Natural HealthNatural Insomnia Cure — Cure Insomnia Without Drugs
Wave 'Good Night' to Sleepless Nights
By Laura Ng
Have you been sleeping badly in the past few nights, or worse, not able to sleep a wink on some nights? Don't you dread those sleepless nights?
You flop heavily into bed after an awfully exhausted day. But your active mind refuses to rest.
You keep rewinding today's events. You're worried about tomorrow's work. You cannot stop those new ideas from racing through your mind.
You lie there staring at the ceiling in the dark for what seems like a long time, unable to sleep.
Just when you finally drift off to slumberland (or worse, you didn't catch a wink at all), your alarm clock goes off and... time to reluctantly drag yourself off the bed. How tiring! 
Common for most of us to experience hateful sleepless nights now and then. But if you suffer from having trouble falling asleep consistently for 3 or more nights in a week, you're in for a serious sleep disorder — insomnia.
Imagine you manage to sack out but you tend to wake up frequently during the night with difficulty falling back to sleep. And you feel tired, listless, irritable and sluggish the next day. That also signifies insomnia.
What Cause Insomnia?
Insomnia doesn't come uninvited — a mountain of reasons it'll turn up at your bed step. Scan through the below points and see if any fits your cause.
Why we describe someone who's sound asleep as "sleeping like a baby"?As adults, you're more prone to insomnia due to increasing workloads and responsibilities, which could lead to stress, depression and other unhealthy emotional conditions.
But infants and toddlers are generally free from emotional stress. Hence, their sleep cycles are much more stable, predictable and normal.
As you age, your sleep may also get more deprived when your biological clock changes. For example, less melatonin is produced to regulate your body's circadian rhythm (an internal clock which governs sleep).
- Short-period stressful event such as preparing for examinations, rushing out business projects, or trying to land a dream job etc.
- Consistent mental or emotional conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, panic attack or hyperactive mind due to worrying unduly about your future, dwelling too much into past experiences and feeling remorseful about what you've done in the past, or constantly in fear of death (especially for elderlys).
- Pain or discomfort due to some temporary but severe illnesses or injuries such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heart burn due to acid reflux, headache, migraine, back pain, elbow pain, and shoulder pain etc.
- Jet lag or working in late shift that in turn disrupts your normal sleep pattern.
- Disturbances in the sleeping environment such as noise, light or extreme high or low temperature due to sudden climate change.
- Sleeping in a different environment or bed.
- Poor sleeping habits, such as watching TV in bed or going to bed at irregular hours.
- Excessive daily intake of alcohol or stimulants like coffee or cigarettes.
- Lack of regular exercise.
- High-intensity workouts or other hyper-activities 1 - 2 hours before bedtime.
- Existing medical health problems such as breathing or heart problems, hormonal or digestive disorder, or chronic pain (from migraine or arthritis etc).
- Side effects from certain drugs.
- Sleep apnea.
- or others...
Which of the above trigger(s) your sleepless (or poor sleep) night?
Besides the cause, duration of insomnia also determines whether you belong to the Acute or Chronic group.
Acute means that your insomnia gets initiated by some short-term stressful events or pain due to some temporary injuries, etc. As soon as that event or pain ends, your insomnia stops. Your insomniac symptoms can last for a few days to a few weeks, depending on the duration of event.
However, acute may develop into chronic case that can plague you for few months to years if your insomniac symptoms persist after the event or you didn't handle and address your sleep disorder properly.
Especially when you believe popping sleeping pills can quickly relieve your insomnia. True, it may bring you short-term relief, but it'll lose its effectiveness after a few weeks. Worse — you may get addicted to the drugs. If addiction happens, you'll experience withdrawal symptoms once you stop the medication. Symptoms include depression, dizziness, memory lapses, nausea, and hallucinations or even aggravating your insomnia problem.
On top of that, sleeping pills may not really get you down into deep sleep.
