How Insomnia is Caused and Treated: The Best Tips and Treatments

Do you toss and turn at night? Do you find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep? Do your nights seem like a battlefield where you’re constantly fighting off the urge to nod off? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have insomnia. According to Healthdirect, “About 1 in 10 people have at least mild insomnia at any given time”. Insomnia is an increasing disease among Australians. However, with the right tips and treatments, you can get over it and get back to living life without worries. In this article, we’ll discuss the different causes of insomnia, the different types of insomnia, and the best treatments for it.

Insomnia & its types:

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that makes it difficult for you to fall or stay asleep. It is different from sleepiness and fatigue. You may feel like you are sleepy, but if you can’t fall asleep, you may also feel like you’re awake and functioning on just a few hours of sleep each night. Following are the types of Insomnia:

Restless Insomnia: This is when you can’t fall or stay asleep, but you also aren’t restless during the night.

Narcolepsy : You experience excessive daytime drowsiness that interferes with your daily activities.

Cataplexy: This is a rare type of sleep disorder in which you have sudden muscle weakness while awake. For instance, you may have one minute when your muscles are weak and the next minute they’re strong again.

Hydrocephalus: This is when you have a build-up of fluids in the brain.

Intermittent Insomnia: This is when you have bouts of insomnia that come and go.

How Insomnia is Caused?

Insomnia can be caused by a number of different things. For example, some people experience it due to stress, anxiety, or depression. Additionally, it can be caused by other underlying health conditions, like:

Sleep deprivation: Sleep deprivation is the most common cause of insomnia, affecting one in five people at some point in their lives. The sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin, naturally drops as the day goes on. When we get enough sleep, melatonin levels increase, helping us get ready for sleep. When we don’t get enough sleep, we produce fewer melatonin levels and are more likely to feel drowsy and incapable of focusing.

Depression – People with this condition often feel unhappy, sad, and/or hopeless. This can cause them to feel stressed and anxious as well.

Off-Diagnosis – Another common cause of insomnia is off-diagnosis. This happens when a person has the right condition but their doctor doesn’t realize it. For example, they may have chronic pain, but the doctor doesn’t think to test it.

Medications – Some medications can make you sleepy, but they also make it hard to stay awake. This is called drowsiness.

Medical Conditions – Poor sleep can also be a symptom of other conditions. For example, sleep apnea happens when you’re asleep and you stop breathing for a few seconds. This can cause insomnia and other health problems too.

How Insomnia is Treated?

There are a number of different treatments that you can try when you have insomnia. Some of the most common treatments for Insomnia include the following:

Cognitive Therapy: This is a type of therapy where you learn how to think differently to treat your insomnia. This involves identifying and challenging the negative, or unrealistic, thoughts that are causing your insomnia. For example, you may have the thought, “I can’t sleep tonight,” or, “I’m just too anxious.” By this psychological treatment, we can eliminate your negative thoughts, neutralize your mind and put your mind to sleep.

Relaxation Techniques: When you have insomnia, you may be anxious, tense, or even depressed. This makes it hard to relax and fall asleep. To treat it, you can try techniques like diaphragmatic breathing or progressive relaxation which calms your mind and aids sleep. You can also use your phone for soothing sounds or apps like Calm and Sleep Cycle to help you fall asleep.

Healthy practices:

As for your bedtime snacks, try to avoid eating too close to bedtime. Try eating a meal at 8 p.m. or 10 p.m. Eating too close to bedtime can delay your sleep cycle, making it harder for you to fall asleep. While it’s tempting to drink a warm beverage before bed, it can affect your sleep. Instead, try drinking a warm glass of water before bed.

Exercises to relieve insomnia:

Stress affects your sleep, and the more you’re under stress, the more likely you are to experience insomnia. To relieve stress, try yoga and meditation. Yoga can help you relax and reduce anxiety. Meditation can help you relax your mind and reduce stress. It can also help you fall asleep by calming you down and putting your brain in a relaxed state. Exercises can also help you relieve stress, so try ones that you can do in the privacy of your own home.

Over-the-counter insomnia medications

Insomnia can be hard to treat and can affect your life in many ways. It can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to stay on schedule and get everything done. On top of that, it can be dangerous as well. How can you function day to day if you can’t sleep? So, many people turn to over-the-counter medications for instant relief. You can take medicines like Modalert to soothe your mind and get rid of the drowsiness caused by insomnia. On consuming Modalert, it starts to rejuvenate your mind, eliminates sleepiness, and recharges you with tons of energy to fulfill your everyday work.

Conclusion:

Insomnia has become a common problem nowadays. With immense technological indulgence and stress, several people experience it. Fortunately, the above treatment options will help get you back to sleep. If you are experiencing insomnia, try any of these methods, and soon you will experience a good night’s sleep!