A good night’s sleep is essential for excellent physical and mental wellbeing. Unfortunately, insomnia is a severe ailment that can completely disrupt your life. Thus, you may want to check out some home remedies for insomnia, as sleep deprivation can have unimaginable consequences on your mind, body, and general health. Instead of purchasing over-the-counter sleeping drugs, consider using natural remedies. They are not habit-forming and do not possess the risk of side effects from pharmaceutical drugs.
But before you try any of the remedies that we discuss here, you must know how to distinguish insomnia from a few days of poor sleep. Read on to know all about insomnia, its forms and causes, and some home remedies to help with it. Scroll down! Did You Know?A survey conducted in 2011 involving 7428 employed US adults found that around $63 billion is lost annually in work performance due to insomnia
What Is Insomnia?
Insomnia is termed as the inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep. This sleep disorder can be either short term or long term. Irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, and headache are some of the debilitating effects of insomnia.
Types Of Insomnia
Depending on the period for which one is affected with insomnia, it is classified into acute insomnia and chronic insomnia.
Acute Vs. Chronic Insomnia
Short-term insomnia is called acute insomnia. It lasts for from a few days to up to a few weeks. When insomnia lasts for a month or longer, it is called chronic insomnia.
What Causes Insomnia?
Acute insomnia usually results from stress due to family or work or when one has suffered trauma (2). Chronic insomnia, on the other hand, is usually caused as a side effect of other problems. Hence, it is also called secondary insomnia. The causes are as listed below:
- Medications such as those for asthma, cold, and allergies
- Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’si XA neurodegenerative disease that causes cells in the brain to shrink and impairs memory and other important mental functions. and Parkinson’s diseasei XA progressive disorder that affects the central nervous system and causes unintended and uncontrollable movements like tremors.
- Sleep disorders like restless legs syndrome and breathing-related ailments like sleep apnea
- Problems that involve chronic pain like arthritis
- Overactive thyroid gland
- Health issues that cause breathing problems like asthma
- Menopause
- Excessive caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, or related substances
A survey conducted online with 50,054 students revealed that the prevalence of insomnia among females ranged from 61.3% for comorbid depression to 83.3% for comorbid schizophrenia. For males, the prevalence of insomnia ranged from 32.3% for autism to Asperger’s syndrome and 74.2% for an eating disorder. This demonstrates the close relationship between psychological or emotional disorders and insomnia. Did You Know?
Insomnia is more common among older adults. Up to 75% of older adults report symptoms of insomnia .
Read on to know about the remedies that can give you relief from insomnia and help you sleep better.
Natural Sleep Aids For Insomnia
open next page to continue reading….
