Insomnia Causes and Cures

If you struggle to sleep or you wake up at odd hours during the night and can’t go back to sleep, then you are not alone. There are many people like you suffering from insomnia. The effects of insomnia include bad mood, reduced energy levels and inability to function properly during the day.

Chronic insomnia is a major cause for worry as it can lead to severe health complications such as heart disease, stroke, particular types of cancer and high blood pressure among others. However, you do not have to accept your situation. It is possible to treat your insomnia by making a few changes to the way that you live and your sleep environment.

The period you have been suffering in silent is not significant. There are, however, several things that you can do to correct the problem but first, you must identify which type of insomnia you are suffering from. 

Types of Insomnia

Short term insomnia is as the name suggests – short term. Short-term or acute insomnia results when there are changes in your normal routine. It could that are grieving, you have stress, you are traveling, or you are ill.

The second type of insomnia is chronic insomnia and is long term. If you have chronic insomnia, you will have trouble sleeping on a regular basis (like three days in a week). 

The main causes of insomnia

Several elements can cause insomnia. Among them include depression, stress, and restless leg syndrome. Other culprits include some form of medication such as water tablet used for heart failure, antidepressants, and steroids.

Stress-related insomnia may be due to certain activities such as watching a stimulating program or novel among others. 

The role of pillows

Did you know that your pillow may be one of the factors causing insomnia? Well, a host studies indicate that having the wrong kind of pillow can disturb your sleeping pattern. Also, the way that you place your pillow matters a lot.

When you are lying on your side, your pillow should fit the space between your head and shoulders. In cases where the pillow is too high, it will cause a strain on your neck. Therefore, choosing the right pillow and positioning it well may be critical to treating short term insomnia.

Another powerful herb that you can use together with your pillow is hops. Hops are known to be effective in treating insomnia, and you can get them from Amazon. You put these herbs in muslin sachets and add some lavender for an enhanced relaxing effect and soothing. When you put these sachets under the pillow, then you will go to sleep very easily. 

Other tips to deal with insomnia

It is possible to manage insomnia in a number ways that include avoiding alcohol and caffeinated drinks late in the day. Make sure that your bedroom has a dark and quiet environment. Eliminate sources of noise such as television and other electrical appliances. Also trying some form of relaxation techniques such as meditation and deep breathing can help you get to sleep.

It is also possible to treat insomnia by using a pillow that contains natural herbs. Ylang ylang, chamomile, and lavender in pillows can help treat insomnia naturally through aromatherapy

 
 

How to sleep well as you age

As you grow old, you’ll come face to face with a lot of realities about your tendency of sleeping. You will stop enjoying sleep the way you used to when you were young. You will go to bed earlier and take long before you sleep. Your sleep will be disturbed at night, and you’ll find it not easy to get back to sleeping.

At times you’ll wake up when you’re tired than you went to bed.  Researchers have linked several factors to this. These factors include; stress, depression, anxiety, health status, and other sleeping habits. However, all isn’t lost as the following steps will ensure that you reclaim your sleep back.

Avoid diets that don’t promote sleep 

You need to lower your intake of beverages rich in caffeine particularly late in the evening. Diets that are rich in caffeine include tea, coffee, chocolate, and soda. Caffeine hinders your ability to sleep well. Always avoid alcohol before bedtime. I know you’ll feel sleepy after consuming alcohol, but the sleep will soon evade you easily the way it came. Moreover, taking alcohol will bring dependence that can slowly lead to addiction.

It’s never a good idea to go to bed on a heavy stomach so you shouldn’t go to bed soon after eating. Remember, overeating leads to incomplete digestion and equally brings unmatched discomfort even before you sleep. You also need to limit intake of liquids which will constantly send you to the toilet.

Regular exercise will help you overcome sleeping difficulties  

You’ll find out that nearly all health problems; a little exercise will provide a sure remedy. You should try to have some exercise on a daily basis. Aerobic exercise will not only keep you fit but also make sound sleep affordable. You can have a regular light exercise like swimming, dancing and even to play golf. At the end of this, the interaction you had with other players will make give the right mood to sleep.

You can practice in ball games that require a lot of movement.  You’ll realize that the more the exercise, the higher the sleeping appetite. It’s not difficult to find the kind of exercise that fits you as there are wide options for everyone. You can run, jog or even do sit ups in your room.

