It never feels good when you don’t get enough rest. Prolonged periods of sleeplessness and insomnia can be detrimental to your health. If you’ve ever struggled to go to sleep at night, you know how frustrating it can be, and how hard it is to get through the next day. Still, it can be difficult to figure out why you’re not sleeping or what the right solution is. Putting an end to your insomnia can be as simple as staying off your phone before bed. But in rare cases, your insomnia might require a trip to the doctor for a sleep aid. Whatever the right solution for you is, you probably want to find it sooner rather than later. Let’s go over five simple remedies for insomnia or poor sleep.
1. Try all-natural remedies like melatonin or lavender oil.
Most people prefer to treat sleep medications as a last resort, but there are plenty of all-natural options for those who need help sleeping but prefer to avoid prescription drugs. Scientific findings suggest that melatonin can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and increase the duration of your sleep. Experts recommend taking 1 to 5 mg 30 minutes to 2 hours before you plan to go to sleep. Lavender oil has been studied and proven to improve sleep patterns in people taking an antidepressant. You can take lavender oil by mouth (just make sure it’s in small, diffused amounts), add oil to an essential oil diffuser, or spray it onto your pillow.
2. Exercise during the day.
A 2015 study found that amongst 150 participants who exercised for 150 minutes per week over six months experienced a significant reduction in symptoms related to insomnia. Exercise has plenty of benefits outside of promoting better sleep, so there’s no reason not to get off the couch and get moving. Moderate exercise for about 20 minutes a day is a good place to start, and you can add different types of workouts like strength training if you find you enjoy them.
3. Turn your screens off before bed.
Relaxing your eyes and your brain are important parts of getting quality rest. If you’re staring at your phone or your computer, you’re less likely to feel tired and more likely to get distracted and stay up later than you should. The National Sleep Foundation recommends turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime. Most people notice a difference in how quickly they fall asleep and a positive difference in the quality of their rest.
4. Try to eliminate sources of stress and anxiety.
Oftentimes, the things that are stressing you out can keep you up at night, so trying to solve those problems can reduce your insomnia on its own. The American Psychiatric Association found in 2015, for example, that 72% of Americans experienced financial stress at least once in the previous month, and 77% felt “considerable anxiety” over their finances. Cheap income protection insurance is just one of many ways to safeguard your finances, but it’s a tool worth considering if you find yourself troubled by the idea of losing your job or income. You can compare income protection insurance with iSelect online easily if it’s something you’re considering. Whatever the sources of your stress are, try to eliminate as many of them as you can.
5. Consider professional help.
If you’ve tried natural remedies and other strategies and still find yourself having trouble sleeping, seek out professional guidance. Even with the pandemic going on, many places like Therapy Group of NYC offer online counseling for those who need it. A therapist can help you find coping techniques for stress and anxiety, meditation exercises that can help relax you at night, and provide other resources to help you figure out what’s causing your insomnia.
Not being able to get proper rest can affect every aspect of your life. If you can’t seem to get to bed, you might start to feel hopeless, but there are plenty of ways you can try to solve the problem.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.