General Tips Insomnia
If you have had:
- Bereavement
- Relationship issues
- Difficulty at work
- Financial problems
- Stress/anxiety
- Night shift duties
Consider the following treatments:
- Aromatherapy i.e. Lavender oil treatments (caution in epilepsy)
- Cognitive behaviour therapy CBT (under specialist advice)
- Tai-chi
- Pilates
- Reflexology (always check when you can’t use this treatment with in the link)
- Yoga
- Actigraphy
- Indicated as an approach to characterize circadian rhythm patterns or sleep disturbances in patients with insomnia, including those with depression.
- Actigraphy is a non-invasive technique used to assess cycles of activity and rest over several days to several weeks.
- An acti-graph is worn like a watch on the wrist of the non dominant hand and measures activity through light and movement, allowing continuous recording for days, weeks, or longer. Although it is not indicated for routine diagnosis of sleep disorders or for assessment of severity, actigraphy may be useful as an adjunct in diagnosing insomnia, Excessive daytime sleepiness, or circadian rhythm disorders.
- Counselling
- (A study by Buysse and colleagues determined that brief behavioural treatment for insomnia is a simple, efficacious, and durable intervention for chronic insomnia in older adults. The treatment consisted of behavioural instructions delivered in two intervention sessions and two telephone calls).
Medscape
- Try to establish a regular bed routine. Set a specific time to sleep and get up each day even if you haven’t had enough sleep seven days a week.
- One should only get into bed when sleepy, get out of bed if they are unable to sleep, and to only use the bedroom for sleep, sex and getting dressed.
- Have a sleeping diary on how long you slept, when you slept, how many times disturbed at night and show your doctor the results.
- Don’t stay indoors all day, try to go out at least 30 minutes daily to get some sunlight, it helps the body to regulates one’s daily sleeping patterns.
- Avoid too much noise (i.e. partner snoring)
- Avoid too much excessive light (wear an eye mask)
- Be familiar with your bed (ensuring good mattress and pillows are comfortable; do not sleep in unfamiliar one).
- Get a larger bed, if your partners moves about too much
- Try not to do strenuous exercise or read before bed (at least four hours).
- Do not work or read, watch TV or eat or attend phone calls while in bed.
- Create a sleep environment in the bedroom — it should be dark and quiet, without a TV, phones or clock, and should be at a comfortable temperature.
- Avoid too hot or too cold room temperature, try to be in the right sleeping environment not too hot or too cold.
- Do not do anything mentally demanding at least 90 minutes before bedtime
- Try light exercise which will promote sleep.
- Doing regular moderate aerobic exercise helps to reduce pre-sleep anxiety. Overall sleep quality evidence varies for duration and frequency of exercise sessions: aim for 3–4 times per week, from 10–50 minutes per session;
- Try breathing exercises/sleep exercises stretch and relax or deep breathing can help sleeping
- Be patient if doing night shifts or suffering from jet lag (One’s body clock has been altered and your body needs time to adjust).
- Eat food that contains vitamin B6 (enhances the body’s conversion of tryptophan) and tryptophan: Found in wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and bananas (tryptophan is converted to melatonin and helps ones sleeping rhythm).
- Eat foods rich in magnesium are legumes and seeds, dark leafy green vegetables, wheat bran, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, brewer’s yeast, and whole grains.
- Avoid large meals before bedtime (Avoid large meals two hours before bed bedtime).
- Avoid excessive alcohol. It will induce sleep but late at night, it will wake one up at night since many would want to go to the bathroom (diuretic effect) and one’s sleep would be lighter.
- Drink alcohol only within the recommended limits (i.e. a maximum of 14 units per week, spread over 3 or more days) and avoid within 6 hours of bedtime.
- Avoid smoking (Avoid nicotine within six hours of bedtime if unable to abstain completely).
- Reduce the number of caffeine-containing drinks consumed throughout the day. Consider complete elimination and switch to decaffeinated products or no caffeine after midday.
- Avoid day-time napping and have a wind-down hour prior to bedtime, try to go to bed when tired.
- Try to relax and unwind and not be so anxious at night. Always deal with issues next day.
- If you have a problem getting up too early in the morning, buy thicker curtains.
- If not had enough sleep, be extra careful when driving or operating machinery, take regular breaks.
- Try to go to bed before midnight; many get a ‘second wind’ after this time.
- Get up and go to another room if you are awake for more than 20 minutes; do something relaxing until you are sleeping tired again.
- Do not nap during the day or if you can’t help it, don’t sleep longer than 30-45 mins if feel sleepy during the day.
- Sleeping too long can make you feel worse.
- Avoid rich or spicy food, red meat, sugar rich food, cheese or a heavy meal.
- Avoid traditional tea, cola, hot chocolate and coffee at night or eating chocolate at least six hours before going to bed.
- Lemon tea and/or chamomile tea may help.
- Small snack can help e.g. peanut butter (not children), wholemeal food, bananas and/or milky drink before going to bed.
- Try to have a warm bath.
- Wearing socks and gloves or warming up hands and feet in bed promotes sleep because it helps the body to reduce its temperature by 2 degrees centigrade.
- Two to three teaspoonfuls of honey should be given at night (not to honey sensitive persons or babies under the age of one years old).
- Set a regular waking time seven days per week and only go to bed when feeling sleepy;
- If unable to sleep for what feels like more than 20 minutes, leave the bedroom. Find a comfortable place in the house and try reading, having a light snack (e.g. toasted bread) or doing some quiet activity. Do not attempt alerting activities, such as household chores, office work, watching television, using your mobile phone or using a computer, but try to find something relaxing you can enjoy. Only return to bed when you feel sleepy. If you are still not sleeping after 20 minutes, get up again until you feel sleepy;
- Avoid clock-watching to see how long you have been awake. Turn the clock to face the other way.
The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ July 2020, Vol 305, No 7939;305(7939):DOI:10.1211/PJ.2020.20208111
Sleep restriction therapy
- Sleep restriction therapy aims to slightly sleep-deprive the patient in a controlled manner, such that they sleep more effectively during their time in bed.
- This works by setting an anchor point to wake up slightly earlier than their normal time and pushing the time to go to sleep back to when the patient feels tired later in the night (e.g. around midnight or 01:00).
- Over the first few weeks, the patient will feel worse, but sleep efficiency will increase and night-time waking will be reduced.
- Showing patients the effects and progress through the completion of a sleep diary may help, it may also help to determine what is causing the insomnia through social habits, events and medication.
- As sleep efficiency increases, bedtime can gradually be moved earlier in stages of 15–30 minutes, until a normal night’s sleep is restored. This usually takes up to eight weeks.
- Sleep should not be restricted below five hours, and sleep restriction should not be recommended in patients who must drive in their line of work, or who have a history of mental illness, seizures, or other sleep disorders.
The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ July 2020, Vol 305, No 7939;305(7939):DOI:10.1211/PJ.2020.20208111
Snoring
A hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in your throat, causing the tissues to vibrate as one breathe.
- Lose weight
- Avoiding alcohol close to bedtime
- Treat one’s nasal congestion
- Avoiding sleep deprivation (sleep when suppose to go to bed and not during hours you are supposed to be wake)
- Avoiding sleeping on your back (sleep on your side)
- If a child is snoring regularly, please see a medical doctor to rule out any underlying nose and throat condition.
Natural treatments and tips (DR Axe)
