All of us love a good night’s sleep. When we were young, sleep came easily and was deep and restful. As we aged, our sleeping patterns started to change. The change occurs slowly and could be caused by many different reasons; some health and some lifestyle. Some of the disturbed sleep can be remedied naturally as we read below.
I started to have interrupted sleep when I was in my mid 40’s. I was worried and anxious about a problem and I let it take over my night-time thoughts. That in turn caused me to wake up at 4ish in the morning… I would finally fall back asleep only to wake hours later feeling like I was hit by a truck… groggy and dragging in energy. It was frustrating.
The good news is there are ways to treat it, so let’s dig into the big question:
How Do I Stop My Insomnia?
Here are nine things you can start today to help you get better rest.
- Create a comfy sleep space: Keep your bedroom cool, quiet, and dark.
- Put your screens down before bedtime.
- Create a sleep routine: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every single day.
- Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol close to bedtime.
- Decide on a regular eating schedule and limit fluids before sleep.
- Exercise earlier in the day.
- Relax before bed; read or listen to calming music.
- Check with your doctor about any medications that could affect your sleep.
- Make an appointment with your doctor.
What Is the Main Cause of Insomnia?
There are typically three main causes of insomnia: stress, life events, and habits that derail your sleep. Here are 10 common causes of chronic insomnia. When you read this list, you’ll see some connections to the list above. (Perhaps something is dawning on you about your own life as you’re reading this…)
- Worrying about work, school, health, finances, or family can keep you awake.
- Situations like loss, divorce, or job changes can also interfere with your ability to sleep.
- Anxiety disorders and depression can keep your mind from drifting off.
- Chronic pain, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues can be associated with insomnia.
- Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including antidepressants and certain pain or allergy medications, might be keeping you awake. Be sure to talk to your doctor.
- You might have some bad habits that need breaking. Need examples? Constantly changing bedtimes, napping, stimulating activities before heading off to bed, an uncomfortable sleep environment, and using your bed for work or entertainment. Screens like computers and TVs before bed can also cause problems.
- Stimulants like caffeine and nicotine, found in coffee and tobacco, can stop sleep in its tracks. While alcohol might help you fall asleep, it often leads to disrupted sleep later in the night.
- Eating right before bedtime can make you physically uncomfortable, which is going to make it harder to fall and stay asleep.
- Conditions like sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome can interrupt sleep.
- Disrupting your body’s internal clock can throw a wrench in your ability to sleep. Jet lag, working late or early shifts, or frequently changing work hours have all been culprits.
Since I love sleep and find I don’t do well without it, I had to find ways to help myself sleep. I didn’t want to be dependent on sleeping pills for the rest of my life and I didn’t want to go around sleep deprived either. I hope this article helps you.