Insomnia

See also :

• Sleep Disorders (Sleep Apnea)
• Nightmares

Causes and Symptoms

Insomnia can be caused by physical and psychological factors. There is sometimes an underlying medical condition that causes chronic insomnia, while transient insomnia may be due to a recent event or occurrence. Insomnia is commonly caused by:

• Stress and anxiety may cause sleeping problems or make existing problems worse. And having an anxiety disorder exacerbates the problem.
• Disruptions in circadian rhythm - jet lag, job shift changes, high altitudes, environmental noise, extreme heat or cold.
• Psychological issues - bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, or psychotic disorders.
• Medical conditions - chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, congestive heart failure, angina, acid-reflux disease (GERD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, sleep apnea, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, hyperthyroidism, arthritis, brain lesions, tumors, stroke.
• Hormones - estrogen, hormone shifts during menstruation.
• Other factors - sleeping next to a snoring partner, parasites, genetic conditions, overactive mind, pregnancy.

Home remedies

• Make Your Bedroom a Sleep Sanctuary : Your bedroom should be a sleep cave. Your bed should only be used for sleep (and romance). Remove anything that can tempt you to stay awake or get you upset. Put the television and laptop away.
• Stop consuming all caffeinated foods and beverages at least four hours before your bedtime; test this until you have a good handle on how long before bedtime you need to cut out the caffeine.
• Taking a relaxing warm shower or bath and use aromatherapy to help you reach a calm, drowsy state.
• Turn off the television to help become drowsy.
• Turn off lights in the home as you get close to your bedtime. The presence of artificial light can trick the brain into thinking that it’s daytime. This makes it harder to sleep. A dark room helps with melatonin production and when melatonin is plentiful sleep is much more likely to occur.
• The fresh or dried leaves of maypop (Passiflora) are used to make a tea that is used to treat insomnia, hysteria, and epilepsy (Seizure).
• Royal Jelly has traditionally been used to address bronchial asthma, pancreatitis, Liver Diseases, insomnia, Stomach Ulcers, Kidney Diseases, bone fractures, immune problems, and skin disorders, but royal jelly is also effective for increasing energy.
• Acupuncture. A placebo controlled study showed that acupuncture lowered the AHI on average by about 50%. It probably somehow realigns the imbalance that's seen of the two halves of the involuntary nervous system
• Aromatherapy : Certain essential oils such as lavender and chamomile possess sedative properties known to promote sleep. Before bedtime, try taking a bath infused with a few drops of relaxing oils. You can also add a few drops of essential oils to your favorite massage oil and knead away your muscle tension, or shake two or three drops of lavender oil onto your pillowcase and breathe in the calming aroma as you fall asleep.
• Up Your Serotonin - This neurotransmitter is essential for a good night's sleep. Tryptophan is an amino acid that helps create serotonin. Try eating foods rich in tryptophan like, bananas or sunflower seeds.
• Nutmeg is an incredibly effective remedy in the case of sleeping disorders. This spice has countless health benefits, as it detoxes the body, helps digestion, soothes pain, boosts the immune system, boosts skin health, and improves blood circulation. Moreover, it has mild sedative properties which are extremely helpful in the case of insomnia.
• Rhodiola Rosea gives you more available energy during the day, while simultaneously facilitating deep, REM-level sleep.
• Can be related to Magnesium deficiency.
• Hops (Humulus lupulus) have potential use or benefits on anxiety and insomnia.
• Eat foods high in sleep-inducing tryptophan before bedtime, such as lean turkey. Certain fish and sea creatures contain tryptophan, including shrimp, cod, tuna, and halibut. But since not all seafood choices are healthy for us (some are high in contaminants) or for the planet (many are overfished, or methods for catching them kill other species), stick to catches like Pacific cod from Alaska or pole-caught Albacore tuna from the U.S. or British Columbia. If keeping track of the latest safe seafood guidelines is too complicated, you can get your tryptophan fix from other things. You’ve probably heard that warm milk can help you sleep, since milk contains tryptophan. But the key is to combine carbs with a protein containing tryptophan to help your body better utilize the sleep inducer. Try pairing a cup of whole grain cereal with organic milk before bedtime.
• Eat foods high in magnesium, such as halibut, almonds, cashews, and spinach.
• Eat foods high in Vitamin B complex, such as leafy green vegetables, nuts, and legumes.
• Eat a light snack combining protein and carbohydrates, such as peanut butter and crackers or cereal and milk. Avoid heavy meals or junk food binges.
• Brew a strong cup of chamomile tea before bed (2-3 bags).
• Another herb, sage, also works as a natural sleep aid. Just steep 4 tablespoons in a cup of hot water, steep for four hours, strain, and reheat to drink.
• Valerian root. Used for thousands of years as a mild sedative, this herb can help you fall asleep quickly and improve the quality of your sleep, according to more than 200 studies. For most people, it seems to take two weeks for the body to become vulnerable to its effect. Take 800 to 900 milligrams (mg) with a little food about an hour before bedtime.
• Consume no more than 1 serving of alcohol per day. Excess alcohol can disrupt sleep.
• Cherries : Since all cherries are naturally high in melatonin, a compound that makes us sleepy, you can try eating a cup as a snack before it’s time for shut-eye.
• Grapes are the only fruit-berries that contain Melatonin
• Lemon Balm : This lemon-scented member of the mint family has been a sleep-inducing superstar for ages.
