Insomnia is the condition wherein an individual has difficulty in getting some sleep. At this moment, there is already an increase in the number of people who experience this kind of sleep disturbance especially in the urban areas. When a person experiences insomnia, he is basically deprived of enough rest in terms of physical and mental aspect. As a result, patients with insomnia have difficulty focusing in some alert requiring activities and tasks.
In sleeping, the essential parts of the body have the opportunity to rest and to restore their function. Sleeping also provides relief from tension, whether it is by physical or mental sense. The duration of sleep is not definite. It varies from each and every person. Yet, the average sleeping time is six to eight hours. There are also some that feels great even if they have only four or five hours of sleep. Insomnia was said to be common to elderly age group. As people become older, there is a reduction in the sleep periods. At the age of twelve, an ordinary kid usually spends nine hours of sleep per night. By the age of 20, it decreases to eight hours, at the age of forty it lowers down to seven hours, six and a half when a person is at the age of 60 and at 80 years old, six hours is normal.
Symptoms
- The main symptom in the case of insomnia is a notable change in the sleeping pattern of the affected individual.
- Other symptoms include the person is irritable, memory lapses, difficulty in concentrating, coordination lost, lingering, confusion and emotional instability.
Causes
- The most sought after cause of insomnia is mental tension. This happens when a person has worries and anxiety. In some instances, overexcitement and overwork is also a main cause.
- Feelings that are suppressed are also a cause of the occurrence of insomnia. Examples of these are the suppressed feelings of anger and bitterness.
- Other causes of insomnia are overeating, dyspepsia, constipation, excessive intake of stimulants like chocolates, cocoa, coffee or tea, energy drinks or drinks with caffeine. Also smoking and worrying about getting asleep or awakening is also suggested causes.
Natural Remedies
- Having a regular sleeping pattern will help a lot in avoiding insomnia. By this way you are able to train your body especially the brain’s sleep center to set in to sleep. Aside from that, you also have to set a fixed time waking up every morning.
- Avoiding excessive intake of stimulants before you sleep is also a nice tip for you. Stimulants basically increase your alertness, thus, you will no longer feel the sleeping sensation. This is very much evident to those students who are studying or preparing for some activities in school. Other stimulants that must be avoided are chocolates, alcoholic beverages and also carbonated drinks.
- There are researches suggesting that people who experience insomnia are those who have fewer intakes of Vitamin B complex and ascorbic acid. So, in this case, it is advised to increase your intake of foods with this nutrient. Foods that are rich in B complex vitamins are dairy green vegetables, chili peppers, whole grains, potatoes, bananas and tempeh.
- Aside from those essential vitamins, patients with insomnia must also ingest foods that are rich in zinc, potassium, manganese and calcium. These are some nutrients that help in the synthesis of the hormone responsible for sleeping, the melatonin.
- Change to proper diet must also be done. You must exclude in your menu plan foods such as white flour, foods with preservatives, too much flavouring, colouring and with intense condiments. There are specific meal plans suggested to be ingested by the person with insomnia. During your breakfast, you must include in your diet whole grains, dried fruits or fresh ones, yogurt and seeds. With regards to your lunch and dinner, there are no specific foods suggested. All you have to do is to ingest salad mix in either lunch or dinner. Before you go to bed, you are also advised to drink a glass of milk in order to stimulate the sleeping sensation.
- Imagination is also an effective way to set in to sleep. What you need to do here is to clear away all your worries in your mind. You can also play some music accompaniment that is soft and soothing. When you are already free of your worries, you must think of happy thoughts as well as cheerful moments. This will help you reduce the stress that you feel. You also have to wear non-tight clothing in order to have outmost sleeping convenience. Controlled breathing is also a nice way in order to induce sleep sensation.
- There are exercises that you can do in order to be free from insomnia. Example of this is yoga. In undergoing this kind of exercise, you are able to tone up your nervous and respiratory systems. Aside from that, you will also benefit from the extreme level of relaxation that this will bring to you. When you are relaxed, you are free from mental disturbances that can cause alteration to your sleeping pattern.
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