Are you suffering from insomnia?
Insomnia is too little or poor-quality sleep caused by one or more of the following:
- Trouble falling asleep
- Waking up a lot during the night with trouble returning to sleep
- Waking up too early in the morning
- Having un-refreshing sleep (not feeling well rested), even after sleeping 7 to 8 hours at night
Insomnia can cause problems during the day, such as excessive sleepiness, exhaustion, trouble thinking clearly or staying focused, or feeling depressed or irritable. It is not defined by the number of hours you sleep every night. Although the amount of sleep a person needs varies, most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night.
Followings are the different types of insomnia
- Transient (short term) insomnia lasts from a single night to a few weeks.
- Intermittent (on and off) insomnia is short term, which happens from time to time.
- Chronic (on-going) insomnia occurs at least 3 nights a week over a month or more.
Chronic insomnia is either primary or secondary:
- Primary insomnia is not related to any other health problem.
- Secondary insomnia can be caused by a medical condition (such as cancer, asthma, or arthritis), drugs, stress or a mental health problem (such as depression), or a poor sleep environment (such as too much light or noise, or a bed partner who snores) .
How is insomnia diagnosed?
Tips to Cure Insomnia
Avoid Caffeine
Stay away from the foods and drinks with caffeine and other tonic substances in them, especially in the afternoon. Those products include coffee, black and green tea, carbohydrate drinks (which have "cola" as part of their name), energy drinks, chocolate.
Food before Sleep
You should not have meals at least 2-3 hours before going to sleep, but going to bed hungry is not welcomed as well. Exclude spicy, greasy, fried dishes from your dinner and limit the food options to vegetables and light diary products. A cup of peppermint or chamomile tea, or a glass of warm milk with a spoon-full of honey will provide a helpful calming effect.
Go to Bed Calm
Try not to do any activities before going to sleep which make you tense or overexcited. It is not recommended to watch suspense movies before bed time; avoid actions which require high activity. You can go for a slow half-hour walk or do some slow-paced, calming activities, for example knitting, taking care of the plants, reading a fairy tale for children. Taking a bath with ylang-ylang or tangerine scented bubble bath has good calming effect.
Make Your Sleep Comfortable
For a proper relaxation during your sleep, it is important that the bed and pillow are comfortable, and the cover is warm enough. It is better to choose bed linen, as well as the sleep-wear, made with natural fiber. Yet another advice – foreign scents and sounds can also interfere with normal sleep. Ventilate the room before going to bed and hang thick curtains over the windows. If it is impossible to exclude the sounds which interfere with your sleep, buy some ear-plugs.
No Sleeping Pills
When fighting insomnia, it is important to follow an accurate sleep-activity schedule, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. The sleep schedule disturbed for two weeks may require two months for a full restoration. The main point is that you should not aim for quick results, by turning to over-the-counter sleeping pills. Each of those drugs has a range of side-effects, which may even worsen your current state. You can take sleeping pills only after consulting a doctor.
Acupressure For Insomnia
(1) Open your fingers and gently comb from the midline on the top of your head down to both cheeks for two minutes. Use the tips of your f~ngers together to gently tap the top of your head for two minutes. From the top center of the head slowly move to left, to right, to front, and to back. The key word is "gently."
(2) Gently press and knead the depression at the meeting point of the wrist crease of the palm side and the line from the little finger for one minute (H7). Change hands and do the other side.
(3) Gently press and knead the point four finger-widths up from the inside anklebone, right behind the leg bone for one minute (Sp6).
(4) Gently press and knead the point below the ball of the foot in the center, about a third of the distance between the toes and the heel for one minute
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