How To Manage Your Sleep Problems

Insomnia may be a disorder during which one has difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting quality sleep. Consistent with a recent study by the University of Pennsylvania School of drugs, one in four Americans develop insomnia annually, but fortunately, about 75% of those individuals recover without developing persistent insomnia. In contrast, the opposite 25% reach acute insomnia.

People over the age of 60 tend to experience sleep disturbances more often than younger people. Females also are twice as likely to possess sleep problems compared to males. There is a mess of possible causes for insomnia, including:

emotional stress,

mental health disorders, like depression or anxiety,

chronic pain,

allergies,

asthma,

heart failure,

hyperthyroidism,

heartburn,

menopause,

restless leg syndrome,

circadian rhythm disruptions, like fatigue or working night shifts,

sleep apnea,

certain medications,

caffeine,

heavy smoking, and

excessive alcohol intake.

Insomnia is agonizing, exhausting, and frustrating. Some people address sleeping pills, either over-the-counter or prescription, which can help improve sleep while you're taking them. But insomnia usually returns once they're stopped because medications don't treat the underlying causes of insomnia.

Melatonin may be a natural sleep hormone that's sold as a supplement. It's helpful for infrequent sleep problems and fatigue. Individuals who report that melatonin doesn't work often make the error of taking too high a dose of several grams. Reasonably often, as little as 300 mcg is already sufficient. Always start with rock bottom dose before increasing the dosage. It's also beneficial to urge the "timed release" melatonin because it will assist you to stay asleep longer. However, melatonin also doesn't address the underlying causes of insomnia.

A more successful approach to insomnia is to enhance sleep hygiene and make lifestyle changes in conjunction with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Dozens of studies have proved that this strategy is beneficial in treating insomnia. Within the following, we'll examine these techniques in additional detail.

Sleep Hygiene And Lifestyle Changes

Sleep-Promoting Habits

The goal is to assist you in nodding off more easily, awaken less often and for shorter periods of your time, and fall back to sleep more easily.

Regular rising time. Set a timepiece and obtain out of bed around the same time a day, regardless of how little or poorly you've got slept. Don't attempt to sleep in on weekends because by doing so, you'll disrupt your body's biological time.

You are reducing time in bed. Don't attend bed early because you probably did stay up well the last night. This may exacerbate insomnia. Determine your earliest allowable bedtime by ranging from your required wake-up time and subtracting the quantity of your time you would like to remain in bed. The time in bed is your average sleep time plus 1 hour and may range from a minimum of 6 hours to a maximum of 9 hours. If you sleep on an average of 5 hours or less in the dark, some time in bed should be 6 hours. If you sleep for 8 hours, some time in bed should be 9 hours. In other words, some time in bed should closely match the quantity of sleep you're averaging per night. The aim is to avoid the bed becoming a cue for wakefulness, quite a sign for rest. For insomniacs who are already exhausted, the toughest part is to remain awake until the allowable bedtime. Attempt to engage during a light activity and refrain from getting to bed. As you begin to sleep better and more hours, you'll move the allowable bedtime earlier.

Wind down gradually within the hour before bedtime by engaging in relaxing activities. Avoid stimulating activities like phone calls, arguments, emotional discussions, work-related activities, surfing the web, bill-paying, or unpleasant TV programs.

If you would like to nap after a poor night of sleep, limit your nap to 45 minutes and don't take it later than 4 pm.

Stimulus-Control Methods

The purpose is to assist insomniacs in unlearning the connection between the bed and insomnia.

Use the bed just for sleep and sex. No watching TV, working, studying, playing video games, or talking on the phone. If reading a book or watching TV helps you nod off, set a timer to show off the sunshine or TV after the half-hour.

If you can't fall asleep within a half-hour or if you awaken during the night and can't fall back to sleep within that point, get up, attend another room, or sit in bed and have interaction during a quiet and relaxing activity like reading a book or watching TV until you are feeling drowsy. Don't dwell bed tossing and turning.

Lifestyle Factors

Engage in some sort of physical activity a day. Aside from getting to the gym, you'll also include activities like washing the car, mowing the lawn with a non-riding mower, raking leaves, climbing stairs, bicycling, walking uphill, etc. These activities are often choppy into several shorter sessions, but they ought to add up to a minimum of half-hour every day. However, it's best not to exercise up to three hours before bedtime.

Get some sunlight exposure during the day. If you're employed indoors, go outside on your tea break or lunch hour. This may help regulate the body's melatonin (sleep hormone) production and improve sleep. It'll enhance your mood and energy also.

Drinking 1-2 cups of coffee early within the morning probably won't affect nighttime sleep. However, if you are doing to stay up well, you ought to avoid caffeine after noontime.

If you smoke and can't quit, attempt to eliminate smoking near bedtime or in the dark. Nicotine may be a stimulant, and it'll make it harder to nod off and stay asleep.

If you drink alcohol, limit yourself a minimum of one|to 1"> to at least one drink at least 2 hours before bedtime. Nightcaps aren't a cure for insomnia. Alcohol makes it easier to nod off, but it can make sleep lighter and more fragmented. It also suppresses deep sleep and exacerbates snoring and apnea.

