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Ten tips to beat Insomnia and sleep better
Insomnia is a condition where a person is unable to sleep or stay asleep, which could be acute and chronic. It leaves you sleep-deprived and exhausted and could also be the cause of depression and anxiety.
Some people develop insomnia early in their lives, while some deal with insomnia due to a poor sleeping cycle or habits. Other causes may include food habits before getting to bed, sleeping in an uncomfortable position, environment, or mattress, and being stuck on mobile phones and tablets before bed.
However, the good news is this condition is treatable. However, one should always try to steer clear of the sleeping pills or meds. Besides, try these ten ways to deal with insomnia.
- Make Time for Exercise
People get great sleep when their bodies are tired due to some physical activity or work. Hence, being indulged in some kind of physical activity is necessary to feel sleepy or fall asleep. Many medical reports have also stated that people who exercise regularly tend to sleep better and longer than those who don't.
These people are also less likely to frequently wake up in the middle of their sleep. Doing regular exercise is even more important for those people who are dealing with chronic insomnia. Exercise helps in relieving stress and releases hormones that help in balancing blood pressure.
- Say Goodbye to Alcohol and Caffeine
People take the help of coffee and other caffeine products when they want to wave off sleep. Therefore, it is clear that to sleep, one has to avoid caffeinated products as their effects can last for long hours.
On the other hand, alcohol can also give you trouble in staying asleep. Although alcohol initially has sedative effects, which make a person's eyes heavy and they feel sleepy, but you may end up waking up several times when you take a nap.
- Avoid Eating Right before Bedtime
You should always keep a gap of around two-three hours between your dinner and bedtime. If you eat on your bed or right before your bedtime, your active digestive system will keep you up.
This point is way more important for people dealing with stomach-related issues such as heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Therefore, always keep enough gap between your dinner and bedtime. Also, avoid snacking before going to bed or in the middle of the night.
- Eat Sleep-Friendly Food
Not only should you avoid eating right before bed to deal with insomnia, but the food that you eat matters too. Certain foods have some chemical properties that help you fall asleep better and reduce frequent awakenings. Such foods include almonds, salmon, cherries, whole grain items, low-fat milk, bananas, etc. On the other hand, apart from coffee and alcohol, one should also avoid fatty and spicy foods to have a good sleep.
- Create a Comfortable Sleeping Environment
Ensure you have a comfortable environment to sleep such as a soft mattress, temperature, lighting of the room, absence of noise, etc. A comfortable environment makes the bedroom conducive to falling asleep.
- Make Some Lifestyle Changes
One's capability of falling asleep or staying asleep largely depends on their lifestyle. Therefore, if you are struggling with insomnia, it is time to make some good changes in your regular lifestyle. Other than exercise, someone dealing with insomnia should spend more time in sunlight as it helps the production of healthy melatonin.
Some other sleeping-friendly lifestyle changes may include showering at night instead of morning, sniffing lavender before bed, writing journals to relieve some stress and go to bed stress-free.
- Don't Take Work to Bed
Once it is your bedtime, avoid getting involved in any other work. Keep your office work away from the bed. Make sure you get done with your work before your bedtime, or carry on with it the next day, but never get involved with calls, emails, or presentations before bed.
- Try Natural Remedies
Avoid being dependent on pills to have a good night's sleep. Instead, you can try some natural and homemade remedies to deal with insomnia. It includes Chamomile tea, passion flowers, California poppy, valerian St. John's Wort, lavender, etc.
However, make sure to consult with your doctors before consumption of these herbs as they work as antidepressants. Hence, one should take them in the prescribed quantity.
- Limit Your Naps
When you don't sleep the whole night, you may be taking naps during the daytime. It may sound good that naps recover you from sleep deprivation, but that is not the case in reality. Daytime naps can be the reason why you are not able to fall asleep at night.
If you have slept during the night, you won't feel the need to sleep at night, and nothing can match the importance of a good night's sleep. Hence, maintain a regular sleeping pattern
- Wake Up at the Same Time
Even if it's the weekend, make sure you follow the sleeping pattern every day. Hence, try to wake up simultaneously, even on the weekends, which people usually spend partying till late at night and pulling an all-nighter. But for those with insomnia, train your body to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.