• Ashwagandha is often overlooked as a natural sleep aid. Adaptogens are herbs that help increase the body's resistance to stress and bring the body back into balance, which is critical to restoring healthy sleep patterns
• Auriculotherapy, also called auricular therapy (applying pressure on various points on your outer ear) is helpfull to fight stress, pain, allergies, High Blood Pressure, insomnia, excess weight, diabetes, Drug Abuse,...
• Melissa has been used for centuries to treat people for insomnia.
• Having a massage with lavender essential oil may improve the quality of your sleep, helping you to awaken well rested the next day.
• Salmon contains DHA (or docosahexaenoic acid) which helps increase the melatonin in the body. Melatonin will help your muscles relax and regulate your sleep.
• Bananas are naturally rich in Tryptophan. It also contains Serotonin, Melatonin and Magnesium. These components help you sleep better by helping your muscles relax since this act as natural muscle relaxants.
• Potatoes are rich in Carbohydrates and Tryptophan.
• Almonds are rich in Magnesium and Tryptophan.
• Chamomile is a Great Sleep Remedy
• Jamaican Dogwood help to calm your mind, eliminates tossing and turning, and helps to get a restful sleep.
• kava not only reduces the amount of time it takes to drift off to dreamland, but it also promotes sounder, deeper sleep.
• Oats are a good natural source of melatonin, which is often taken as a sleep aid due to its ability to help regulate the body's internal clock. On top of this, they are also a rich source of tryptophan, which helps the brain to produce more melatonin as well as the relaxing chemical serotonin.
• Motherwort : the plant contains a mild vasodilator called leonurine which can help relax the smooth muscles in the body, such as the uterus and the muscles supporting the lungs.
• Catnip is considered as a mild tranquilizer and sedative. For those with migraine, taking catnip makes them rest well.
• Lemon Balm : Melissa officinalis is the scientific name of lemon balm. In the Middle Ages, it has been used to calm nerves, to reduce anxiety and to induce sleepiness. There have been several studies conducted nowadays showing that lemon balm is indeed beneficial for those suffering from insomnia. The plant is also being used to calm the nerves, especially for those who are suffering from mild anxiety.
• 5-HTP : The full scientific name is 5-hydroxy-tryptophan -- and yes, it is a form of tryptophan which transforms into serotonin in your brain to provide genuine support for sleeping. (You can also now find tryptophan supplements.) One caution: If you're taking an SSRI anti-depressant, such as Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil or Zoloft, you're already getting enough serotonin, so don't take this supplement. Otherwise, take 100 to 150 mg about an hour before you head to bed.
• Magnesium. This all-purpose mineral can really help you nod off. Chronic insomnia and magnesium deficiency go hand in hand, especially in modern times when more people are eating processed foods that have been stripped of important nutrients. Magnesium is responsible for an astonishing 300 or more essential metabolic reactions in the body and is key to a healthy nervous system. Some of its most important tasks are helping manufacture serotonin, the mood-calming neurotransmitter that converts to sleep-inducing melatonin at bedtime, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main energy molecule used by your cells. It's the spark that lights your fire and the smooth mover that calms you down.
• Vitamin D - low levels are associated with daytime sleepiness and musculoskeletal pain. Take 600-800iu vitamin D3 daily.
• Calcium. If you take a calcium supplement, take it at night in combination with your magnesium for best results. Western medicine and popular media have emphasized the need to get adequate calcium for healthy bones without focusing to the same degree on the need to take magnesium and vitamin D, the “sunshine hormone,” with calcium. All three are needed to maintain health. When it comes to good sleep, calcium relaxes your muscles and helps your brain in manufacture the calming amino acid tryptophan, which is converted to serotonin and melatonin. That's another reason why having a warm milky drink full of calcium helps you sleep well.
• Wild Lettuce helps relieve headaches, anxiety and joint pain that may interfere with a good night's sleep.
• The 4-7-8 Exercise That Enables You to Fall Asleep in 60 Seconds : It increases oxygen intake on the four-count inhale. During the seven-count breath-holding, the oxygen flows through the bloodstream. Finally, the eight-count exhale slows the heartbeat and releases carbon dioxide. The whole cycle induces sleep effectively and gives new meaning to the claim that counting breaths is more effective than counting sheep :
  • Position the tip of your tongue on your upper palate behind your our upper front teeth, and keep it in that position during the entire exercise.
  • Exhale completely through your mouth with your lips pursed, while making a 'whoosh' sound as you do.
  • Next, close your mouth and slowly inhale through your nose to a count of four.
  • Hold your breath for a count of seven.
  • Exhale completely through your mouth for a count of eight, making the same 'whoosh' sound while pursing your lips.
  • Repeat this cycle three more times, keeping the ratio of 4-7-8 for all three phases of the exercise. You may find that you’ll fall asleep even before you complete the three repetitions.
• Anshen Buxin Wan is used for anxiety and for insomnia, particularly the type of insomnia where the person has trouble falling asleep.
• Zhen Xin An Shen Tang is used for neurotic insomnia.
• An Shen Wan

Medical Disclaimer

This information is not meant to be substituted for medical advice. Always consult a medical professional regarding any medical problems and before undertaking any treatment or dietary changes.