Regulate your mental stress and minimize it if you can

When you’re stressed, there’s nothing on this planet that you can achieve success. It will call for proper ways of reducing stress in order to automatically increase your sleeping airtime. There are many workable ways to achieve this. For example, if you read a romantic novel just before going to bed; it will make you fantasize characters in a way that improves sleep. Who doesn’t know the healing power that music gives to the soul?

Try to get your friends or your family for a physical talk on problems that affect you. It’s common knowledge that a problem shared is as twice solved. You should also have a dairy of problems facing you and solve them the best way you can.

Be discipline in your bedtime to improve your sleep

Allocate your time for bed and be consistent with it to the end. Never try to deviate from your time as it will obviously take sleep away from you. You need to sleep with no light and in a quiet environment where there’s no noise or snoring around. Use best pillows to achieve maximum sleep. you can use a cooling pillow for getting more comfort in the summer.

You can equally have sex and have some physical intimacy with your partner for you to achieve adequate sleep.   

 

Cures for Anxiety Disorders

If you are feeling anxious, worrying all the time, and just have a general problem which makes you panic about everything, then you probably need to change a few things in your life. Just a few simple lifestyle changes and doing some things to help you relax can really reduce any anxiety disorders you may have. Sweaty palms, heart beating fast, not being able to breath and just feeling stressed are all signs that you suffer from anxiety. Here are some things you can do to change the way you think and feel without using medication.

Drink Chamomile or Green Tea

Herbal drinks have been used for hundreds of years for treatment and medication of various health problems. Chamomile and green tea are both herbal drinks which can have huge benefits to your mind and body. They help calm the stomach, the nerves and this kind of tea are soothing and will help you enjoy a better night's sleep with less worry on your mind.

Lavender Oil on Your Pillow at Night

Lavender extract is another natural element that can help you relax. Some people don’t like the smell but if it is something you can handle then drop a few drops on your pillow at night to help you relax better. Anxiety issues are also known to be linked to fear so hugging a pillow at night can also help make you feel safe and secure therefore reducing anxiety issues.

Regular Massages

Regular massages and spa treatments can not only make you look better, but they will help you feel better. Taking the time out to get a massage, relax, take a bath, and enjoy some luxurious spa treatment will help clear your mind and reduce your blood pressure which again is linked to stress and anxiety. Take the day off work and visit the local spa and by the time you go home, you will be feeling like a brand-new person.

Positive Thinking

Aside from doing these things you need to change the way you think. Positive thinking is the key to building a wall against anxiety. Anxiety comes from worry, stress, and trauma. By thinking about happy, positive things then you will soon begin to feel a change. It usually takes the average person twenty-one minutes to get over a panic attack so try to clear your mind, think of nothing, and then think only happy thoughts.

Spend Some Time Outside

Nature can cure you in more ways than one. Just a ten-minute walk in the forest can help you relax and get rid of any negative thoughts. Fresh air and the sunshine can really help you when you aren’t feeling well whether it is physically or mentally. Many patients who have tried being treated with medication for anxiety found that spending as much time outside as possible really helped improve their worries and stress levels.

Talk to Someone Close

Aside from anything sometimes all you need to do is vent out to someone close. If you don’t want to talk to a friend or a member of the family, then talk to a therapist. Getting something off your chest can really help you stop worrying about it which is one of the main causes of anxiety. If all else fails then talk to yourself, this also works!  

Consider to Choose a Pillow Before you Buy

This simple pillow buying guide will help you choose the right pillows for all the right places in your home. A pillow can change the look of any room. They come in big sizes, small sizes, and all colors you can think of. There are various things you need to consider before you go on a hunt for pillows. Here is what we think are the most important factors when it comes to choosing pillows for your home.

Which Room Needs Pillows?

When choosing pillows for your home, make a checklist of what room needs pillows. You might be wanting to make a living room cozier, or you might be looking to dress your bed in comfy, luxurious pillows. You don’t just have to choose the traditional places to place pillows but think outside the box. There might be a bench in the hallway that needs some color or a chair in the corner of the kitchen that needs brightening up.

Which Size Will Go Best?

