Insomia Behavioral Remedies

Ever wondered how you can solve Insomnia? Sure you could always use a sleeping pill since it's so easy. But do you know that you can also use behavioral remedies? In this post, I'll be talking about how to solve Insomnia through behavioral remedies.

But first, what is Insomnia?
-- Insomnia, in general, is a problem about not getting enough sleep. But there are differences in how this comes about. The difficulty of an insomniac may lie in falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, or in waking up too early. For some people, Insomnia is temporary, because of stressful life events. For others, it can be the caused by a psychological problem like depression. --

Can sleeping pills be used to cure Insomnia?
-- Yes it can. However, it is not advisable because they lose their effectiveness overtime. They also have some serious side effects like nightmares, memory loss, and hallucinations. --

If that would be the case, then how can you cure or remedy Insomnia?
-- We can cure or remedy Insomnia by behavioral remedies. --

What are those behavioral remedies?
-- These behavioral remedies can the following:

a. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule. Go to sleep and get up at the same time everyday.
b. Eat a proper diet.
c. Avoid stimulants such as coffee, soft drinks, and cigarettes. Instead, drink warm milk and eat starchy foods, like bread and potato, which can increase the level of brain serotonin (serotonin is a neurotransmitter associated with sleep)
d. Don't go to bed too full or too hungry
e. Exercise regularly, but do not before bedtime.
f. Take a warm bath before bedtime.
g. Do not work up the mind before going to bed. Avoid thoughts that can cause anxiety, worry or excitement. Sleep is essentially a matter of knowing how to let go.
h. Learn how to relax before going to sleep. This can be done through a simple relaxation exercise (like progressive muscle relaxation), meditation, or listening to soothing music.
i. Don't fight Insomnia. Instead of forcing yourself to sleep, get out of bed and engage in some activity. Go back to bed only when you feel sleepy again. --

Source: Teh, Lola A. and Macapagal, Ma. Elizabeth. General Psychology for Filipino College Students. pp. 112-113

Some additional ways on how to sleep: [This was given by our professor in Gen. Psych last sem]

a. While lying on bed, inhale and exhale while saying one 'single' number in your mind.
b. While lying on bed, relax your mind and focus in relaxing your body. Pretend your floating and you'll feel relaxed.

And so there you go, behavioral remedies for Insomnia. I tried most of it myself [even though I don't have Insomnia LOL I just want to try if it would really make me fall asleep] It worked but not always. It may work if you just relax and don't stress yourself if you can't make it work LOL

I hope this post can add additional knowledge about Insomnia.

Until next time~