Do you suffer from a disturbed sleeping pattern? Do you feel afraid like you’ll never get enough sleep?
If the answer is yes, then the reason for your struggles might be insomnia.
According to WebMD, “Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling and/or staying asleep.”
It is a broken sleeping pattern that creates chaos in people’s life. Imagine not being able to sleep for a whole week, or a month. Or even worse, a year.
Unfortunately, this is something a lot of people experience. Their condition is making it impossible for them to fall asleep more than 3-4 hours. Sadly, the lack of sleep makes them exhausted 24 hours a week and not responsive enough to fulfill their day-to-day duties.
However, luckily for us, neuroscientists and experts all around the globe have finally found the secret for beating insomnia once and for all.
Here are 5 effective ways that are guaranteed to cure your insomnia, forever:
1. ISOLATE YOURSELF FROM ALL THE SCREENS
Just how many times have you reached for the TV remote when you’re all tucked in and ready to sleep?
Most of the people I know have a habit of watching a movie or scrolling through Facebook before they go to sleep. They believe it’s better to slowly fade away into a dream with the TV on than to have your eyes closed while waiting to fall asleep.
Unfortunately, what they don’t know is that staring at a screen makes it impossible for us to fall asleep.
Scientists have revealed that the blue screen from our tech gadgets interrupts the hormones which our body produces when it is ready to go to sleep. So, when you take your phone for one last scroll before bed, you are actually signalizing your body that it is time to stay awake.
Anne-Marie Chang, Ph.D., corresponding author, and associate neuroscientist said, “We found the body’s natural circadian rhythms were interrupted by the short-wavelength enriched light, otherwise known as blue light, from these electronic devices.”
“Participants reading an LE-eBook took longer to fall asleep and had reduced evening sleepiness, reduced melatonin secretion, later timing of their circadian clock and reduced next-morning alertness than when reading a printed book.”
2. AVOID ALCOHOL OR CAFFEINE
I’m sure you already knew this, but if you want to get a good night’s rest, you should definitely avoid consuming caffeine or alcohol before going to bed. The caffeine will disturb your sleep cycle or wake you up if you fell asleep way before the caffeine hits.
Now, alcohol. Alcohol is the thing you want to avoid if you are trying to beat your insomnia. Studies have shown that alcohol “produces biphasic effects of both stimulation and sedation”, so it doesn’t help you fade away into a dream, but rather anesthetizes your brain.
The director of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Matthew Walker says: “Alcohol is a class of drugs that we call, “the sedatives.” And what you’re doing is just knocking your brain out. You’re not putting it into the natural sleep.”
3. DON’T FORCE YOURSELF TO STAY IN BED WHEN YOU CAN’T FALL ASLEEP
When you keep tossing and turning in your bed for almost a half an hour, the best thing to do is to get out of bed. Don’t just lay there when you are no closer to falling asleep.
“The reason is that your brain very quickly starts to learn the association between your bed being about the place that you’re awake rather than your bed being about sleep,” adds Dr. Walker.
Therefore, if you feel restless and you can’t drift off to sleep, get up, try doing some relaxing activity like meditating, breathing out properly, or reading. Don’t eat, don’t get online and most importantly don’t check your social media accounts.
When you start feeling a bit drowsy and heavy-eyed, you are ready to go back to bed.
4. START GOING TO BED AT THE SAME HOUR EVERY NIGHT
Unfortunately, this means strictly every night. Weekends also. Because when you’re trying to cure insomnia, you have to make your body and mind used to the idea of going to bed at the same hour. You need to make sure your body is aligned with your schedule.
Director of sleep services at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa, Sam J. Sugar, MD, FACP says, “The idea is that you’re creating a habit that the body then wants to stick to, so it tells you that it’s tired at the chosen time.”
No late nights at the bar or partying with friends until you feel like you’ve successfully cured insomnia. Make the sacrifice.
5. SLEEP IN A CHILLY ROOM
If you feel like you can’t fall asleep, you might try changing the temperature in your room. If you tend to sleep in a bedroom that is usually too hot, you won’t be able to get the rest you desperately crave.
According to studies, the most suitable bedroom temperature is about 68 degrees Fahrenheit, or 18.5 degrees Celsius.
Dr. Walker adds, “The reason is that your brain and your body need to drop their core temperature by about two or three degrees Fahrenheit to initiate good sleep”.
So, instead of sweating and struggling to fall asleep in an overheated room, open up a window for a change and get your big, fuzzy blanket out. The refreshing air will help you get your desired good night’s rest.
