What is insomnia?
It is a type of sleeping disorder where a person finds it difficult to fall asleep. It could happen for 3-4 nights in a row, or in a more serious case, up to 3 weeks. It could happen due to a number of causes like:
- Medical conditions causing discomfort, like pain
- Diabetes
- Stress
- Traumatic events
- Hypertension
A person suffering with this disorder can experience waking up after short intervals through the night. There may also be unrefreshing sleep, irritability and a general emotional deterioration.
However, alongside medical help, there may be few tips and tricks to help you fall asleep easily. Most important is to have a healthy schedule, that will minimize your stress levels.
1. Reading before bedtime to gadually relax your mind
Reading a book just before bedtime can reduce stress, place you in a more positive imaginative space.
You just have to find a comfortable book to read, that will help you slowly relax your mind and trick your mind into falling asleep. Reading is a much safer way to fall asleep, considering the harmful effects that mobile screens, scrolling through social media pages, or watching movies for long hours can have on your minds.
Insomnia has proven to become more acute through depressions caused from doing these, especially before bedtime.
Breathing exercises
Meditation can be a wonderful habit- be it to reduce stress levels or cure insomnia. Just before sleeping, sit in a comfortable space and follow these steps:
- Close your eyes
- (Play some relaxing music for better focus)
- Breathe in, inflating your belly to the fullest
- Count 1,2,3,4 in your mind
- Exhale, deflating your belly empty
- Repeat counting 1,2,3,4
Do this repeatedly, and feel your heartbeat slow down. About 10 minutes of this exercise can be of great help. There are more breathing techniques that can help you relax. Find out!
Focus on pleasant memories
Insomnia, or any kind of stress may be treated by focusing on positive memory technique. As we know, insomnia may occur from a traumatic event, or a negative feeling within our minds.
Remembering happier times, or recalling a memory which we associate with happiness can instantly boost the mental state!
“….The research team repeated the experiment in a second group, only this time they conducted brain scans during the memory-recall portion of the experiment. They found that several areas of the brain’s prefrontal cortex — areas involved in emotion regulation and “cognitive control” — became more active when people recalled positive memories. Acute stress “lessens our ability to use cognitive emotion regulation” and often triggers periods of anxiety or depression, the authors of that study wrote. But thinking about happier times seems to interrupt this cascade of negative thoughts and feelings.”
www.elemental.medium.com
You just have to lie down comfortably and focus on relaxing! Recall a pleasant memory, with as much detail as possible. Try to concentrate on the happy feelings, colors and people you associate with the memory.
Write in your diary!
A lot of times, it is the bottled up emotions that confuse our brains into over-thinking and it results in insomnia. The remedy to this is keeping a journal, and writing about what you feel, before your day ends.
You could write about any dilemma, analyzing your choices. It can even serve as a reference for your future. A diary can be a wonderful friend, who listens to you without judgement. Most importantly, writing down your feelings regularly can give your mind an amazing clarity of thought.
This will help you become a more calm, well-organized person generally.
Check with comfort and temperature!
A lot of times there is too much light entering the room that disturbs your sleep. You must check if the blanket you are using is making your body too hot, or may be the air-conditioning has made your room too cold. Maybe the mattress is not suiting you.
Check with these physical conditions that you can easily rectify. This will definitely assist you in the betterment of your insomnia.
Most importantly, keep a well-maintained sleep routine. Wake up early, go on walks, avoid smoking if your body is resistant, and try to avoid your smartphones during the night!