Remember the night when you accidently or, in the popular cases intentionally, in your pursuit to find something meaningful on YouTube, go pass your bedtime and then you just can’t sleep. Although these cases may seem serious and give you headaches the next morning, they cannot be categorized in insomnia.
In insomnia a person regardless of all his efforts to sleep cannot sleep night after night.
So what causes insomnia?
First it’s important to know how serious is the insomnia itself. Is it acute or chronic?
An acute insomnia can last for weeks but a chronic insomnia will last for months.
Insomnia is caused due to psychological as well as physical problems. It is also based on your eating habits and your lifestyle. Now that we have established the premise, let’s dive into the topic and see the causes of insomnia in detail.
The chief psychological causes for insomnia are
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
Other psychological causes leading to insomnia are
- Mood swings
- Hormonal changes
- Mental trauma which we term as post traumatic stress disorder
According to the sleep foundation the following physical issues also can lead to insomnia
- hyperthyroidism
- restless leg syndrome
- Asthm
- Sinusitis
- IBS
What you eat also plays a major role in deciding your sleeping habits.
- Nicotine in the form of cigarettes / hukka / sheesha etc
- Alcohol
- Caffeine in the form of tea / coffee / chocolate
- Heavy food especially non veg food with oily gravy ,spicy and outside junk food.
Let’s discuss the natural remedies.
1.Have chamomile tea or oolong tea one hour before bedtime if the cause is stress.
2. Use essential oils on pillows and wrist or behind ears; just a drop of lavender oil or patchouli oil works magic.
3. AnulomVilom for three to five minutes before bedtime can lead to a sound sleep.
4. One glass of water with honey, pinch of turmeric, and cinnamon powder works on your immunity and also has sleep inducing effect.
5. Warm milk with pinch of turmeric, one spoon ghee, and jaggery is a magical latte for Indians to sleep.
6. Soak your feet in hot water for ten min on a rolling pin and massage later for ten min with upward strokes using sesame or coconut oil.
7. Have light meals for dinner at least two hours prior to sleep.
8. Have one teaspoon poppy seeds with hot water half an hour before going to bed.
9. Soak ten to fifteen raisins in water first thing in the morning and have them at bedtime.
10. Have 2-4 strands saffron in warm milk half an hour before going to bed.
11. Avoid smoking, drinking, and caffeine four hours before you hit the bed.
We hope that with the above steps you will be able to establish a good sleeping habit and in turn have a sound sleep every night. However lack of sleep is also a sign of chemical changes in the brain which differ from person to person. If the problem persists even after trying all the above methods, you should consult a doctor at the earliest.
Word of Caution – Usage of home remedies is not generalised!Please consult a doctor or nutritionist for consuming any of the above.