There’s nothing quite as beautiful as the first rays of the morning sun. Watching the sunrise can get your morning off to a great start. Unless of course, you’ve been awake since the middle of the night and the only thing the sunrise means to you is that you didn’t get any sleep. Again.
Immediately you feel the stress begin to mount. You’re so tired – how are you going to be able to make it through the day? You feel frustrated, irritable and you could cry because a loss of sleep can affect you emotionally. It can make you more prone to mood swings, even if you’re a man. If this sounds like you, there is help. There are natural remedies for insomnia that you can try, to help you find relief.
Why shouldn’t you just tough it out? Keep marching forward in the hopes that the insomnia will just eventually go away on its own? You should get treatment because left alone, insomnia can lead to depression, it can lead to errors in thinking and in making decisions, accidents both at home and work, and even severe health problems.
Check the list of medications you take to make sure they’re not contributing to your sleeplessness (even over the counter cold and allergy medicine can bring on insomnia). There are other simple steps you can take to get some shut-eye.
Make sure that you’re sleeping in a room that’s quiet. Use earplugs if you have to. If you work the midnight shift, darken the room with light blocking drapes. Turn off anything that can disturb your sleep such as the telephone or doorbell.
Many people who are tired of living with insomnia have turned to relaxation techniques such as yoga to relax both their bodies and minds in order to rest properly. Even a few minutes of gentle exercise can help. Changing your diet is a natural, healthy way to treat insomnia.
Look for foods that are known to induce a sense of sleepiness. Eat a light snack of the food before you go to bed. Warm milk helps some people fall asleep and so will a small serving of comfort food.
Both cherries and oatmeal are natural sources of melatonin and, when eaten regularly, can help regulate your sleep cycle. A spoonful of glucose-containing honey will tell your brain to shut off orexin, a chemical that triggers alertness. Bananas contain magnesium and potassium which serve as muscle and nerve relaxants. Almonds contain tryptophan and magnesium, which have the same effect as bananas. Hummus is a great source of tryptophan, and dark chocolate contains serotonin, which relaxes your body and mind.
But if you’re trying to lose weight or need to limit your calorie intake for health reasons, you can try supplements. Melatonin is a supplement used by many who have to deal with primary insomnia.
Natural herbs and supplements are also successfully used to treat insomnia. Chamomile is an herb that’s widely known for its soothing properties. By drinking this as a tea, you’ll experience a sense of calmness – and because it’s natural, you won’t have to deal with any side effects. Lemon balm and passion flower hops are two other herbal teas that have snooze-promoting properties. Valerian is also an herb that’s used as a natural sleep aid.
Other natural remedies for insomnia include Lavender. This can be used as a relaxing massage before bed or as a tea. A few drops of Lavender oil on your pillow will help to keep you relaxed and sleeping peacefully through the night. Holistic treatments involving herbs have been used for many years and have a long track record of bringing balance back to the body and allowing users to sleep when they need to.
Try these natural remedies for your insomnia, and you should be sleeping peacefully through the night in no time!
Reading before bed calms me down, esp if its a yoga book. There’s something calming even just reading about it.