Insomnia is a medical issue in which an individual struggles to fall asleep, stay asleep or achieve restful sleep on a consistent basis, and it affects millions of people of all ages in America. As we’ve talked about on the blog in the past, sleep is an incredibly important process for your overall health, as it’s a time when your body and brain can recover from the stress of the prior day while preparing for the next day’s activities. If insomnia is preventing you from getting a healthy night’s sleep, you need to take action before it further affects your health. In today’s blog, we explore some of the best ways to naturally overcome insomnia.
Tips For Overcoming Insomnia
Insomnia is very common but also highly unique to the individual, so you really need to evaluate your bedtime routine and related lifestyle factors in order to hone in on what adjustments may be right for you. With that in mind, here’s a look at some common recommendations for people looking to overcome insomnia:
- Create A Sleep/Wake Routine – One simple step you can take to try and normalize your sleep routine is to strive to go to bed and wake up around the same time every night. We know that’s easier said than done, especially if you work odd shifts, but really try to help your body get used to falling asleep and waking up within a similar range each day. If your sleep schedule remains erratic, it can be tough for your brain to shut off when you want it to. Make it a point to try and go to bed and wake up around similar times each day when possible.
- Destress – Another tip that is typically easier said than done is when we tell patients to find ways to manage the stress in their life. Stress can make it harder for your brain to calm down at night, which only ends up beckoning more stress. Really evaluate the sources of stress in your life and seek to mitigate them in a healthy manner. If you can’t eliminate sources of stress, put your efforts into ways to alleviate stress when it develops. Exercise more or practice some deep breathing exercises so that your body can find ways to calm down when stress develops, as this will make it easier for your brain to drift off to sleep at night.
- Make Your Room Conducive To Health Sleep – You want your sleep environment to contribute to a healthy sleep cycle instead of contributing to sleep issues, but many people are unaware of just how troublesome their sleep environment is. Cell phones and televisions can be a source of blue light, which can trigger alertness in our brain and make it harder to fall asleep, and that doesn’t even account for the sounds these devices make that could interrupt your sleep routine. Make your room as dark as possible and keep it at a cool but comfortable temperature. Being too warm can lead to restlessness and interrupted sleep. If you can’t fall asleep to silence, invest in a white noise machine instead of trying to fall asleep to the television or an audio book.
- Reevaluate Your Food And Drink Choices – Eating late at night can make it harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep because your body is hard at work trying to digest food. Similarly, consuming caffeine in the afternoon or after dinner can stimulate your brain and make it harder for you to wind down at night. Avoid eating or snacking an hour or two before bed, and if you’re dead set on drinking something, reach for milk or tea, as these can help to produce the sleep hormone melatonin or contribute to an overall sense of calm.
- Connect With A Professional – Finally, if you really want to give yourself the best chance to overcome insomnia or sleep deficit issues, connect with the team at HyperCharge Clinic. We offer a number of different services that help patients overcome the sleep issues they are facing. Whole Body Photobiomodulation, Class IV Laser Therapy and Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy are all services that we offer through our Sleep Enhancement program. We’re confident that we can help harmonize cellular function and activity so that many bodily processes operate more efficiently, including your sleep patterns. Let us put decades of scientific research to work for you so that you can get a better night’s sleep.
For more information about overcoming insomnia and improving your sleep health, reach out to the team at HyperCharge Clinic today at (651) 430-3800.