It merely makes you drowsy and "unconscious" and you thought you're getting sufficient quality sleep, but which in fact most of the time, you're not. That's why many pill-popping insomniacs appear dull and sluggish the following day after a "medicated" sleep. I'm sure you've experienced that if you ever took sleep medications.
Your Sleep Cycle
What do I mean by deep sleep?
Ever wondered why some people sleep 8 - 10 hours a day and they feel groggier and clumsier than ever, while some catch only 4 - 5 hours but they feel as bouncy and spirited as a monkey?
Or are you one of those who likes to sleep in during weekends because you feel you haven't got enough wink over the working week although you took an average of 8 hours a day? In fact, I got a friend who practically sleeps through Saturdays and Sundays each and every week.
Perhaps 10 hours of sleep a day still appears insufficient for you to catch up on the "lost" sleep you're being deprived of.
You end up sleeping longer and longer hours until one day you can forget about waking up because your "lost" sleep hours has already snowballed to more than your normal waking hours.
Sleeping less doesn't mean you sleep for just 1 - 2 hours at night and you'll get rejuvenated the next day. No.Although quality constitutes the major share in measuring how well you've slept, the body needs minimum hours to enter the proper deep sleep and for its healing processes, meaning you should at least sleep for 4 - 5 hours in order to reap optimal health benefits from sleep.
Obviously, becoming a Sleeping Beauty ain't doing you any good. Then again, some sleepers only need 4 - 5 hours per night to keep their energy boosted for the whole day.
What is their secret?
Simple. The secret lies in the quality of sleep, not just quantity.
In other words, you can sleep less and feel more energized than when you sleep more.
A good night's sleep can replenish your energy, enhance your memory and concentration power, regulate your mood, strengthen your immune system, sustain your work efficiency and effectiveness, extend your lifespan and help you recover from your illnesses (if any) faster. For overweight people, quality sleep can boost your metabolism to help you lose weight.
If your body doesn't receive ample quality sleep, you'll never get to perform at your best the next day.
Although individuals do own somewhat different "inner sleep mechanisms", the mechanisms should work more or less around the typical sleep cycles (see below).
Can't understand the Typical Sleep Cycle picture?
Look. I don't want to get into too much technical details explaining the figure for fear you might fall asleep (this is definitely not a good way to treat your insomnia 
).
I'll just briefly run through the essential points to help you get some sense on what quality sleep actually means (based on the figure above) so that you know exactly what you need to do, coupled with the natural insomnia remedies (I'll show you later) targeting your type of insomnia to obtain quality sleep.
Let's begin.
During your sleep, your body will cycle between 2 states: non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM).
NREM comprises 3 stages:
Previously, stage 3 was split into stages 3 and 4 with stage 4 being more intense than stage 3. But now, both stages are combined into one single stage 3 to describe the entire deep sleep duration.- Stage 1 (N1) — You feel drowsy, but you can easily wake up once aroused (even slightly) and you'll feel as if you have not slept a wink. You may at times notice the feeling of sudden falling that may result in an immediate muscle contraction. This stage typically lasts from 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stage 2 (N2) — You're in light sleep mode now. Your heart rate slows and your body temperature drops. Your body now is preparing to enter the deep sleep stage (the vital period in the sleep).
- Stage 3 (N3) — You're in deep sleep at this stage and it's difficult to wake you up, even when lion dance performs 'live' by your bed, so to speak. But if someone shakes you vigorously to wake you up, you'll feel groggy and disoriented as your body is not able to adjust itself immediately.
During the deep sleep stage, your body performs its healing process — repairs and regenerates tissue, builds bone and muscle, restores energy and strengthens your immune system. For that reason, people need to dive into this crucial stage in order to feel rejuvenated the next morning.
But that's only part of the sleep puzzle.
In REM state, your eyes will move quickly back and forth. That's why it's called rapid eye movement.It is this state that takes you to the dreamland (i.e. you're actively dreaming).
After about 70 - 90 minutes of falling asleep, your body then steps into the REM state where your mind begins to process and consolidate memories, regulates emotions and stress.
