Home Remedies for Sleep Insomnia: Natural Cures for Sleeping Disorders

Sleeping problems affects one in every three people. Some reports suggest that more than half the population above the age group of 60 years suffers from insomnia. Further, women are more likely to suffer from some form of sleep deprivation as compared to men. Estimates suggest that approximately 10 million Americans use prescription medicine for sleeping aid. Further there are a close link observed between obesity and inadequate sleep. Fortunately, there are a host of home remedies and homeopathic treatment therapies that can be used for the effective management of insomnia and other forms of sleeping disorder.

What is Insomnia? Sleeping Disorder Symptoms

Insomnia refers to persistent or acute failure to fall asleep. As per the National Heart and Lung institute insomnia is a condition which is characterized by ‘having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or both’. This condition results in inadequate sleep or poor quality of sleep, both of which have detrimental effect on the overall health of an individual.

Some of the common symptoms associated with insomnia include,

• Sleepiness during the day and lack of energy often represented in the form of chronic fatigue
• Elevated levels of anxiety and apprehension
• Inability to concentrate and focus on specific activities
• Elevated levels of irritability

In general, insomnia tends to interfere with the routine activities of an individual. 20% of all serious car crashes are related to driver sleepiness. Further reports suggest that insomnia increases the risk of falls in elderly individuals.

Causes of Insomnia: Risk Factors for Sleeping Disorders

Insomnia can be classified as primary insomnia- which is not attributed to environmental factors and secondary insomnia- which is often related to the individual’s medical condition, medications, etc. Primary insomnia is not very well understood, but most of the insomnia cases are related to secondary factors. Some of the common causative factors include, 

• Emotional disorders including anxiety, stress and depression are leading causes of insomnia
• Medical and neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disorder are linked with the condition
• Conditions associated with chronic pain including headaches and arthritis are leading causes
• Hyperthyroidism is another factor responsible for insomnia
• Restless leg syndrome and Sleep apnea (i.e. sleep related breathing disorder) can also result in insomnia
• Insomnia is also experienced during menopause and among individuals with gastrointestinal disorders like heartburn and acid reflux disorders.

Sleep Insomnia Cures: Treating Sleeping Problems Naturally

There are several prescription medications available which aid in improving sleep; however there are a host of simple life style tips which one can use to improve the quality and duration of sleep. 

• Take a warm water bath just prior to going to bed. A warm water bath is very relaxing and it improves the circulation of the blood throughout the body, which makes it easier for a person to fall asleep.
• A foot massage just prior to going to be can also be beneficial. Use a foot massager or dip your feet in warm water for about five to ten minutes. This will help improve your chances of falling asleep.
• Don’t exercise just prior to going to bed. Have dinner at least two hours prior to bed time.
• Avoid smoking, especially around bedtime. Avoid alcohol. These are natural stimulants and can interfere with the sleep cycles.
• Meditation with Yoga is considered to help alleviate stress and manage depression. Meditation also helps improve focus and get rid of anxiety and apprehension.
• Try deep breathing while in bed. Deep breathing helps you relax and calms the nerves.
• Using aroma oils like Lavender, Chamomile, Frankincense, etc can help fight sleeplessness. Just sprinkle a few drops of the essential oils on your pillow before going to bed.

Remedies for Insomnia: Natural Cures for Sleeping Disorders

Here are some simple home remedies that can help in effective management of sleeping disorders,

• A mixture of warm milk with a teaspoon of raw honey is considered to be beneficial to induce sleep. Milk and raw honey both act as tranquilizers and have a mild sedative action.
• Decoction of Lettuce seeds is considered to be very beneficial. Lettuce seeds contain ‘Lectucarium’ which has the properties very similar to opium for inducing sleep, but don’t result in excitement. Consuming a concentrated decoction is considered to be highly beneficial in inducing sleep
• Herbs Rauwolfia and Aniseed tea are also considered to be beneficial in the management of insomnia and sleeping disorders.
• Vitamin B complex especially thiamine is considered to play a pivotal role in inducing sleep. Deficiency of Thiamine is a primary factor responsible for sleeplessness in individuals.
• Homeopathic drugs, to be taken only after physician’s consultation, have also been beneficial. Some drugs include Coffea, Passiflora and Valeriana which help relax the mind and induce quality sleep.

A multidisciplinary approach comprising of correct diet, healthy lifestyle practices and simple home remedies can help in effective treatment of most sleeping disorders including insomnia. 

Required Amount of Sleep

How Much Sleep Do You Need? 

An American study linked life spans with sleep amount and found that those who sleep 4 to 7 hours live the longest, with those sleeping less than 4 or more than 9 hours living shorter lives. The National Sleep Foundation however maintains that 8 hours of sleep is optimal, claiming improved performance in tests, reduced risk of accidents and a better immune system. It is important to mention this does not apply to children and adolescents, particularly children who require as much as 13 hours a night.

Just how much sleep you need each day will depend very much on your age and your state of health. But sleep is not simply about the time that you spend sleeping, but is also very much a question of the quality of that sleep. So, if you are getting the right amount of sleep and are still getting up each morning feeling tired and going through your day unable to concentrate fully, and perhaps being a little irritable, then there's a very good chance that you're not getting enough deep sleep and could well be suffering from insomnia.

Infants. Newborn babies clearly need the greatest amount of sleep and will normally sleep in cycles of about four hours waking when it's time to be fed and changed. Infants require about 16 hours a day. From 6 months to about 3 years, children`s sleep requirement decreases to about 14 hours.

Children. Surprisingly enough older children and even teenagers should also be getting a similar amount of sleep and ten hours sleep a day for children is a good figure to aim for.

Teenagers. Teenagers need about 9 hours of sleep a night. For many years it has been thought that teenagers, who were sleeping for more than eight hours a day were simply lazy, but this is in fact far from the truth. Bearing in mind the level of activity that most children are involved in each day, both at school and in their free time, and the fact that their bodies are growing and changing rapidly, there is a genuine need for more than the traditional eight hours of sleep to be given the best conditions for development.

Adults. Most adults need about seven to nine hours of restorative sleep a night, although the amount ranges from 5 to 10 hours of sleep each day depending on the individual. Our biological clocks run on a 25 hour cycle, rather than the 24 hours we have tuned our daily lives around. This is why it is easier for most people to go to bed later, than it is to wake up early.

Pregnant Women. One exception in the case of adults is that of pregnant women. Women in the first trimester of pregnancy, and sometimes throughout pregnancy, need significantly more sleep than usual. Pregnant women should generally increase their sleep during this time by about two or three hours.

Missing the odd few hours of sleep here and there will not do you any harm but if you find that you're regularly falling short on sleep then this can have serious consequences. We all suffer from the occasional insomnia, but insomnia that continues for more than a month or six weeks can have a marked effect on your health and general quality of life.