All The Useful Tips To Treat Insomnia (Sleepless Nights)

Insomnia treatment

We all need sleep. The length of sleep varies from person to person and age. However, the average person needs about seven hours of sleep a night.

A good night sleep leave one feeling refreshed and energized for the days activity. It plays an important role in our overall health and well-being.

Sleeping for the number of hours per night is one thing (quantity), having a good night sleep is another (quality). Unfortunately, in some countries one in ten people suffer from insomnia. Insomnia is a medical condition in which the person finds it difficult to sleep and staying asleep. In some other cases, they wake up several times a night or wake up early in the morning and find it difficult to fall back asleep. At the end, the person doesn't feel refreshed after waking up.
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Causes Of Insomnia

There are so many causes of Insomnia. It will require a couple of questions and accurate reply from  patient to pinpoint the actual cause pertaining to that person. However, knowing the different causes can help both the pharmacist and the patient in analysing the cause and work out a possible solution.

Stress And Anxiety

Having a bad day can put a strain on good sleep. So too is having unresolved problems that come in the form of anxiety. However it is sure to resolve within days. Anything short of that will require medical attention.

Work Schedule

Working for long hours can alter sleep pattern. People that are required to wake up earlier than normal will not be able to sleep well at night. This is because they will sleep with an eye open to not wake up too late and end up going to work late. I have experience this during national youth service corps (NYSC) camp where we were expected to go to the parade ground by 4:00 AM. To get a night's sleep was poor.

Lifestyle

Having fun is not bad. But there are some fun activities that can rob us of good sleep at night. Heavy alcohol consumption have been shown to cause one to fall asleep but result in poor quality sleep. It can also cause one to wake up too frequently just to urinate. Others are taking caffeine, drinking liquid in the evening and eating late or heavy food.

Sleep Environment

The mattress and the room setting significantly play an important role in the sleep patterns of people.

Gadgets

The use of gadgets can affect how one sleeps. Using a mobile phone, watching television, etc are some of the gadgets that can influence night sleep.

Disease

Some diseases greatly affect sleep pattern. Mental health like psychiatric conditions are some examples. Some physical conditions like pain is also implicated.

Drugs

There are several drugs that have been shown over the years to affect sleep. Some come as a side effect as others come as adverse effects.

Solutions To Insomnia

Many people experiencing insomnia visit the pharmacy for drugs. Non pharmacological approach or adjusting the way of life can significantly help resolve it for some. However, there are three classes of drugs that can be used to tackle insomnia. It is necessary to adjust the way of life even when using the medication.

Drugs Use In Insomnia

Antihistamine

The federal drug agency (FDA) approve two drugs as over the counter (OTC) to treat Insomnia. They are diphenhydramine and doxylamine. They induce sedation.

Melatonin

Melatonin is naturally compoud found in our body. It is produced by the pineal gland and helps to regulate the sleep pattern. It responds to light. It is mass produced in the evening. It is produced in the body when the light entering the eyes is low. The production in the body drops during the day as the eyes is exposed to more light. A synthetic version have been produced as a supplement. It supplies the melatonin needed at night to cause sleep.

Herbal Supplements

There are several herbal supplements in use today. However, the FDA though have licence many have always warn that they have not be evaluated as needed with prescription only medicine (POM), controlled drugs (CD) or OTC.

Non Pharmacological

Sleeping And Waking Time

You should start by having a specific time of going to bed. The time should be chosen to coincide with when you normally feel sleepy. Go to bed only when feeling sleepy and never too early in the evening. The is same too with waking up. You can develop a bedtime ritual. This can be reading, listening to music or telling midnight takes to the kids. You can use an alarm for waking up.

Nap

If you use to enjoy day time nap, it is time to diss it to enjoy a good night's sleep.

Room Condition

The room should be well lit. The lighting should not be too bright. If the light in the room is bright, the body will stop producing melatonin thinking it is day time. Wear eye blinders or use thick curtains to reduce light entering the eyes. Keep the room temperature to match the weather condition. Cool room during the hot weather and  warm environment during the rainy season.

Keep the room free from television and other distractions. The room should only be for sleep and sexual activities. Use a good mattress and keep it neat and tidy. Too hard or soft mattress can affect sleep. Minimize noise pollution. Use ear plugs to reduce hearing noise. Get the wall clock or any other time piece out of sight to avoid looking.

Food

There is a bad eating habits that can affect your sleep pattern. Besides, there are some foods that badly alter the body's sleep pattern. To start with, avoid nicotine and caffeinated foods especially within 4-6 hour of bed time. Caffeine cause fragmented sleep and helps keep us alert. That is most students night reading secrets. Nicotine on the other hand is from smoking cigarettes and some other hard drugs.

Avoid heavy meals before going to bed. Food should be eaten at least an hour before bed time. Sugary foods and chocolate is not good as it encourages frequent urination. This also goes for drinking an excessive amount of fluid in the evening. Avoid alcohol as it helps people fall asleep but cause bad sleep pattern.

Drugs

There are some drugs that can affect sleep directly or indirectly. A good example is diuretic which is a blood pressure reducing medication. They cause excessive urination. To avoid waking up at night just to pee, they are best taken in the morning or early afternoon.
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Exercise

You don't need vigorous exercise close to bed time. Vigorous exercise should be done at least 3 hours before bed time. Just a minor one some hours before bedtime if need be because it can help calm the nerves and improve sleep. Walk after super is good. You can take a warm bath an hour before bedtime. It help calm the nerves. But this is good in cd weather conditions.

Last Option

What can be done when all these fails. If after spending about 20 minutes in bed and sleep fails to come, simply get out of bed and out of the room. Return when feeling sleepy.

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