If you don't get adequate REM sleep, you might become moody and irritable during the day. Depression can get the better of you very easily when something upsets you.
Therefore, REM, though not as vital as stage 3 (deep sleep), still proves essential in regulating your emotions and helps keep them in check.
Sufficient REM sleep might even lift up your spirit.
You'll probably experience 3 - 5 REM periods per night, with each one lasting longer than the previous. For instance, the first REM may typically last for 10 minutes whereas the final REM can stay up to 1 hour.
REM occupies a total of about 90 - 120 minutes (20 - 25%) of a normal night's sleep. NREM dominates the rest.
That's all about what you need to know about the normal sleep cycle.
If you do catch some winks at times but you don't seem to get up gaining full power, then most likely you may have entered an abnormally short duration of stage 3 (deep sleep), or worse, not even getting close to it. That means you could be pacing back and forth stages 1 and 2 (light sleep) throughout the entire night. That's probably the reason why you can wake up a few times in the middle of the night upon some slight disturbances.
That also explains why some people still feel lethargic after 10 - 12 hours of sleep — they never get a chance to penetrate the deep sleep stage.
You should at least go through the first 2 deep sleep stages and 3 REM periods before you're guaranteed to get fully charged when awaken. But sadly, insomniacs barely get these "bonuses".
Natural Insomnia Remedies
Whether you suffer from acute or chronic insomnia, I reckon you don't need a doctor at this point.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not against the idea of seeking help from a doctor. It doesn't cure the root of your sleep disorder if sleeping pills or tranquilizers are what you'll get from the doctor.
Pardon me for being harsh but most GPs (general practitioners) are none the wiser.
In fact, some doctors can't even heal their own sleep problems while popping their self-prescribed sleeping pills. If you go to them, they'll probably feed you the same type of medications they're taking.
Remember I mentioned earlier that the ineffectiveness of sleeping pills and the undesirable side effects they bring. You're paying for something that doesn't work forever. And you're only making those doctors and the drug companies richer while failing to eradicate the root cause of your insomnia.
As mentioned earlier, insomnia stems from several causes. So, to address your sleep disorder, we need to identify what makes you unable to sleep soundly or even lose your sleep totally.
Are you suffering from any of these issues?
- Snoring
- Headache
- Migraine
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Heart burn
- Back pain
- Tennis / Golfer's Elbow pain
- Shoulder pain
If yes, then you just need to click on any link (above) that states your problem and it'll take you to the natural solution. For example, if migraine causes you to lose sleep, then click on 'Migraine'. Once you eliminate the cause of your insomnia, you'll be able to sleep like a baby tonight.
However, if you do not suffer from any of the above issues, then follow these tips which aim to change your behaviors to cure insomnia. They work best for you if your insomnia is not sparked by the side effects from medications you're undertaking.
- Reserve your bedroom for TWO things only — sleep and sex. In other words, avoid eating, working, computers, TV, video or loud music in the bedroom.
- Turn off your cell phone (its radiation can disturb your body cells' activity and upset your normal sleep pattern), blackberries, MSN or Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ etc 2 hours before you turn in.
- Taking a relaxing warm bath before bedtime can lower your body temperature thereby helps to induce sleep. Soaking your feet in a tub of warm water before bedtime can achieve similar effect. Certain aromatherapy oil can enhance calming effect, provided you like the smell.
- Avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, soft drinks or chocolate drink and / or cigarettes after 3 P.M. It can take several hours for the effect of caffeine to wear off. I suggest that you limit your caffeinated drinks to the morning only. Best, quit them completely if you can.
- Avoid snacking just before bedtime so that your body can fully focus on making you sleep instead of having to partially work on the food you send to your stomach. One way to get around this is to eat a fiber-rich dinner before 8 P.M. Also, keep your stomach's satiety level at 70% only. This should stop your craving for night snack or supper and last you till the following morning.
