Insomnia Cures That Soothe The Ears

Anyone reading this site has likely been there and done that. You lay down, bone tired, and yet sleep will not come. This is the tried and true reason why some of us seek out the most ridiculous insomnia cures, remedies that do nothing but hurt you in the long run. Some of us turn to alcohol. Huge mistake. Others might get prescriptions from the doctor, which in the long term can serve only to exacerbate the problem of insomnia, making it worse. Some of just us lay in bed for hours tossing and turning, some of us get up and read or watch extremely bad late night TV. One thing we all have in common though, is the intimate knowledge that the most insidious thing about insomnia is when you truly need and want a good night's rest, it just will not come without some form of outside help.

There are wholly natural programs that have been proven to help the insomniac sleep. The problem with holistic or natural insomnia cures is that most hard core insomniacs consider it putting a band aid on a bullet wound. Therefore, most of us fail to recognize a potential cure as being useless, simply because seems just too darned easy.

Having said that, there are audio programs - such as the award winning Sleep Tracks (click the link for more info) - that when applied correctly have shown time and time again to work, helping even the most hard core among us. There's also white noise generators that have pages after pages of supporting data as to it's success in combating sleep disorders of all kinds. 

To illustrate the effectiveness of audio and noise therapy as useful help falling asleep; a reader had emailed me asking for help with his acute bout of insomnia. After accumulating a bit of research on his lifestyle I discovered he was a frequent business traveler, changing time zones more than most of us change the sheets. Long story short, upon asking him where and when is it that he finds little problem sleeping, he immediately responded by instant message, saying “while I'm in the air.” He went on to say that he could nod off in minutes after his plane takes off.

My solution was to find a recording of nothing but the low drone of an airplane engine mid flight. Finding one (thanks google :)), I sent an MP3 of this “white noise” to him, and explained that it was necessary to play it as he finished his nightly routines and was about to lay in bed. Again, long story short he emailed me back and in capital letters his email said “YOU'VE CURED ME! THANK YOU...” We chatted via skype for a few minutes the next day, wherein he told me he was so grateful that he didn't need to get a prescription pill, and that he never once believed something so elementary and simple could actually work. This is truly a common response when people find help via the various audio therapy sleep systems.

So the point is, insomnia cures don't necessarily have to be elaborate schemes, or uncomfortable lifestyle adjustments. Help falling asleep can really and truly can be as simple as having an open mind to the possibility that even if your sleeplessness is chronic and impossible to live with, it may not be rocket science fixing it. 

To find out more about some of the more popular and beneficial sleep systems, visit Sleep Tracks. To get your own white noise generator, visit amazon by clicking the links you've just seen. Again folks, this stuff doesn't necessarily have to have you jumping through hoops. Sometimes the simplest answer is the right one.

Get some rest!

Busting The Top 10 Sleep Myths Wide Open

Sleep is the consummate target for myth creation. Whether it be curing insomnia with the latest snake oil - myth, or telling your child to stay awake so he'll be sleepy on your next road trip - myth. The themes and logical assumptions range from comical to tragic, and as we all know, there are so many out there circulating around the water coolers and clubs of this world. Below you can read about the most popular myths about a good night's sleep, and why they are absolute rubbish.

Myth 1: Sleep merely means to rest

Truth:
Sleep is much more than just a period of rest; it is an essential time for the body to perform routine maintenance, creating long-term memories, and repairing damage from your day. Getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each day ensures your body and mind will function well the next day.

Myth 2: Sleep Is A Passive Event

Truth:
Sleeping is not at all passive. The brain can be more active during dream sleep than it is in an awake state. Although the metabolic activity during dream sleep is high, it is essential in rejuvenation, memory rebuilding, and feeling refreshed.

Myth 3: The more I dream, the more tired I am.

Truth:
It is well accepted that dream sleep is important to rejuvenation, and to feeling refreshed. All dreams, even nightmares, are good for people.

Myth 4: Losing an hour of sleep is no big deal.

Truth:
When you get less sleep than you need, your ability to do certain cognitive and physical activities is greatly reduced. As sleep loss builds over time you develop a sleep debt. Having a sleep debt can interfere with hormones that monitor your appetite, change your moods and increase the risk of long term illness.

Myth 5: You can learn to get less sleep.

Truth:
There is absolutely no way to “train” yourself to get less sleep. Research has shown that restricting a person to only 5 hours of sleep per night for a period of weeks can severely effect performance, impair judgment and cause mood swings. There have been studies done in the late 1980's that have linked chronic sleep debt with depressive disorders.

Myth 6: Naps are wasteful.

Truth:
Naps are a great way to catch up on lost sleep. After taking naps people can accomplish cognitive tasks much quicker and feel refreshed. Naps are also an excellent way to train someone to fall asleep quicker, which is very beneficial to anyone with insomnia. It is worth noting that napping for longer than an hour or after 3pm can make it more difficult to fall asleep at night.

Myth 7: There is such a thing as sleep “Catch up”.

Truth:
Simply put, when you don't get the proper 7 to 9 hours of sleep, you are accumulating a sleep debt. On weekends it would seem ideal to wake up later to catch up on lost slumber. However, it is much more efficient and healthier to develop a daily schedule that allows you a consistent 7 to 9 hours per night.

Myth 8: Snoring is normal and indicates a state of deep sleep.

Truth:
It's no surprise to know that snoring is very common, frequent snoring can be indicative of very serious sleep disorders. If someone has complained about consistent snoring, or noticed you are short of breath during sleep, you may have fallen victim to the disorder of sleep apnea. It would be very wise to head to a sleep specialist for a sleep evaluation. If you have sleep apnea there are many successful treatments that can help you sleep better and feel more refreshed during the day.

Myth 9: Children with less sleep will become more tired.

Truth:
Children have very different metabolisms than adults. If you think that by making your child stay awake in order to tire him/her out for an upcoming trip, e.t.c... think again. Children without enough sleep have a tendency to produce an excess of adrenaline and can end up more energetic, even hyper-active from a lack of sleep. Sleep deficits in children have successfully been linked with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder). Furthermore, children with sleep apnea have been linked with poor school performance and lower sports and health activities. Put bluntly, children need an incredible amount of quality sleep.

Myth 10: Older people need less sleep.

Truth:
Older people have a tendency to get less sleep than young and middle aged adults, but that does not mean they need less. The fact is that older individuals need the same amount of rest as the rest of us, only older people may not be able to achieve this easily due to lower melatonin levels circulating in the blood. This is why you may notice older people nap more throughout the day, as their bodies try to make up for the lack of sleep during the evening.

There you have it. My first Top 10 list. If you have any other myths that need dispelling, leave them in the comments, and I'll be sure to play myth buster and test the theories. As with sleeping itself, plenty of the most popular insomnia cures are also based on pure myth, just so you know. My mother used to say that well informed is well armed, and when it comes to curing a string of long, sleepless nights she was right on the money. The next time someone tells you that in order to fall asleep you should run naked in the woods or bathe in motor oil, check in to this site before you get arrested for streaking or catch fire. :)