How To Treat Sleep Insomnia Naturally

Most of us at some point in our lives have had difficulties sleeping. We all know the feeling of having to get up and face the world after a restless night. For some people, however, problems with sleep are more prolonged. In this article, we look at how to treat sleep insomnia naturally.

What is insomnia?
Insomnia can be defined as an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep throughout the night. The term insomnia is actually measured by the quality of sleep a person experiences each night and how they feel waking up. If a person falls asleep after 10 minutes, but then wakes up several times in the night and feels tired all day, it's likely they are suffering from insomnia.

How many people are thought to have insomnia?

It is reported that around 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia each year. Further to this, it is reported that as many as 1 in 3 people has suffered from mild insomnia at some point.

What causes it?

There are many factors that can cause a person to experience insomnia. The condition itself is not a single classified sleep disorder, but usually a product of one of the following underlying factors:

• Anxiety, stress, and depression
  Are you going through a difficult time right now? Do you suffer from bouts of anxiety/stress? One of the most common causes of poor sleeping patterns is due to problems with emotional and psychological wellbeing. Speaking to a trained professional in this field can help you take the right action to treat these problems.
• Medication
  Many forms of medications can interfere with a person's sleeping patterns and cause insomnia. Contraceptives, high blood pressure, antidepressants, caffeine pills and cold and flu tablets can all interfere with the bodies natural sleep process.
• Physical Health Conditions
  Health conditions that can cause chronic pain such as arthritis and fibromyalgia can cause insomnia. Similarly, problems that cause itching may also disturb a person's sleep and cause insomnia.
• Sleep Disorders
  Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that affects many people whilst they sleep. Sufferers often experience disruptions to their breathing patterns throughout the night. In some cases, a person who has the disorder can stop breathing hundreds of times during the night.
  Restless legs syndrome is a condition whereby a person experiences urges to move their legs during the night. Symptoms are usually most severe during the night. Narcolepsy is a rare long term condition that can cause a person to fall asleep at random times during the day. It is due to this that the brain is not able to form a regulate a normal sleeping cycle which can lead to a person suffering from insomnia.

Sleep deprivation health effects
Sleep deprivation can have many negative health factors such as:

• Decreased Memory/ learning — Lack of sleep impairs an individual's ability to focus on tasks and learn efficiently. Sufficient sleep is needed to consolidate a memory so that it can be recalled in the future.
• Heightened feelings (emotions) - Sleep is vital in the healthy functioning of an area in the brain known as the amygdala which regulates emotions. Lack of sleep can cause the amygdala to produce heightened feels of anger, anxiety, and fear.
• Weakened immune system- Lack of sleep has the same effect on the bodies immune system as physical stress or illness.
• Poor brain cognition-Studies have shown that just one night of fewer than 6 hours of sleep affects the brain's ability to think clearly and make decisions. This is one of the reasons it is important to get a lot of rest before a big event or prior to making important decisions.
• Increased likelihood of obesity- Sleep deprivation health effects have been highlighted by recent studies that have shown that people who sleep less than 7 hours each day are more likely to gain weight. This is believed to be because people who are sleep deprived have lower levels of leptin which is the chemical that makes a person feel full.

How can I sleep through the night without waking?
If you have been having problems with sleep try not to stress. There are many treatment options out there today. We have provided a list of the most common treatment options and look to provide answers on how to treat sleep insomnia naturally.

• Relaxation training can teach a person to tense and relax muscles in different areas of the body. This, in turn, will help to calm a person's body and induce sleep. Other techniques that help with sleep are mindfulness, meditation techniques, and breathing exercises. Audios can also be used before bedtime to relax a person and guide them into sleep.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be used to shift a person’s thought patterns into something more healthy. For example, if a person finds themselves thinking in a negative way before bedtime, they can shift the thought process into a more rational positive outcome. (This takes practice but can be done)
• Exercise has been proven to improve overall health and reduce feelings of anxiety/stress. If a person is finding it difficult to sleep due to stress a regular exercise program can help them feel calmer.
• Remedies such as chamomile, lavender oil, melatonin, St John’s Wart, Passionflower, and Kava root can all be used to help with sleep.
• The Sleep Insomnia Program is a program that was created by Christian Goodman, an ex insomnia sufferer who suffered from sleep problems for years. His program focuses on a natural approach to curing insomnia and he impressively claims that as many as 9 out of 10 people that try the exercises in the program go on to cure insomnia they experience. If you’ve ever asked yourself how can I sleep through the night without waking this program will provide more information.

Medication

There are various forms of medication today on the market that can help with treating insomnia. Medications such as zolpidem, zaleplon, eszopiclone, and ramelteon can all be prescribed by your doctor to help treat insomnia. We must stress that medication will not cure your insomnia over the long term, and should only be used for the short term. The problem with the medication is that it can become addictive and does not tackle the root cause of why you are not sleeping well. We recommend that you use a natural approach for treating your insomnia.

We hope that the above article has provided you with information on how to treat sleep insomnia naturally. Sleep deprivation health effects associated with insomnia can cause health problems for an individual. Nevertheless, take positivity in the fact that you can take the correct steps today to treat your sleep insomnia naturally. If you have any questions please drop them in the comment section below and we will respond.