Can’t fall asleep when you hit the bed? Is it difficult for you to get sound sleep at night? Well, you may be suffering from sleep onset insomnia. Here’s a piece of read on sleep onset insomnia just for you! While there are various treatment options available, some natural treatments for sleep onset insomnia are promising. Go through this article to know more about the natural treatment for sleep onset insomnia, causes & symptoms.
What is Sleep Onset Insomnia?
The commonest sleep disorder experienced by thousands of people around the world is insomnia and sleep onset insomnia. Although there are medical treatments available for insomnia, natural treatment for sleep onset insomnia can be useful in the long run. It mainly includes natural remedies, lifestyle modifications and awareness about the condition. Hence, it is worth knowing about the causes and symptoms of sleep onset insomnia, in addition to the natural treatment.
Insomnia is basically an individual’s inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep all through the night. Sleep onset insomnia is a condition, in which a person is unable to or finds it difficult to fall asleep at the onset of sleep. This usually results in daytime consequences leading to exhaustion and poor performance during daytime.
Sleep onset insomnia can make you feel sleepy and tired all throughout the following day. It often leads to lack of concentration and increased irritability all day long. The symptoms you experience on the following day depend on the severity of your inability to sleep. If you had been awake for long on the previous night, the symptoms tend to be more intense. Sleep onset insomnia can be acute or chronic, but in either ways can negatively impact your quality of life. Hence, being aware of the condition and seeing the right treatment in time is necessary.
What are the Causes of Sleep Onset Insomnia?
The causes of sleep onset insomnia are many, which may be get triggered by sudden change in life pattern or a stressful situation or life event. Insomnia can also occur if you do not follow proper sleep routine.
Some of the common causes of sleep onset insomnia, include
- Disturbances in the surroundings, loud noises around at your bedtime.
- Eating a large meal at dinner, having caffeinated drinks before sleeping, or living a sedentary lifestyle are also important causes of sleep onset insomnia.
- Watching television and using computers, or a smart phone frequently before bedtime can disturb your initial sleep. Engaging in stimulating activities before bedtime, often cause sleep onset insomnia.
- Other vital factors that can be the causes of sleep onset insomnia are excessive stress, anxiety and depression. You may find it difficult to sleep if you are worried or anxious about some disturbing event. If anxiety persists for days and months, the problem of sleep onset insomnia gets prolonged.
- Certain medical conditions like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, asthma, and congestive cardiac failure, can disrupt the sleep pattern to a great extent. These too can be the causes of sleep onset insomnia.
What are the Symptoms of Sleep Onset Insomnia?
The symptoms of sleep onset insomnia mainly include difficulty in falling asleep at the beginning of night time sleep. This problem can be temporary in nature and last for a day or two, or can become chronic. Other associated symptoms of sleep onset insomnia include restlessness due to lack of sleep, tired feeling on the next day and difficulty in focusing.
The symptoms of sleep onset insomnia differ and depend on the frequency of insomnia episodes. Like, the day time problems may be mild in case of patients suffering from a disturbing episode for a day or two. However, the symptoms tend to eventually subside as the individual starts getting normal sleep.
But in case of chronic sleep deprivation, the symptoms may be debilitating and can reduce the overall duration of sleep for these people. The symptoms of sleep onset insomnia can be mild or severe. People experiencing chronic sleep onset insomnia, may feel depressed, anxious, agitated, tired and sleepy throughout the next day. They may lose their concentration, and experience mood swings and loss of libido.
Natural Treatment For Sleep Onset Insomnia
If you or your loved one is experiencing difficulty falling asleep, these simple natural treatment for sleep onset insomnia can be of great help. You can try these natural treatments to get better sleep.
An important natural treatment for sleep onset insomnia, includes ensuring having a calm and quiet environment for sleeping. Allot your bedroom only for sleeping and avoid eating, working or any other activities in the room. This way, your brain relates the place with sleep and relaxation and makes it easier to fall asleep.
Relaxation – Important changes as a part of natural treatment for sleep onset insomnia include getting relaxed before bedtime. Here are some of the ways you can do that:
- Try and relax, by reading or listening to soothing music, before going to sleep.
- Take a warm bath before sleeping.
- A gentle massage can relax your muscles and help you fall asleep
- Practice breathing exercises and meditation every morning and even before sleep.
Diet and Lifestyle – Maintain a healthy lifestyle and have a balanced diet. Exercise every day for 30 to 40 minutes in the morning or evening but not 4 hours prior to sleeping. Avoid gym and strenuous exercises during evenings as they can sometimes stimulate you and disturb your sleep.
Avoid Stimulants – Avoid working on computer or watching television before sleeping. Keep away their smart phone before sleeping. Avoid drinking alcohol, coffee, caffeinated beverages and smoking nicotine before going to sleep. Avoiding such stimulants is a necessary part of the natural treatment for sleep onset insomnia.
Treatment – Know your causes of sleep onset insomnia, if there are any medical conditions, seek medical advice. Take medications for your ailments, which can reduce your suffering and allow you to sleep better. Take prescription sleeping pills if suffering from chronic sleep onset insomnia. Resort to complementary therapies like acupressure or certain medicines in homeopathy to induce sound sleep.
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