What is insomnia? Symptoms? Can insomnia be cured?

What is Insomnia? Symptoms? Can insomnia be cured?

Have you ever noticed your sleeping pattern?

Did you find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night?

Did you ever wonder why are you facing these problems every night?

Is it anything serious?

To get the answers to these questions let us first understand what is insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder, in which a person finds it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep throughout the night.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every adult needs at least 7-9 hours of sleep a day or every 24 hours.

Research shows that around 25% of people in the US experience this problem. But around 75% of these people do not develop in a long-term problem.

Many people nowadays refer to themselves as an insomniac. Without knowing the fact that, insomnia is a very dangerous condition.

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Who are insomniacs? What is insomnia?

Insomniac are the people facing difficulty in sleep or staying asleep. Not getting proper and sound sleep can lead to a lot of daily life problems and can also hinder the routine of a person.

The problems that an insomniac faces are as follows:

Feeling sleepy and lethargic during the day time.
A consistent feeling of being mentally and physically ill.
Mood changes, feeling irritated and anxious.

Gradually this sleeping disorder will take you towards some common diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart problems, and depression.

Types of insomnia:

Insomnia can be linked to your health issues. Based on that it has been divided into two types, namely primary insomnia and secondary insomnia.

Primary insomnia:

Primary insomnia could be referred when your sleeping problems are not related to your health problems.

Secondary insomnia:

Secondary insomnia could be referred when your sleeping problems are related to your health conditions such as asthma, depression, arthritis, cancer, or any other medical problems.

What causes insomnia?

Causes of insomnia are based on the types of insomnia

Causes of primary insomnia:

Stress or anxiety disorder that is related to any upcoming event in your life such as joining a new office, changing the job, etc.
Things that are around you such as irritating noise, light, or unpleasant temperature.
Facing changes to the sleep schedule such as jet lag, a shift in a job, or bad habits that you have developed while facing the sleep problems.

Causes of secondary insomnia:

Any mental issues such as anxiety or depression.
Taking high medication doses for flu, depression, hypertension, or asthma.
Feeling pain or discomfort at night while sleeping.
Taking too much caffeine, tobacco or alcohol.

Symptoms of insomnia: What is insomnia?

Insomnia is not only restricted to the problems in sleeping patterns, but also many other problems. Some common symptoms of insomnia are as follows:

Feeling lethargic even during the day time
Feeling irritated, depressed, or anxious.
Low on energy
Difficulty in concentrating or focusing
Using other means to fall asleep such as alcohol or medications
Persistent headaches
Feeling difficulty in socializing, working, or even studying.

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Can insomnia be cured?– Home Remedies

While there are many ways to treat insomnia such as medication, consulting a psychiatrist, or a doctor. But, the best way to deal with this disorder is to go with home remedies. Through its work slowly but does not leave you with any side effects. Some of the home remedies for insomnia are as follows:

Practice Meditation

Practicing mindfulness meditation includes slow, steady breathing while sitting in a quiet place. Concentrating on your breathing and feeling the sensations of your body.

According to Harvard Medical School, meditation improved the sleeping patterns of the participants. One can meditate as often as he/she likes. Try to start with 15 minutes of meditation in the morning or evening.

Massage

According to research in 2005, massage therapy benefitted people with sleep disorders and improved their quality of sleep. This has also reduced the feeling of pain, anxiety, or depression.

Professional massage is not essential. Besides, you could do this yourself or can ask a friend to do it. the main aim of the massage is to feel the sensations of touch as your mind wanders.

Yoga

It has been found that yoga has a very positive effect on your body. It not only improves the quality of your sleep but also helps to boost your mental focus.

Try to practice the slow moves and includes physical movements, doing this will help you stay calm and focused. Try to go for Yin and restorative yoga. Start with a 20 minutes practice and gradually take the bar to next level. Do not try the pose that doesn’t feel right to your body as it may cause injury.

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Chanting Mantra

Repeating a mantra can bring positive energy to the body which in turn helps you to stay calm and focused throughout the day.

In a 2015 research, homeless women were told to repeat a mantra silently throughout the day and before sleeping. It has been found that the level of insomnia was reduced in those women.

One can chant any mantra, be it in Hindi, English, or Sanskrit. The chanting mantra never goes to waste.\

Aromatherapy

Fragrance plays a great role in making us fall asleep. According to a 2011 study, aromatherapy helped many people in falling asleep at night. English lavender oil is one of the best essential oil that helps in making a person fall asleep.

It is advisable to put a sachet of lavender oil under a pillow. Besides, one or two drops of lavender oil in handkerchief should be kept near a pillow while trying to fall asleep.

Changes in food & diet

To get sound sleep, one should make few changes in their food and diet. Some changes that can be made are as follows:

Try to cut your caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine intake
Avoid sugar
Eat foods that help you fall asleep. These are carbohydrates, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and bananas, etc.
Eat foods rich in magnesium such as cashews, almonds, wheat bran, etc.

Takeaway

Take this disorder as a “Wake up call” and make sure that you will take the best remedy possible. Do not forget to consult a doctor before starting up with the natural remedies.