9 strategies to deal with insomnia

It must have occurred to you that you should have woken up early in the morning, but could not sleep. Insomnia can be natural or caused by diseases such as coronary heart disease. Maybe even watching an interesting series has made you lively. Moderate networking is not a bad thing, especially if your creativity and productivity increase at night. However, some nights we have to go to bed earlier to wake up earlier in the morning. This article is dedicated to such times. In the following, we will review the causes of insomnia and introduce 9 strategies to deal with insomnia. So stay with us until the end of the article.

What are the causes of insomnia?

Everyone’s circadian rhythm is regulated by their internal clock, the biological cycle that controls some of the body’s processes, such as sleep. Some factors may cause changes in the circadian rhythm, including:

• Social interactions;
• diet;
• Physical movements;
• The light we are exposed to during the day.

These external factors affect your internal clock every day and cause you to fall asleep later and as a result wake up later.

According to research, being lively or waking up in the first place is genetic. Some people are inherently sleepy and prefer to sleep late at night. According to Dr. Alon Avidan, Professor of Neurology and Sleep Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, people are born alive or at dawn. No one has these two characteristics together, but by making changes, people can get used to each of these two characteristics.

Of course, the persistent problem of insomnia may be due to Sleep Delay Syndrome. This disorder is quite different from having a night owl. This syndrome is more common in adolescents and adolescents. People with this condition can not sleep as well as others and wake up at certain times.

Here are 9 ways to deal with insomnia that you can do to get a good night’s sleep and wake up in the morning.

1. Do not neglect the morning light

According to scientific research, using morning light is the most effective way to change the sleep cycle. Experts say that if you are exposed to morning light, you will start falling asleep early in the afternoon. Therefore, it is recommended to be exposed to sunlight for 45 minutes to 1 hour in the morning.
The intensity of the light you are exposed to is also very important. The unit of measurement for light intensity is luxury. Typical luxury values ​​are:

100 to 200 lux: ordinary home lighting;
2500 lux: outdoor light on a cloudy day;
10,000 lux: Outdoor lighting on a sunny day.
Studies show that if you stay outdoors for 2 hours on cloudy days, you get enough light, and if you go outdoors on a sunny day without sunglasses, the result will be much better.

If you do not have enough access to sunlight, you can use a UV lamp or even a lightbox. Lightbox is a good option for areas with less light. Use these bright lightboxes to adjust your sleep time.

How to use Lightbox?

You should not stare directly at the lightbox, but sit in front of it while working or eating breakfast to get enough light. Be sure to use the lightbox after you wake up.

Lightbox makers have different instructions for using the light in these boxes that you should follow. Keep your eyes open when using lightboxes, as closing your eyes may prevent you from fully enjoying the light.

Do not buy bulbs such as tanning bulbs or halogen bulbs, as these bulbs can damage your skin and eyes. Instead of these harmful bulbs, buy a light box that has 10,000 lux of light. These lightboxes are also affordable.

In general, if you are thinking of using artificial light to treat your sleep disorder, it is best to consult a health professional.

2. Wake up at a specific time each day

Changing your waking hours may help you get to bed earlier at night. Changing the waking time is much easier than changing the sleeping time.

Sleep health experts recommend setting the clock and waking up at a set time each day, even on holidays.

3. Gradually adjust your bedtime

Instead of going to bed several hours earlier than usual, gradually adjust your bedtime. The habit of sleeping on time, like many other habits, requires practice. If you have a habit of waking up late but want to get up earlier, you need to change your habit gradually. Try to go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night than the night before. This will make your job much easier.

4. Do not consume caffeine late in the day

According to scientists, caffeine disrupts sleep time. It is found in most beverages. The most important caffeinated beverages are:

Tea;
Coffee;
Soft drinks.
Caffeine eliminates the effects of adenosine in the body. Adenosine is a chemical produced by the body to help you fall asleep. Using caffeine can prevent this substance from playing its role properly, thus delaying your drowsiness.

Scientists advise people with chronic insomnia not to consume caffeine at the end of the day and to have at least 6 hours between drinking the last cup of tea and sleeping time.

If you like hot drinks in the afternoon, you can use warm milk or decaffeinated herbal teas like chamomile. These drinks also cause drowsiness.

5. Do not touch your phone before going to bed

Watching TV or using a cell phone before going to bed is tempting, but the light on these devices makes it harder to sleep. To make it easier to fall asleep, you should stop watching TV or using your cell phone at least 2 hours before bedtime.

The screen of the phone and TV emits blue light that does not allow you to sleep properly, because the brain begins to sleep in the dark. Darkness actually triggers the release of a hormone called melatonin, which reduces your alertness.

6. Exercise to combat insomnia

Another way to deal with insomnia is to increase physical activity. Regular exercise is beneficial for better and more regular sleep. Doing aerobic exercise early in the morning helps improve sleep quality.

An experiment has also been performed in this field. There were two groups of participants who ran on a treadmill in the morning or in the afternoon. People who exercised at 7 in the morning had lower blood pressure at night and more time to fall into a deep sleep. Some morning exercises that increase your heart rate and help you sleep better are:

fast walking;
Weight training;
yoga.
If you are accustomed to exercising before bed, you should be careful not to do strenuous exercise for at least 1 hour before bed. Evening exercise does not impair sleep quality, but it may delay your sleep time.

7. Take melatonin

The human body naturally secretes the hormone melatonin in the dark, and taking melatonin supplements will help you fight insomnia. Experts recommend taking 0.5 to 1 mg of melatonin 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. To increase the effect of melatonin, it is better to completely darken everything before going to bed. To do this, you even have to turn off your cell phone and room lights.

Melatonin is generally safe for people, but it can have side effects such as an allergic reaction or drug interactions. Melatonin supplements are not recommended for those who are breastfeeding or pregnant and who have symptoms of dementia.

8. Cool your bedroom

Body temperature affects both the sleep cycle and the circadian rhythm. The human body temperature rises during the day and decreases at night before bed. Therefore, adjusting the bedroom temperature is effective in improving the quality of sleep. If your bedroom is cool, you will sleep better. Keep your room temperature 15.5 to 18.3 degrees Celsius to keep your circadian rhythm and bedtime constant.

9. Make a night routine for yourself

A night routine is not only good for children’s sleep, it also helps improve adult sleep. Creating a night’s routine prepares your body for sleep. In addition to fighting insomnia, it is also great for taking care of yourself. Make sleep easier by doing things like a skin care routine or reading a few pages of a book. Some of the things you can do in your night’s routine are:

Brushing: This simple focus on oral health also helps you sleep better.
Wearing clothes and sleeping: Sleep health experts believe that changing clothes and wearing clothes is a simple way to show the time of sleep, is very effective in combating insomnia.
Bedtime family ritual: You can turn reading books for children into bedtime family ritual.
Turning on the air conditioner: The purified air that these devices create is effective in combating insomnia.
Dimmers: Scientific research has shown that turning on bright lights before going to bed can interfere with sleep.
Relaxing activities: Meditation and listening to soothing music have a direct effect on improving sleep.

Concluding remarks

Although genetics play an important role in nighttime sleep, there are some things you can do to help you adjust your sleep patterns. In this article, we have explained the most important strategies to deal with insomnia. Things like adjusting your bedroom temperature and listening to soothing music can help you sleep better at night. If these tips do not work, get help from a sleep health professional. With careful examination, these experts can discover the causes of your insomnia and prescribe appropriate treatment for it.