14 Easy Ways to Overcome Insomnia and Sleep Better

14 Easy Ways to Overcome Insomnia and Sleep Better
14 Easy Ways to Overcome Insomnia and Sleep Better. Image source: Supplied

First and foremost, the National Institutes of Health, consider insomnia a sleep disorder which makes it difficult to fall asleep, sometimes for hours at a time. In addition, people may find it difficult staying asleep, or they may wake up too early.

Meanwhile, insomnia takes on many forms.

  1. Firstly, some people can fall asleep immediately, but then they wake up soon after.
  2. On the other hand, some people have a hard time even falling asleep. But when they do fall asleep, they sleep for a long time.
  3. Finally, other people have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep.

Incidentally, at some point in their lifetime, most people, occasionally have difficulty falling asleep. However, it’s only when this problem occurs frequently or regularly that people are diagnosed as having insomnia.

In fact, studies show that up to 95 percent of Americans suffer from episodes of insomnia at some point in their lives. Furthermore, thirty percent of adults report short term issues with insomnia, while ten percent report chronic insomnia.

Meanwhile, transient insomnia is a temporary form of insomnia which may last anywhere from one night to several weeks. In fact, this temporary form of insomnia may be one night of poor sleep or recurring episodes of insomnia while sleeping normally in between episodes of insomnia.

What Causes Insomnia

Bad sleeping habits are one cause of insomnia. For example, these bad habits include:

  • First, eating a heavy dinner later in the evening just before bedtime
  • Next, drinking caffeinated beverages or coffee in the evening or close to bedtime
  • Also, another bad habit is falling asleep with the lights on or while watching television
  • Next, using a cell phone, computer, or tablet before bedtime
  • Finally, smoking just before bedtime

In the meantime, other causes of insomnia include anxiety, depression, and stress, along with medications used to treat them. Furthermore, medical conditions such as chronic pain, COPD, asthma, sleep apnea, heart failure, arthritis, thyroid problems, strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and endocrine problems may also result in insomnia.

Some of the Remedies

Now, if you are having difficulty falling asleep, try some of the remedies listed below to see if they help you.

  1. First, avoid working before bedtime. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology suggests that people who bring their stressful work experiences home report more frequent insomnia than those who can successfully leave them at work.
  2. Next, avoid emotionally upsetting conversations before bedtime. In fact, such conversations may wind you up and create stress which will make falling asleep very difficult.
  3. Also, watching scary movies or reading thrilling novels just before bedtime pumps up your adrenalin. Consequently, falling asleep becomes very hard.
  4. Furthermore, decompress before bed by taking a warm bath, listening to relaxing music, meditating or reading a soothing book.
  5. Also, keep your room quiet. For example, use a fan to drown out the noise that you can’t control, such as street noise entering through the windows, or the sounds from other rooms in the home.
  6. Next, make your bedroom as dark as possible. Use heavy shades to block outside light or close the door.
  7. Also, avoid alcohol because it can disrupt your sleep by interfering with your sleep cycle. Consequently, you may wake up too early. In fact, alcohol blocks REM sleep. 
  8. Next, if you must snack, eat easily digestible snacks before bedtime. For example, eat snacks such as cheese, fruits, or cereal with milk.
  9. Because the food won’t have time to be digested, do not eat an hour before bedtime. 
  10. Meanwhile, get at least a 30-minute workout during the day. However, some have a sedentary lifestyle and don’t get an opportunity to exercise. By the way, these people can get help using pedal machines at home to get some exercise while reading a book, watching television, or answering emails.
  11. Because caffeine stays in the body from 8 to 12 hours, avoid caffeine after 2 PM. Regrettably, caffeine is found in many foods. In fact, next to coffee, chocolate and sodas are the next popular foods with caffeine. Consequently, you need to know these foods and be careful to avoid them. 
  12. Next, physically put your clock in a place that makes it difficult for you to look at from your sleeping position.
  13. Moreover, if you get too tired during the day, take a 20 minute or less nap during the middle of the day
  14. Finally, remove all blue light emitting devices from the bedroom.

However, if none of these remedies work, maybe, it’s time to go see your health care provider.