Many people deal with sleep difficulties at some point in our lives that affects our lives according to severity, and there can be various underlying reasons for insomnia that range from anxiety to medical disorders. Most mental health counselors suggest an over-the-counter medication that aids in sleeping. While this seems like a reliable solution, the problem with this treatment strategy is dependency and addictions. Your insomnia might worsen due to addiction, or some other prescriptions come with side effects.
People often have chronic insomnia due to irregular sleep patterns and learned behaviors that they practice. There are strategies and combinations of methods that act as insomnia treatment for people with sleep irregularities. A plus point of these strategies is that there is no risk of dependency or side effects associated.
Strategies to Manage Insomnia
- Shed 8-hour Sleep Rule
A common thought about sleep is that an average adult needs 8 hours of sleep to remain functional. While this notion holds, there are chances someone might need less or more sleep hours to stay active. Research conducted by mental health counselors states that it is not uncommon for people to have a 5 or 6-hour sleep and remain active throughout. The truth behind this point is that they have developed a habit of timely sleep most of their lives, and if they try to stay any longer in bed, they cannot. Similarly, some have longer sleep hours that go beyond 8-hour rule. Try to identify a pattern that fits you well and develop sleeping habits accordingly.
- Stop Worrying
For a person to sleep well, he/she needs to have a calm state of mind and body. Racing thoughts and constant worrying will exhaust your mind and body to keep you awake. Many people describe the feeling of thoughts running in their mind that happens while in bed and periodically keeps then up at night. Such ideas can create excessive stress and disrupts mood regulations. As a strategy for insomnia treatment, experts suggest to stop worrying about things in life and rest oneself to have a batter sleep. Worrying will make your life much worse by creating issues that do not even exist.
- Healthy Eating and Exercise
Unhealthy dietary patterns and lack of exercise have always proven to be the leading cause of inactiveness and physical or mental instability. This also affects the quality of sleep and time duration for resting. Mental health counselors and experts have always emphasized the importance of eating healthy and performing regular exercises to keep the mind and body active and develop proper sleep habits.
- Try Meditation
Another insomnia treatment strategy is to practice meditation and mindful exercises to keep unnecessary thoughts out of your mind. Sleep experts suggest that deep breathing, meditation, yoga, and other relaxation techniques can help calm the mind while improving metabolism and help you sleep better. Take meditation classes or practice deep breathing to keep your oxygen level optimum and develop healthy sleep patterns.