Sleeping Aid Resource

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By Ashton Bishop

Insomnia and Remedies.

Insomnia is characterized by the inability or difficulty to fall asleep, waking up frequently during the night or waking up earlier than expected. Insomnia can result in getting up in the morning feeling unrested and experiencing drowsiness during the day.

Insomnia can be cause by a number of factors. Sometimes one is the main cause, sometimes several factors combined can cause a person to be unable to get to sleep. These causes are broken down into three categories.

Psychological -

Anxiety - A condition that makes a person feel tension apprehension, fear, feeling helpless, worried, sad, in a state of despair and uncertain.

Stress - This is cause by many factors in a persons life, but common factors are Anxiety from family matters, personal relationships, people at work, financial or business worries.

Depression. - A person feeing depressed will most likely be experiencing feelings of despair, sadness and discouraged.

Physical causes -

  • Medical conditions - There are medical factors like physical pain, allergies, arthritis, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, and Parkinson's disease that can effect a persons ability to get to sleep.
  • Melatonin production - Melatonin is a hormone that helps control sleep. The production of melatonin decreases as a person ages. My the time an individual becomes 65, very little melatonin is being produced.
  • Female Hormonal changes - Premenstrual syndrome, menstruation menopause and pregnancy are causes of insomnia.
  • Pain and discomfort
  • Genetics - Some families seem to have experienced insomnia, but this is yet to be proven.
  • Sleep Apnia - This is where a person stops breathing temporarily and they may experience jerky movements of their arms and legs during the sleeping period.

Temporary events or factors -

  • Jet Lag - Changing time zones and travel over long distances causes insomnia
  • Caffeine and Alcohol - Caffeine is a flat out stimulant and will directly effect your ability to get to sleep. Whereas overuse of alcohol, more than 2 drinks can cause restlessness and fragmented sleep.
  • Medication - Various medications can have the side effect of insomnia. Many medications have stimulant in them.
  • Working the night shift or overly long shifts.
  • Adjustment Sleep Disorder - Possibly caused by a traumatic event like the loss of a loved one, illness.
  • Noise

Remedies and cures for insomnia

Natural Insomnia Remedies. - There are many natural remedies for insomnia and ways to relieve stress cause by anxiety that will promote a healthful sleep and act as a cure for insomnia.

Food - Protein rich foods like potatoes, milk, tuna fish, dates and nuts are great sources of tryptophan, an amino acid, chemical messenger of the body that releases seratonin which helps you relax. These are a great insomnia remedy. Refrain from large meals at least 4 hours before going to bed and stay away from alcohol and tobacco products.

Get plenty of Zinc, Magnesium and vitamins B6, B3 and C. These help calm the nervous system and relieve stress thus reducing the chances of insomnia.

Physical relaxation techniques - Mediation, yoga and exercise. These help decrease the build up of stress hormones Physical activity raises your core body temperature and increases adrenaline levels. Exercise in the early evening because hormone levels will lower after about 5 or 6 hours. Exercising just before bed time will prevent you from getting a good nights sleep.

Mental conditioning - Establishing a routine before going to bed can train your mind to realize it is bed time. Try not to take a nap after work as this can make it hard to get to sleep in the evening. Go to bed the same time every night.

Herbal products such as valerian, chamomile, kava kava, and others have been promoted as natural remedies for insomnia. However, the effectiveness and safety of these products has not been documented.

Other methods of relaxation - Take a hot bath, get a massage, have sex, drink a warm cup or herbal decafinated tea, read a book These are excellent natural insomnia cures.

Medications

Insomnia drugs - Zolpidem (Ambien) and zaleplon (Sonata), sleeping pills, can be used as insomnia treatments, to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, and with this in mind their effects are probably quite similar. Ambien has effects that persist later into the night, and can help the sufferer stay asleep for a longer period of time. The different characteristics of these insomnia medicines mean that they may be used in different ways. You should take Ambien at bedtime, it can also be used when the you have difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep. Zaleplon may be taken at bedtime or later (e.g., after getting into bed and having difficulty falling asleep or after a nighttime awakening), as long as there are four hours or more of time left to sleep.

Sedating Anti Depressants - Prescription medications that have been developed for the treatment of depression, but that are known to have sedative side effects. These medications have been used for many years for insomnia relief. The sedating antidepressant medications most commonly used include trazodone (Desyrel), amitriptyline (Elavil), and doxepin (Sinequan).

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