Insomnia is the incapability to get the right amount of sleep that you require to wake up feeling refreshed and rested. As various individuals require different amounts of sleep, insomnia can be defined by the quality of your sleep and how one feels after the sleep. It does not depend on the number of hours that you sleep or how fast you fall asleep. In case you spend eight hours in bed daily and still feel fatigued or drowsy during the day, you might be experiencing insomnia.
Approximately 60% of the adult population experience sleep complications every single night. Treating insomnia does not revolve around taking more and more pills. Just making small tweaks to your daily routine can root out this problem.
Here a few ways to cure insomnia.
1. Make Sleep a Priority
If you intend to get better night’s sleep, you will have to be more serious about it. Research has shown that when one is short on sleep, they are more likely to overreact to small incidents, blow their top, and feel stressed out. Even worse, their physical health may take a hit too. The lack of sleep substantially increases the risk of weight gain, depression, and high blood pressure.
2. Do Not Take Coffee in The Afternoon.
A morning mug of coffee is okay, but guzzling several cups in the afternoon is not advised if you want to get rid of insomnia. It is often believed that caffeine has a half-life of approximately five hours- that means in case you take an early dinner, the after-supper cappuccino should not be in your system by bedtime. Unfortunately, this is not the case, after seven hours, approximately 25% of the stimulant will still be in your system. Additionally, taking coffee increases night-time urination and this adversely affects your sleep.
3. Exercise Regularly in the Evening
There is loads of research, which prove that exercise improves sleep. One study discovered that insomniacs who usually exercised in the evening slept better, had more energy all day, and felt less depressed. In case working out at night interrupts your sleep, you can just squeeze in a morning run instead.
4. Reduce Alcohol Intake
A nightcap, tempting when you cannot sleep, can really ruin your night. This is particularly true for women. Research has shown that men who went to bed while drunk slept soundly- as well as when they were clear-headed. However, tipsy women slept fewer minutes and regularly woke up. Alcohol robs you of rem and the remaining deeper phases of sleep- that are the ones that make you feel most reinvigorated. Lastly, like coffee, alcohol is diuretic and you will be running to the bathroom after every couple of hours.
5. Try to Unwind When You get Home
If going home means confronting a gaggle of hungry children or a pile of bills, it is comprehensible that relaxation can seem all but difficult. Nonetheless, it is good to begin unwinding early in the evening, so that you make a transition from your demanding day life, to your evening. Allocate fifteen minutes to your busy day, where you just make a cup of chamomile tea, take a shower or just sit quietly by yourself (the bathrooms are perfect since no one will disturb you in there).
6. Sex before sleep
Many people make fun about how quickly men conk out after sex. However, there is actually a good reason for it. After sex, men’s bodies are flooded with prolactin (a hormone that is also naturally higher during sleep). It is probable that the hormonal release during orgasm makes men feel sleepy. Additionally, the hormone oxytocin or the ‘cuddle hormone’, which is connected with sleep- makes men snore within minutes after intercourse. Men are not alone. Women too produce more oxytocin than men do, and this is a good recipe for a goodnight’s sleep.
7. Stay Away From Electronics
Stay away from your cell phone and other electronics such as iPads and laptops. According to University of Basel research, the blue wavelengths that are produced by your iPhone and other gadgets considerably suppresses the production of melatonin (a hormone that makes you feel sleepy). According to a study that was carried out by Osaka University, light-emitting devices stimulate and engage the mind, therefore resulting to poorer sleep.
8. Try A few Yoga Poses
Several low-key yoga moves can send signals to your brain and prepare it for sleep. A few of these poses include happy baby pose, corpse pose, and forward bends.
