different brands of sleep aids at last found at the pharmacy and more and more people are purchasing them every day. While everyone does have the occasional trouble sleeping, there are those that have trouble sleeping almost every night.

Some people do manage to fall asleep, but have trouble maintaining it. There are lot of reasons for insomnia, including:

• Stress

• Anxiety

• Caffeine addiction

• Pain or other illness

• Alcohol (although some people drink alcohol to help them sleep, it is known to do the exact opposite)

• Sedentary or inactive lifestyle – lack of exercise

• Erratic hours due to rotating work or by trying to juggle work and school at the same time

• Environmental factors such as loud noises or lights

We are living hectic lives in a hectic world and the reasons that most people are kept from sleeping are innumerable. There are means to help people sleep more, other than just sleeping aid medication but unfortunately some people only rely on the medication and are sometimes so desperate to fall asleep that they could run the risk of overdosing and never waking up! Needless to say, you should be very careful if you use any type of sleep aid medicine.

Many people find yoga and meditation to be helpful when they have insomnia. These can relax the mind as well as the body and yoga classes are available almost everywhere. Try playing some light music at night and do some yoga right before you go to bed or ask a family member to give you a massage when you lie down at night. These may help you relax more as well. Although it may be hard to do, you could also try cutting down on the caffeine, especially a few hours before going to bed.

Some people find that drinking milk or an herbal tea before bedtime will help them relax more as well as a small snack that is low on sugar and protein eaten an hour before bedtime. Do not watch television before going to bed because you may find yourself thinking too much about it when trying to fall asleep. The same goes about reading an exciting book right before going to bed.

Some people claim that a bit of light reading helps them relax more though, as well as having some relaxing music playing in the background. Other tips on getting a good sleep include keeping regular hours, physical exercise throughout the day, lying on your back and concentrating on your breathing. Many of these tips may help you relax and sleep more but if you still have trouble with insomnia, you should consult a doctor. If you are given any medicine to help you fall asleep, please be careful with it and only take it when needed. Do your body a favour. Have a good sleep tonight! Download your Help With Insomnia eBook now!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sleep-articles/help-with-insomnia-tips-for-dealing-with-insomnia-1349566.html

Posted by Oliver on April 28th, 2011 Comments Off