Insomnia is when an individual reports problems falling asleep or staying asleep. This condition is self-reported, subjective, and often dismissed by the individual as non-serious. Physicians may discount the issue as a non-medical, psychiatric problem undeserving of attention. A precipitating event like job loss could induce insomnia. Chronic insomnia develops over time as sleeping difficulties persist and become habitual. Problems occur in going to sleep (sleep initiation/onset). The duration or amount of time spent asleep may decline. Maintenance or staying asleep without interruption may become a source of conflict. The quality of sleep may be poor, as one tosses and turns all night, arising feeling exhausted. Serious consequences may result from ignoring or trivializing this condition. Sleep deprived individuals have less control over their emotions, have diminished long-term memory, and are more likely to gain a significant amount of weight. Suffering could include a host of problems, including diabetes, due to reduced immune system function. Catching the condition early is the key to conquering it. One night of sleeplessness could become a lifelong habit without proper education and intervention. Half of all insomniacs report self-medicating or using alcohol. Scientists have found non-drug alternatives to induce sleep and improve sleep quality.
1. Insomnia Tip One – Cool Your Brain
Insomnia is associated with higher metabolism in the frontal cortex of the brain. Normally, at sleep onset, metabolism slows in this region. In a process called “cerebral hypothermia” researchers have reduced the metabolic processes with a frontal cerebral thermal transfer to cool the brain and induce sleep.
In other words, put an ice pack on your head. The frontal cortex/ frontal lobe is in the front of the brain and is responsible for goals, higher thinking, behavior traits, and motor skills. Slowing the metabolic activity of this main problem-solving area may improve insomnia.
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2. Insomnia Tip Two- Heat Your Feet
Dutch researcher Roy Raymann, PhD, psychophysiologist at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam found that, when wearing socks, people fell asleep 27% faster. Warming your feet sends signals to the neurons in your brain to lower the core body temperature and induce you to fall asleep.
Total body/skin temperature manipulations via a hot bath or by electric blanket have been studied and found effective as well. Cooling or regulating the ambient temperature to 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit may be another positive intervention.
3. Insomnia Tip Three – Online Now
High tech and low cost, an alternative to face-to-face therapy, is participating in an online community of fellow sufferers and professionals. One study reports that sleep efficiency improved 16% in people who participated in an online support program. Participants reported that prior to the study, they had sleep difficulties at least 3 nights a week.
Interventions in cognition, behavior, and learning were incorporated into the program with games, quizzes, animation and informational articles. After the program, participants were also able to maintain improvement for at least 6 months. Online therapy may not work for everyone, and is not meant to replace in-person therapy.
Support online is valuable for those who may not be able to see a therapist or go to a sleep clinic, those who have long-standing insomnia, and those new to insomnia suffering.
4. Insomnia Tip Four – Meet and Greet
Spending time with other people may make you need to sleep more. Talking, interpreting body language and facial expressions, processing emotions and engaging in a rich and varied experience with another person takes brain power. Exhausting the brain, like exhausting the body through exercise, may help you sleep.
Researchers found that fruit flies raised in a socially enriched environment slept 3 hours more than flies from an isolated environment. Spending time around other flies increased sleep duration. Engaging in social interactions may help insomnia in humans.
5. Insomnia Tip Five – Spend Energy
Exercise is a widely known and accepted strategy to induce sleep onset and improve the quality and duration of sleep. Participants who engaged in an aerobic exercise program for 16 weeks reported major improvements to insomnia. People who had described themselves as a “poor sleeper” upgraded their self-assessment to “good sleeper” after the study. They were also less sleepy during the day, less depressed and had more energy.
6. Insomnia Tip Six – Bed Restriction
Spending excessive time in bed may be counterproductive to combating insomnia. In a study of 35 patients with chronic insomnia, restricting access to the bed improved sleep efficiency. Improvements in total sleep time earned participants rewards of more bed time. 8 weeks of bed restriction showed improvements in all areas of insomnia, and benefits continued 9 months after treatment.
7. Insomnia Tip Seven -Treat the Cause
The old saying, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” is an apt description of many insomnia situations. Insomnia can cause medical problems, and medical problems can cause insomnia. Finding the cause of the problem in the early stages of the condition is vital. Rooting out medical problems which cause or contribute to insomnia, can save precious time and prevent physical and psychological issues as the sleeplessness persists. Medical conditions which impact sleeping behavior include musculoskeletal conditions, heart disease and prostate problems.
Insomnia is marked by a number of causes and equally diverse kinds of treatment options, medical (pharmacologic) and non-medical (non-pharmacologic). Quick and timely interventions and an understanding of available treatments for insomnia can eliminate or reduce short and long-term consequences.
