Even after having regular sleeps over the years, you can develop insomnia out of blue at any time and at any age. A study shows that one in three people are suffering from insomnia. Not only is this the inability to fall asleep, but it also involves not being able to stay asleep or continually waking up earlier than planned.
There are many different methods to help your insomnia problem and help you get your sleep back on track.
A common misconception is that people start taking sleeping pills as a mean to cure insomnia. Think again, sleeping pills are effective if you have serious issues such as bereavement, loss of your job or marital break-up. The usage of sleeping pills is a temporary crutch at best, not a long term answer. You can not cure insomnia by using such pills.
You should also avoid stimulants like caffeine (found in cola, tea and chocolate) and excessive sugar as well. You also need to check if you're consuming certain medications like sinus pills and diet pills as these pills can keep you awake longer than usual.
It is also not advisable to use alcohol as sleep aid. It is another misconception that a drink or more will relax you enough to sleep but it only helps provide broken sleep. Again this is temporary and should not be used at all by those suffering from insomnia.
Also, avoid heavy meals at night and try to eat much before your sleeping time. You may also want to skip liquids at night if you are having insomnia.
Don't take afternoon nap longer than 30 minutes during the day if you can't sleep at night. Taking long nap will be likely confusing to your body sleep clock and therefore make you hard to fall asleep at night.
Never perform any non sexual or non sleep related activities on your bed like watching TV or typing on your computer if you have problem sleeping. These activities will keep your mind busy.
If you are not physically active, you should start exercising during the day and avoid exercising at least 60 minutes before bed time.
By Toby Wong
