Insomnia treatments

Treatments for Insomnia

Insomnia is defined as difficultly falling asleep or staying asleep, resulting in poor quality of sleep. Insomnia is not a disease, but a symptom associated with a sleep disorders and is the most common sleep complaint. Insomnia treatment depends upon the cause. Acute insomnia may not require treatment. Mild insomnia often can be prevented or cured by practicing good sleep habits. You can do several things to prepare yourself for sleep. There are some self-measures insomnia treatments like:

• Do regular exercise. Aerobic exercise and general fitness are important to maintaining good health. You should exercise in the early part of the day but avoid it before bedtime.
• Avoid excessive eating and excessive fluids before bedtime. Excessive consumption of liquids increases the need to get up and urinate during the night thus disturbing sleep.
• Light, noise, and elevated room temperature can disrupt sleep. So keep the control on environmental factors. Shift workers and night workers especially must address these factors.
• Be sure that your bedroom is quiet and dark. Earplugs and eyeshades may help; light comes in even through closed eyelids.

If your insomnia makes it hard for you to function during the day because of sleepiness and tiredness, your doctor may prescribe sleeping pills for insomnia treatment for a limited time. But avoid using over-the-counter sleeping pills for insomnia since they may have undesired side effects and tend to lose their effectiveness over time. If self-help measures don't work then there are other insomnia treatments that may include behavioral therapies, relaxation exercise, sleep restriction therapy.

• Behavioral therapies: Behavioral therapies help you to change behaviors that may worsen insomnia and to learn new behaviors to promote sleep. Behavioral treatments teach you new sleep behaviors and ways to make your sleeping environment more conducive to sleep. Some studies have shown behavioral therapies are equally or more effective than sleep medications.
• Reducing intake of caffeine, alcohol and reduce smoking: More than 3 cups of coffee a day can lead to addiction. Caffeine is also found in colas, chocolates, and some medications. It can take a long time to clear caffeine from the body and side effects of headaches in the morning and frequent urination at night are common. Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it disrupts the second half of your night's sleep. Alcohol can cause fractured sleep, therefore reducing the total amount and quality of your sleep time. Eliminate or reduce cigarette smoking, nicotine is a stimulant to the brain.
• Changes in eating habits: Try eating things that raise your melatonin production, which include melatonin rich foods like oats, sweet corn, rice, ginger, tomatoes, bananas, and barley.
• Nutrition and Diet: High or low blood sugar can disrupt sleep patterns. To help control your blood sugar level, avoid sweets and fruit juices before bedtime. To activate the brain's sedative chemicals, eat starchy food like a plain baked potato, a slice of bread, or an apple half an hour before bedtime. Warm milk, may provide benefit since it contains a sleep-inducing amino acid.
• Changes in life-style: Some life-style changes may play a pivotal role in your sleep health and help you to sleep better. For example cutting down your sleep time. You may try increasing daytime exposure to sunlight by getting out earlier. Often exercising can help or even spending time in meditation or prayer.
• Stimulus Control: Stimulus control is considered as the standard treatment for primary chronic insomnia and may be helpful for some patients with secondary insomnia as well. The primary goal of stimulus control is to regain the idea that the bed is for sleeping. For example going to bed only when you are ready to sleep, maintaining a regular wake-up time no matter how few hours you actually sleep and avoiding naps.

Some vitamins and minerals such as B6, niacin amide, calcium, magnesium, or antioxidants may also help in insomnia treatments. Some essential oils, which are used in insomnia treatment, include Melissa, Ylang ylang, Bergamot etc. There are also alternative insomnia treatments, which include use of herbal remedies like Valerian root, Skullcap, Chamomile, Passionflower, Wood betony, or California poppy.