- Sleep inducers such as soymilk, calming herbal tea, whole grain, certain seeds like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and nuts like walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, peanuts, help your brain to relax. I suggest that you add these sleep-inducing foods to your dinner so as to give enough time for your body to prepare for a good night's sleep.
- Evening creates a good environment for sugar to easily ferment in your stomach because this is the time where your metabolism falls and digestion slows down, which in turn can cause bloated tummy and make you difficult to fall asleep. So, avoid any high-sugar food or drink in your dinner or in your light snack (if you DO really need one) before bedtime.
- Visit the bathroom right before you sleep so that you won't have to drag yourself up in the mid of your sweet dream (I hate that!).
- If you cannot conk out after half an hour in bed, get up and listen to some soothing music, or read a book (but avoid stimulating or exciting content such as horrors and thrillers). Use warm tungsten reading lamp instead of fluorescent lamp. Avoid watching TV or DVDs as the light from these devices are bright and will interfere with your body's biological clock, worsening your sleepless condition. Return to bed as soon as you feel sleepy.
- Regular exercise relieves tension, thereby helping you to sleep more easily. But try not to work out before sleeptime as it may keep you awake throughout the night. Best time for exercising is morning. Morning exercise jumpstarts your day and can help you deal with knotty problems more easily, which in turn free you of worries by the time you reach home from work.
- Train your body to sleep and wake up at the same time every day regardless of whether it's a working day or rest day. Setting a regular sleep routine helps your body and brain get used to falling asleep naturally at a fixed time each day. The ideal time to hit the hay is between 9 to 11pm so as to achieve better quality sleep.
- If you need to snooze during the day, try to keep it within 20 - 30 minutes that is sufficient to charge you up. If you nap more than that, you'll probably enter the deep sleep stage which upon wakeup, can result in dizzy mind and adversely affect your productivity as well as your nocturnal sleep. So, keep within the recommended time frame for siesta.
(Note: A temporary deterioration in your performance due to grogginess may ensue following a mid-afternoon nap. However, your mood, energy, and subjective alertness will improve beyond baseline once sleep inertia dissipates in 5 - 20 minutes.) - If you're working at home, stop work at least two hours before turning in to allow your mind to unwind and relax.
- Improve your diet by reducing meat intake and eating more fruits and vegetables such as berries, cherries, green leafy vegetables, whole grains and muesli. These natural goodies revitalize your body and keep your sleep mechanism function properly with less "glitches".
- Reduce the amount of spices such as garlic, onion or cayenne pepper used in your meals as too spicy can create a burning sensation in your stomach and result in poor digestion which will disturb your sleep quality.
- Keep your feet warm by wearing socks in bed. This can help improve your sleep quality especially in cold weather.
- Create a clean and comfy environment for slumbering — soft lightings, good ventilation, appropriate room temperature, good support pillows, and sufficient comforters. What's the color of the walls in your bedroom? You may need to re-paint the walls to softer color to enhance a sleepy ambience.
- Your mattress does have a bearing on your sleep quality too. So, you might want to consider changing your metal coil mattress to foam mattress because metal coil mattress can create pressure points and provide uneven support for your body. When you can't seem to find a comfortable position, you won't be able to sleep well. And waking up with an aching back is no surprise.
To get better support for your body, use therapeutic memory foam mattress or memory foam mattress topper (if you do not wish to replace the entire mattress). It may seem pricy up front if you replace with full memory foam mattress, but you'll save on your medical fees in the long run.
The length of insomnia and the number of times it occurs determines the seriousness of your insomniac condition. In other words, the longer and more frequent you suffer poor or no sleep, the more severe your condition is.Usually, your mild insomniac condition (where you become sleepless occasionally) will improve with some or combination of the above tips.
However, as mentioned earlier, if your insomnia consistently occurs 3 or more times a week over several weeks or months or even years, then you need a super effective yet natural drug-free solution right now to get you down to deep sleep as soon as tonight, and train your brain back to sleep all by itself again over the next couple of weeks.
More Natural Remedies
