Many people suffer from insomnia at some point in their lives. Approximately 30% of adults suffer from insomnia more than three nights a week for six months or longer. For these people their insomnia stays around like an uninvited guest.
There are many potential causes to insomnia. Fluctuating hormones, eating heavy meals too close to bedtime, exercising too late in the day, inactive lifestyle, low levels of melatonin, stressful lifestyle, excessive computer work, too much caffeine, drug use, worry, frustration, disrupted circadian rhythms and many others not listed here. Many people go to the doctor and get a prescription for a sleep aid but what if you don’t want to take anything for your insomnia?
For many people who suffer from Insomnia it is hard for the mind and body to find a deep state of relaxation. Creating useful relaxation methods and fitting them into the daily and weekly routine is pivotal to creating better sleep patterns. Three methods that I recommend are exercise, diet, and deep relaxation through meditation and massage.
Many studies support exercise as a useful method to reduce whole body tension and increase blood flow. Bringing about greater energy and mental capacity throughout the day allows better performance all around. For those with a busy lifestyle accomplishing more and having greater mental capacity is definitely stress reducing. Physicians recommend at least 30 minutes a day of cardiovascular workout for a healthier heart, mind and body. This might seem too much for you at first but it is an attainable goal if you start at 5-10 minutes per day and build up gradually. This could be as simple as speed walking to the end of your block and back to your front door!
If you suffer from insomnia it would behoove you to examine your dietary habits. Not only are we what we eat but also how we eat it. Common bad habits amongst insomnia sufferers are over-eating, eating late at night, eating an excess of spicy, sweet and greasy foods which are stock full of hard to digest fats and empty calories and eating while stressed or under duress. Irregular eating habits can wreak havoc on our digestive system and cause our whole body to respond in an inflammatory response. These poor habits and rich foods take a long time for your body to repair and digest. Thus your body is busy processing food when it should be resting or repairing itself. The less your body has to digest late at night the better sleep you will get while you are resting.
Think about feeding yourself like you would a small child for a duration. You wouldn’t give a fifteen month old a bunch of spicy meats, potato chips and a coke for their lunch. You would have them eat on a regular schedule and not too close to bedtime. You would give them a variety of cooked vegetables (fresh and lightly cooked), whole grains, only small amounts of animal protein and plenty of room temperature/cool water. Also, try eating nut butter, turkey or dates in the evening to increase your levels of tryptophan an essestial amino acid. Tryptophan is used to produce melatonin which helps to regulate circadian rhythms and promotes regular sleep patterns.
Another good way to achieve better sleep is to gain better self-awareness through meditation and massage. Through these techniques you will begin to understand where you hold tension in your body and grow better at letting this tension go. Massage can reduce over-all muscle tension and can be used to stimulate acupressure points associated with insomnia. Many people report less stress and deeper sleep after receiving a massage. Massage also increases levels of serotonin which greatly influences and mood and levels of concentration throughout the day. The body can use serotonin to produce melatonin, as I stated above, the regulator of your circadian rhythms. Meditation is useful to gain deep relaxation in your mind and body. There are many methods that can be utilized; the key is finding the right one for you. Don’t be afraid to explore the differing meditation techniques.