5 Health Tips for Insomnia - Holistic Lifestyle App

How To Fall Asleep Like A Well-Fed Baby? Maybe you are searching for an answer…

Have you ever spent too much time in bed trying to fall asleep, but you couldn’t, or maybe you woke multiple times and couldn’t have a soothing, long sleep session? The following article will provide sleep tips for insomnia.

Well, the odds are that at one point or another, you’ve experienced insomnia.

Insomnia refers to the inability to fall asleep or when someone excessively awakes during that night.

When we sleep, our brain is busy consolidating short-term memories into long-term memories. Our sleep is also a time to reset, repair, and heal, so sleep is vital to our overall health and well-being. If you suffer from insomnia use these sleep tips for insomnia.

Research has shown that persistent insomnia can have certain side effects on the body, including but not limited to:

Greater fat mass
Impaired cognitive function and problem solving
Higher risk of insulin resistance and diabetes
Decrease testosterone production and reduce its synthesis capacity

With that problem in mind, it’s fair to say that anyone experiencing insomnia needs a proper solution and tips for insomnia.

And the truth is that there isn’t a go-to supplement or a “sleep hack” because sleep pattern regulation is affected by various environmental, habitual factors, biochemical, and neurological factors.

Now let’s have a look at the most important sleep tips for insomnia and what anyone can do to bulletproof their sleep!

Exercise

More exercise is one of the tips for insomnia. All kinds of exercise, ranging from meditative yoga to intense resistance training or aerobic exercise, have been shown to improve sleep quality and overall health (1).

Some people might wonder if night exercise is bad for sleep or would be one of the sleep tips for insomnia? Well, first of all, it is better than no exercise.

Nevertheless, you should be aware that exercise is associated with increased adrenaline production, leading to awakening.

In fact, one study found that high-intensity exercise in the evening disrupted REM sleep (2).

Exercising at night is better than nothing, but it would be better to exercise during the day.

Also, consider the fact that the human nervous system is primed to be most active during the day, meaning that working out at night may rob you of performance!

If nothing stops you from doing it, train during daylight and recover at night!

Consistent Sleeping Schedule

Almost all physiological changes in our body follow a 24-hour schedule, based on the guide of temperature and light. Keeping a consistent sleeping schedule is one of the tips for insomnia.

This 24-hour schedule is known as our circadian rhythm.

Studies found that inconsistent sleep schedules can impair the quality of our sleep (3).

Going to bed at the same time daily will improve sleep quality and reduce sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep). This is one of the environmental sleep tips for insomnia. If you have an erratic schedule or work at night it can be challenging to re-regulate the circadian rhythm.

It would be even better if you try to have some kind of constant routine.

For example, taking a hot shower, brushing your teeth, or doing meditation.

These things can act as a signal for your brain, telling it that it is time to sleep.

Screen Light

Unfortunately, these days we have become addicted to our smartphones and laptops. Although these devices are great in many aspects, they can hurt our sleep. One of the tips for insomnia is to reduce your screen light.

Exposure to blue light, which is emitted by screens of smartphones and computers, lowers melatonin production.

And well, this can make it hard for you to fall asleep.

This was confirmed by many studies that found that light from smartphones reduced sleepiness in young adults (6).

You shouldn’t only avoid blue light for electronic devices. Still, you might also want to consider avoiding any source of bright light 1-2 hours before sleep as sleep tips for insomnia.

Using blue-light blocking glasses or activating night mode on your device can also help reduce exposure to blue light.

Caffeine Consumption

Caffeine has numerous benefits for our health. However, you should be aware that it blocks the adenosine receptors in our brain, promoting alertness and enhancing mood.

One thing to note is that the body doesn’t become desensitized to this effect. This is why caffeine never loses its stimulating effect entirely.

Therefore, if you have been drinking lots of coffee for many years, don’t think that it no longer impacts you.

Caffeine has a 6-hours half-life. So, avoiding caffeine six hours before bedtime is one of the tips for insomnia that can be an excellent strategy to enhance sleep latency and improve sleep quality

Supplements

Now, if you have all of the above in check but still aren’t getting optimal results, then you may want to consider supplementation.

Supplements can be beneficial in that regard, and the best part is that science supports this statement!

Let’s have a look at the two most effective supplements for sleep – Gaba & lavender.

GABA

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a chemical that is made in the brain and is also found in some foods.

GABA works by blocking brain signals (neurotransmissions).GABA is a naturally occurring amino acid that works as a neurotransmitter in your brain. Neurotransmitters function as chemical messengers within the brain. GABA is considered an inhibitory neurotransmitter because it blocks, or inhibits, certain brain signals and decreases activity in your nervous system.

When GABA attaches to a protein in your brain known as a GABA receptor, it produces a calming effect. This can help with feelings of anxiety, stress, and fear. It may also help to prevent seizures. This is one of the sleep tips for insomnia that is helpful for those who have a history of trauma, anxiety, or who suffer from overthinking at bedtime.

In a small 2018 study, participants who took 300 milligrams (mg) of Trusted Source of GABA an hour before going to bed fell asleep faster than those taking a placebo. They also reported improved sleep quality four weeks after starting treatment. (4) This is one of the great tips for insomnia.

Lavender

Besides GABA which has a direct impact on your sleep chemistry, there are other supplements that can help you relax, unwind, and in turn, induce sleep.

Lavender can control insomnia, enhance relaxation, and improve sleep quality (5).

It is particularly helpful if your insomnia is due to stress or anxiety since lavender has a hypnotic effect on the brain. Sleep tips for insomnia include putting drops of lavender on your pillow, diffusing the lavender in the room where you sleep or putting lavender on your neck or wrists.

Besides… It smells amazing.

Take-Home Message

Good sleep is a major cornerstone for a healthy life. It can help you perform better physically, mentally, and sexually, so hopefully these tips for insomnia are helpful.

Some tricks like avoiding blue light and caffeine before sleep can help enhance your sleep quality for sleep tips for insomnia.

Adding exercise and having a fixed sleep schedule can help as well.

If you are still having a problem, many supplements like GABA and lavender have been shown to control insomnia and improve sleep.

What are your go-to habits & products to use during times of restlessness? Comment below!

References

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25903450/

2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34416428/

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28607474/

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6031986/

5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16520572/

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28017916/

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