“How can I ease insomnia?”
I'm 30 and have been diagnosed with insomnia. It's pretty hard to deal with it sometimes so I'd like to know how can I ease insomnia?
1 Answer
The concept of dealing with chronic insomnia is "sleep hygiene," and there is a lot written on sleep hygiene that you could easily find online. But it includes the following examples:
1) avoid watching TV, bright lights, computer use before bed
2) exercise earlier in the day on a regular basis(ie--as little as 30 minutes of walking a day will help--but avoid strenuous activity just before going to bed
3) avoid CAFFEINE after 12 noon(ie--coffee, tea, soft drinks, etc)
4) use the bedroom ONLY for sleep and sex(ie--and NOT for TV watching and computer use)
5) stress/anxiety management/relief as stress/anxiety(and depression too) can cause insomnia
6) avoid taking daytime naps
7) you could try things like melatonin -- which is "natural," very safe, and works about half the time to some degree -- and antihistamines like Benadryl (but I would NOT take these drugs every night -- but only 2-4 times a week as I have noted reduced effect if taken every night
8) if none of these work, an evaluation for psychologic causes, sleep apnea, or other underlying "medical" causes may help. Sleeping pills are commonly prescribed, but they all have side effects, can lead to habituation, and can lead to falling, cognitive impairment, and reduced life expectancy in people over the age of 60-65. They need to be avoided if at all possible.
Lastly, A visit to a really knowledgeable Internal Medicine specialist or Sleep expert may help find a solution.
1) avoid watching TV, bright lights, computer use before bed
2) exercise earlier in the day on a regular basis(ie--as little as 30 minutes of walking a day will help--but avoid strenuous activity just before going to bed
3) avoid CAFFEINE after 12 noon(ie--coffee, tea, soft drinks, etc)
4) use the bedroom ONLY for sleep and sex(ie--and NOT for TV watching and computer use)
5) stress/anxiety management/relief as stress/anxiety(and depression too) can cause insomnia
6) avoid taking daytime naps
7) you could try things like melatonin -- which is "natural," very safe, and works about half the time to some degree -- and antihistamines like Benadryl (but I would NOT take these drugs every night -- but only 2-4 times a week as I have noted reduced effect if taken every night
8) if none of these work, an evaluation for psychologic causes, sleep apnea, or other underlying "medical" causes may help. Sleeping pills are commonly prescribed, but they all have side effects, can lead to habituation, and can lead to falling, cognitive impairment, and reduced life expectancy in people over the age of 60-65. They need to be avoided if at all possible.
Lastly, A visit to a really knowledgeable Internal Medicine specialist or Sleep expert may help find a solution.
