Preventing Insomnia Naturally

If you are like many, you have had bouts of insomnia in your lifetime. Some of us have what is called intermittent insomnia. Intermittent insomnia is having insomnia for short periods of time ever so often. Transient insomnia is having insomnia for a short period of time once. Chronic insomnia is suffering from the symptoms of insomnia for an extended period of time and will generally require medical attention. To learn more about the types of insomnia, visit my article What is Insomnia and What are the Types of Insomnia?

If you believe you are suffering from insomnia you should first try to pinpoint the cause. Sometimes you won't be able to find a cause, this is generally when you should seek the advice of a medically trained professional. Chemicals in the brain and underlying issues could be the cause of your restless nights. But for many, the root cause of your insomnia can be found and we all know that with most any illness or condition, prevention is key. If you are under stress you may very well find yourself staring at the clock in the middle of the night.

Stress can and sometimes does cause insomnia. If you can eliminate the stress you may be able to eliminate the insomnia. That is much easier said than done. But some stress in your life is unnecessary and all you have to do is remove yourself from the stressful situation, if only for a few days so you can get some rest. If it is possible for you to eliminate unnecessary and unwanted stress, by all means, do it for yourself and your health.

If you are a smoker, you may be able to garner more restful sleep by simply quitting smoking. Nicotine can interrupt your sleep cycle almost as much as caffeine can. If you are not at the level of commitment to stop smoking, at least try to limit your consumption of nicotine before bedtime. You may find that reducing the amount of cigarettes you smoke before bed. Cutting out completely or greatly reducing your consumption of caffeine, especially before bed is also one of the greatest natural preventative measures you can take to alleviate the symptoms of insomnia.

Restricting your sleep is also a natural way to reduce your chances of insomnia at night. If you experienced insomnia the night before, you may instinctively try to sleep in or take a nap sometime during the day. But when you do this, you are more likely to have a follow up of the night before. By sleeping in purposefully or by napping during the day, you are unknowingly putting your body on anew sleep cycle.

Being on an abnormal sleep cycle is not insomnia, but may mimic insomnia. If you have somehow trained your mind to need sleep at certain times, you simply have to reverse that. Reversing that may mean purposefully missing some sleep. Do not take that afternoon nap a couple days in a row. You will soon find yourself more tired at your normal bedtime and more apt to fall asleep as desired. Keep a log of your sleep times and you may find that you are getting enough sleep, but you aren't getting the sleep during the time you have alloted for it.

Believe it or not but exercise before bedtime can help you fend off insomnia. Doing some low impact cardio a few hours before bedtime can help you release the energy of the day and help you to unwind before bed. Also limit the amount of food and fluid you consume before bed as well. Digestion of food during the middle of the night may wake you up and keep you up as well.

As with any unexplained medical condition you may be having, check your medications. Your medications, especially if you are on any new prescriptions, may be the cause of your sudden insomnia. Read the labels closely and any pamphlets your pharmacist gave you. Some medications may cause restlessness but you need them. If your insomnia is caused by one of your medications, speak to your doctor about this. He may want to discuss a "risk versus benefit" with you. This simply means that the risk of not taking the medicine may not be worth the benefit of getting desired sleep, or vice versa. Generally, if the medication is the culprit, your doctor can prescribe a method or other medication to help you sleep.

You need sleep, each person is different on the amount of sleep they require. But if you feel you aren't getting enough sleep and when that feeling of exhaustion begins to effect your daily life, you may need to seek medical attention. Try some natural ways to relieve the symptoms of insomnia first, but when those don't help, you may need to see if there are any underlying causes that you are not aware of.