After you have decided which rooms need pillows go through and think about how many and what sizes you are looking for. If your bedroom has a huge king size bed in the middle of the room, then choose oversized pillows with small pillows at the front. Pillows come in various shapes and size so try to choose the best type for each room. Small sofas will get lost under a pile of large pillows, and large sofas will look silly with twenty small pillows on them. Also, consider the shape. You don’t want your bed covered in circular and heart-shaped pillows because it will look terrible. Choose one shape and stick to it. Make sure the sizes don’t have huge differences either.

What Color Scheme Are You Looking At?

The color scheme of your room and the color of the pillows are more important than you think. The color can either add vibrancy to a room or make it look dull. Depending on the current decor and purpose of the room, you can choose from a huge range of color schemes.

If you want to brighten up a room, then go for brighter colors. Pastel colors have this effect without looking too over the top. If you want a room to look warm and comfy, then go for earthy colors like brown, cream and even olive green. If you have a room which has no color in it except white for example, then go with something bright like yellow, orange or even blue. You can also combine colors like blue, white and gray. Orange, yellow and white or even purple, lilac and cream.

What Will Material and Pattern Suit the Room Best?

You don’t just have to go with plain colors either. You can go with textured pillows made from silk or velvet. A lot of pillows have covers with flowers on or even writing. The pattern and the texture can also change the way the rooms looks. It also means you can add your own personal touch to your home. Silk pillows for the bedroom, velvet for the living room and cotton for the children's room! Be creative and choose with care and you can change your entire home around. 

You may like this: How Lack of Sleep Hurts Your Health

How Lack of Sleep Hurts Your Health

Introduction

Sleep is just as important as diet and exercise. As we all know Human Body is like a machine. And it's main core is inside the head, it's called Brain. We simply don't have any idea how powerful is that thing. Just think that it starts working or functioning when we are born, and it stops only when we are dead. That's a long time to work. And it's needs rest. The only way to keep functioning our brain is Sleep.

Side Effects of Lack of Sleep

• Sleep Terrors

Lack of rest can affect sleep terrors. Sleep Terrors participate the same reason matters as sleepwalking, as these can involve head wounds, hyperthyroidism, encephalitis, anxiety, other sleep disturbances such as obstructive sleep apnea, fevers, and medications. When somebody has a sleep terror, it is essential not to try and awaken the victim from their state, but to abide by them until it crosses.

• Stroke

Sleeping less than 6 hours a night increases your stroke risk 4-fold.

• Obesity

Sleeping less than 6 hours ups your obesity risk thirty percent. One study found women who slept less than five hours ate 329 more calories the next day.

• Your DNA

Sleep deprivation alters the function of over 700 of our genes including those that affect stress response, immune system, and metabolism.

• Heart

Sleeping less than 6 hours a night over the long term increases your risk of developing or dying from heart disease by forty-eight percent.

• Skin

Research shows poor sleepers have increased signs of aging.

• Alertness

Even missing out on as little as 1.5 hours of sleep can reduce daytime alertness by up to thirty-two percent. Using Pillow can reduce that to thirty percent.

• High Blood Pressure

Sleeping not more than six to seven hours a night leads to a twenty percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure.

• Immunity

People that sleep fewer than seven hours are nearly three times more likely to develop a cold when exposed to the rhinovirus.

• Diabetes

Not receiving the required volume of solid sleep can reduce the body’s sensitivity to insulin, upping the risk of type two diabetes.

• Morality

Sleeping five or not more than hours per night increases the risk of dying from any cause up to 26%.

Required Sleep

The Human body demands an average of 8 hours of sleep per day. But there is no hard and fast rule. Each one of has to understand our body rhythm and know by trial and error how many hours of sleep keeps us fit. I suggest that only if you can try to sleep like four hours shift. Like you are going to sleep now or feels like sleeping, just go for it for four hours, and then you continue your work. Again you take four hours sleep. That’s how I like to suggest to you how should divide your eight hours sleeping a day.

At the End

Try to keep a settled time every night for sleeping as far as practicable. Avoid evening continued sleeping, and a short rest may be healthy. One hour before bedtime avoid exciting your sensory system by too much noise like loud music, too many TV, discussions or fights. Three hours before sleep time avoid getting any food or fluids, which contain caffeine, like aerated cola drinks, drinks including chocolate.