Sleep is a crucial aspect of our overall well-being. However, many people struggle with insomnia and sleep troubles, which can significantly impact their quality of life. While there are various medications available to treat sleep disorders, natural remedies can offer a gentle and effective alternative. In this blog post, we will explore some natural remedies for insomnia and sleep troubles that you can try to promote better sleep and overall health.
When you aren't sleeping well, many aspects of your life seem to not go well. You can't concentrate, you aren't motivated, and you start to see an increase in conflict in your interpersonal relationships.
Improving sleep can be done in a stepwise fashion through addressing the root of the issue. Sometimes it's a sleep disorder, which you can identify through a polysomnography. Those are more straightforward than causes such as a mental health disorder, or worse, then unknown. If you are struggling with sleep, and can't seem to be able to change it on your own, then you may need some help.
Sleep therapy may offer you the support and direction you need to establish why you are not sleeping well. Getting adequate sleep is important, as sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your life. Continue reading to learn more about what sleep therapy can do for you!
Alcoholics are those that abuse alcohol and drink it in excess. Among the other health problems they may face, such as liver disease, obesity, heart disease, and neurological disorders, sleep is another aspect of their lives that can be disrupted. Alcohol may help individuals fall asleep faster, but this is about the only benefit alcohol has towards sleep.
Alcohol does not allow sleepers to enter the phase "deep sleep" which is important for restoration and next-day function. The more alcohol that one consumes, the more this sleep is interrupted. Abstinence from alcohol can further exacerbate sleep issues, increasing sleep latency, and leading to other health issues like insomnia. Continue reading to learn how to manage sleep problems associated with alcoholism.
Weighted blankets are becoming more and more popular with sleepers who struggle with insomnia or nighttime anxiety. Weighted blankets must have enough pressure to induce a calming feeling in order to be effective. However, this pressure needs to be balanced so the user doesn't feel suffocated by the blanket throughout the night. Here, we are going to discuss the proper dimensions of your heavy blanket, so you can ensure you are using one that truly helps, instead of hurts, your sleep.
Work performancing and making sure you are able to keep the job that supports your family can introduce a major source of stress into your life. Your new job may be great, as far as benefits and striving towards what you want in your career. However, it could be costing you your sleep.
Regardless if you are in a new job, old job, or looking for a job, there are many "job jitters" that can creep into your sleep. New jobs can create worries about imposter syndrome, getting along with colleagues, and concerns about workload. This is called anticipatory anxiety, and can fall into the same category as Sunday scaries.
Stress can make it impossible to get a good night's rest, especially if it's associated with rumination. A survey found that 73% of respondents have lost sleep due to worrying about work. New job and current job worries are normal, but shouldn't take over your life. Continue reading to learn how to take back the night and get a good night's rest.
Adults use weighted blankets as ways to improve their sleep. However, weighted blankets can be problematic for children, especially small children.
This is unfortunate because weighted blankets have been shown to decrease anxiety and decrease insomnia symptoms. Hug-like feelings have been shown to promote relaxation, decrease stress, and improve sleep. This is especially helpful in those with autism and ADHD. Continue reading to learn more about the new product, weighted stuffed animals, that can provide children these benefits without the risks associated with weighted blankets.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a psychiatric mood disorder that consists of fluctuating emotions, threats of self-harm, and attention seeking behavior. BPD requires various modalities of treatment, including psychotherapy, medication, and behavioral interventions.
One activity that may help reduce the severity of the symptoms of BPD is sleeping. Insomnia treatment may be important for managing BPD symptoms according to a recent study. Continue reading to find out more about this relationship, and ways to improve sleep in patients with BPD.
If you have had trouble sleeping, you may be willing to try anything. One option is icing your vagus nerve. Using an ice pack, you may be able to unlock better sleep with things in your own home. A new TikTok trends seems to be placing ice on your chest, which can help put you in a more relaxed state that can help you fall into a deep sleep.
Although you cannot believe everything you see on social media, there may be some science behind this hack. Cold therapy on the chest is supposed to stimulate the vagus nerve which is a cranial nerve that runs from the brainstem to the torso. This can help to regulate the body's parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).
The PNS is the "rest and digest" system responsible for putting the body in a calm state. After a stressful day where the fight or flight response is activated, this may be a useful trick to put your mind at ease enough for a good night's sleep.
Continue reading to learn if this trick is for you!
Research shows that 1 in 4 women have at least one symptom of insomnia. That could be difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or some combination of the two. Women are 40% more likely to have insomnia at some point in their life compared to men, even though women actually need more sleep than men.
Different sleep strategies could be helpful depending on the source of insomnia. Here are some common sleep tips that could help women, specifically, in terms of treating their insomnia.
Schizophrenia is a mental health disorder that is characterized b y hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized or paranoid thinking.
This condition is lifelong, and often needs treatment for the entirety of one's life. Schizophrenia first appears in one's mid 20s, but it can occur earlier or later.
Some original symptoms include disruption to your usual sleep pattern and can lead to insomnia and increased sleep latency. Circadian rhythm disruption is also an early sign of schizophrenia and can appear prior to any delusions, hallucinations, or other noticeable symptoms.
The relationship between schizophrenia and sleep are closely related, and understanding the relationship may help with management and treatment. Continue reading to find out more about this relationship.