Food & Sleep Connection

Foods that are high in complex carbohydrates (e.g., peas, beans, oats, quinoa, brown rice) have a light sleep-enhancing effect because they increase serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter that promotes sleep.

Foods that are high in protein inhibit sleep by blocking serotonin.

To nod off more easily and have fewer nighttime awakenings, try eating a light-weight carbohydrate snack before bedtime.

Avoid foods that are high in sugar as they will cause a burst of energy.

Avoid foods that are likely to cause heartburn or any digestive discomfort.

Avoid eating late dinners.

Reduce fluid intake after 8 pm.

Studies found that deficiencies in B vitamins can impair sleep. Consider taking a B-complex vitamin supplement if you think that your diet could also be lacking in nutrients.

Establishing The Optimal Sleep Environment

Room temperature can have a big impact on sleep. Insomnia is related to a failure of blood heat to fall at bedtime. So sleeping during a warm room will make it even harder for the blood heat to drop. The optimal temperature for sleep is between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (or 16 to 19 degrees Celsius).

Keep the bedroom completely dark and quiet. Generally, insomniacs tend to be more sensitive to noise. Older people whose sleep is lighter as a consequence of aging also are more susceptible to noise-induced sleep disturbance.

Some individuals are more sensitive to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) than others. If so, removing electronic devices from the bedroom can reduce the stimulation caused by EMFs.

Make sure your bed is comfortable and supply adequate support. Beds that sag can disturb sleep by causing neck and back discomfort, while mattresses that are too hard can cause pain for people with arthritis.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Insomnia (CBT-I)

CBT-I aims to treat chronic sleep problems by changing the thoughts and behaviors that cause or worsen sleep problems with habits that promote sound sleep.

Relaxation Training

Stressful life events are the foremost common precipitators of chronic insomnia. Most insomniacs and even some good sleepers have a harder time sleeping on stressful days. Studies have documented that increased daytime stress is correlated with reduced deep sleep, which ends up in lighter, more restless sleep.

Fortunately, we all have an inborn tool within us that will overcome these stress responses. It's called the relief response (RR), which simply put, is using the mind to regulate the body.

How To Induce The RR

Lie down or sit comfortably. Relax all the muscles throughout the body by ranging from the top spreading to the toes or the other way around.

Engage in slow, deep breathing.

Direct your attention from everyday thoughts to a neutral word like calm, peace, relax, heavy, or whatever you select. Repeat the word silently. Otherwise, you can visualize a pleasant, relaxing scene like a beach, a mountain, a meadow, or floating on a cloud.

If your mind wanders or negative thoughts are available, literally say "no thoughts" a couple of times. Then return to your word or scene and continue with the deep breathing.

Practice the RR every day, either within the morning or afternoon. Allow 10-20 minutes for the RR. If you nod off, it's fine. However, don't practice the RR 1-2 hours before bedtime because it may affect your sleep.

When you recover at doing the RR during the day, you'll try using it in the dark to nod off or after a nighttime wake-up if you are doing not nod off within half-hour. Rise or stay up in bed and have interaction during light activity. Don't dwell bed tossing and turning.

Be realistic and twiddling my thumbs . for a few insomniacs, it takes up to a couple of weeks before their sleep improves.

Why The RR Improves Sleep

When practiced during the day, it counters daily stress responses, reducing the likelihood that stress hormones are going to be elevated in the dark.

When practiced at bedtime or after awakening, it helps close up the interior dialogue, quiet the mind, and relax the body.

RR produces a brain-wave pattern, almost like Stage 1 sleep, which is that the transition state between waking and sleeping. When insomniacs practice the RR in the dark, it's easier to enter Stage 1 sleep and ultimately, Stage 2, deep sleep, and dream sleep.

How To Overcome Negative Self-Talk

Last but not least, negative thoughts during the day or at bedtime play a strong role in stimulating wakefulness and causing insomnia. Certain negative thoughts and emotions are normal responses to stressful situations, like grieving after a death. However, some negative emotions like worry, anxiety, frustration, and anger are unnecessary, excessive, and unhealthy. They trigger stress responses that adversely affect sleep. Therefore, it's beneficial to eliminate or restructure these negative thoughts that cause more stress.

Become more conscious of negative self-talk. Catch yourself doing it or better, write them down and review them at the top of the day.

Realize that the majority of those thoughts are either not true or overly negative and pessimistic.

Reflect on past experiences and ask yourself: "Has anything like this happened to me within the past, and if so, how did it turn out?" presumably, we tend to stress an excessive amount of and things seldom end up as severely as we imagined.

Reframe your negative thoughts and specialize in positive beliefs.

Do not generalize a drag to your whole life—view setbacks as temporary.

Avoid blaming yourself for things beyond your control.

Refrain from dismissing festive events as temporary or thanks to luck or external causes.

Practice gratitude every day.

Seek out optimists and avoid pessimists. Both optimism and pessimism are contagious.

Hopefully, by incorporating healthy sleep hygiene and making lifestyle changes also as cognitive behavioral therapy, we will all say goodnight to insomnia!

Carol Chuang may be a Certified Nutrition Specialist. She features a Masters's degree in Nutrition and maybe a Certified Gluten Practitioner. She focuses on Metabolic Typing and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition.