How To Treat Insomnia
Most of us have or will experience insomnia or difficulty sleeping and have wondered : What can I do ? How do I treat insomnia ? Chronic insomnia affects up to 10% of the population, but even short-term insomnia or just difficulty staying asleep can result in unwanted and sometimes dangerous consequences in your daily life.
How to treat insomnia – The NON-medical treatments
Your behaviors :
- do not over sleep. Go to sleep the same time every night ( this means weekends too) Wake up at the same hour everyday, do not try to sleep-in to catch up on your sleep. Get up the same hour and it will make you more tired for the next night. It has found to be very helpful in some cases. Take a 20 minute nap in the after noon if you need to and only sleep in if you are sick.
- do not force yourself to fall asleep. It will stress you and keep you from sleeping
- do not drink alcohol. Yes, you will fall asleep faster with alcohol but it will wake you up in the middle of the night when the effects are over. Alcohol will also dehydrate you. Drinking alcohol will keep you from falling into the “deep sleep” you need to restore your mind and body
- do not drink caffeine. If you do, drink caffeine beverages in the morning, before noon. This includes teas, coffees, soft drinks, chocolate and energy drinks
- do not go to bed if you are too hungry, or after eating too much. Same goes for fluids. Do not drink too much water either.
Your environment :
- use your bed only for sleep. Do not use the bedroom for your work or eating. Do not use the bedroom to watch TV. Your bedroom should be associated in your mind to relaxation and sleep.
- adjust the temperature of your room so you are comfortable. Not too hot, too cold, too dry, too humid…
- adjust the lighting in you bedroom. Your biological clock is very sensitive to light. Dim the lights in the evening and adjust the shades in the windows
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Alcohol and insomnia : alcohol makes you sleep better ?
It is getting late, you have to wake up early tomorrow morning, and you think that a little glass of wine or two will help you fall asleep faster. You might think there is nothing wrong with this little habit, but did you know that alcohol is worse for your sleep quality than caffeine ?
There is two main reasons why NOT to drink alcohol before going to bed :
- alcohol will dehydrate the body
- alcohol produces adrenaline in the body
These are two factors that will guaranty you tossing and turning and keep you up during the night. It enables the body to fall into deep sleep – the most important stage of your sleep. It will probably also make you get up a few times during the night. You will need to go to drink some water and you will need to go to the bathroom !
There is many causes and many types of insomnia. If you know you have problems sleeping the last couple of days because you are living a stressful period, there is no problems taking a little alcohol to wind down and help relax a little. Alcohol is a well known muscle relaxant. But do it early in the evening and allow yourself to calm down. Avoid alcohol within 2 hours of bedtime and don’t make it a habit.
Doctors used to suggest alcohol as a sleep aid (!), but we now know that alcohol will disturb your sleep and not “restore” your body like natural sleep.
But don’t be in denial. If you are chronically suffering from insomnia and taking alcohol to help you sleep, you are in a unhealthy vicious cycle. The alcohol will then be causing your insomnia.
If you drink regularly, even just one drink per day, you might have problems sleeping when you stop drinking also. Insomnia caused by alcohol withdrawal is temporary but can last up to a few weeks.
Yes, we do feel more sleepy with alcohol, but it is not a solution if you are suffering from insomnia. It also enables the body to fall into deep sleep. You might fall asleep faster, but you are sacrificing your quality of sleep and will feel “drained” in the morning.
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