Insomnia: Common Symptoms to Watch Out for (Plus 10 Natural Remedies)

Have you been tossing and turning on your bed lately at night?
If yes, then you must be suffering from insomnia which is a no laughing matter.

According to various studies, Insomnia affects 10% to 30% of the population worldwide, and it is considered to be more prevalent in women than in men.

It has been linked to a number of sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and shift work disorder.

This disorder is also linked to serious medical issues, physical and mental problems, and even pregnancy is susceptible to insomnia due to hormonal changes.

Insomnia has also been a worldwide topic, with famous names suffering from it.

Songbird Supreme Mariah Carey, revealed that she suffered from fatigue and bipolar disorder due to insomnia.

While former Italy Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi claims to sleep only two hours per night – which has resulted in a long-term heart condition.

Academy award winner Brad Pitt, stated in an interview that fatherhood impacted his sleeping habits. Pop singer Lady Gaga, suffered from fibromyalgia and PTSD, which interfered with her sleep.

In this article, we delve deep into information that we believe will help you better understand Insomnia.

We also included natural remedies to help you resolve your sleep problem.

Insomnia is a serious disorder characterized by nighttime sleeplessness, difficulty falling asleep, waking up too early, and being unable to return to sleep.

It is characterized by certain signs and symptoms that help you make a diagnosis.

Among these, the most differentiating ones include:

This type of insomnia can last from a few days to a week. It is a non-recurring insomnia with short-term effects, and the affected person eventually returns to normal sleep.

It can happen for a variety of reasons, including:

If you think your insomnia is recurring or happening from time to time, then you might be experiencing Intermittent Insomnia.

Sleep Tips: The best way to deal with transient insomnia is to remain calm and composed while not worrying excessively.

Avoid stimulant – they can make a person feel more awake, avoid bringing your work into your bedroom – it’s a room for intimacy, relaxation and sleep.

And, sometimes the effort of attempting to sleep prevents sleep -allow it to happen at its own, consistent pace.

Acute or Short-term Insomnia is similar to transient insomnia, it lasts up to 1 month and is frequently triggered by stress.

It happens as a result of:

Sleep Tips: If you’re suffering from acute or short-term insomnia, it is better to maintain good sleeping pattern, drink less fluids before bedtime, exercise regularly, avoid needless naps, and practice relaxing breathing techniques.

Sleep medication (such as melatonin, anti-depressant), can also be very helpful.

Chronic insomnia is a long-term sleep disorder that can last for months or even years.

This type of insomnia affects approximately one out of every ten people, making it a fairly common condition.

If you think that there is no underlying medical condition causing your chronic insomnia, you may have idiopathic insomnia, whereas comorbid insomnia is more common and is associated with serious illnesses.

Sleep Tips: Because this condition is more common in our elderly population, the most common treatment for this type of insomnia is medication; however, it is best to consult your doctor for dosing recommendations.

Additionally, research have shown that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can aid with Chronic Insomnia treatment.

If you are having trouble in initiating sleep, you are probably experiencing Onset Insomnia.

It is more common in people dealing with mental health disorder, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), inappropriate use of sleep medication, and stimulant addiction.

Sleep Tips: Because this condition is associated with serious illness, it is best to seek prescriptions from your doctor.

Try to improve your sleeping habits and become more socially and physically active.

If you are having difficulty sleeping for longer periods of time or waking up too early and being unable to return to sleep, you are most likely suffering from Maintenance Insomnia.

This sleep disorder is linked to a number of underlying health conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression, GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease), sleep apnea, and respiratory problems.

Sleep Tips: Maintain regular exercise routines or practice meditation and yoga, avoid caffeine consumption, be socially active, and eat healthily.

Consult your doctor about sleep medication.

If you feel like you are the only one suffering from endless sleepless nights, then rest assured, you are not alone in this boat.

This monster, insomnia, haunts tons of people ranging from millionaires bringing us new tech every day to celebs putting their all to entertain us.

Although the list of these apparently “perfect” people goes on, in this post, we are gonna talk about everyone’s favourite Barbados babe, RiRi!

The Fenty fashion line owner and 9 Grammy Awards winner doesn’t sleep at night!

Yes! You read it correctly!

This gorgeous woman, like the tons of others, isn’t able to switch off her mind.

The world of glitz and glam has fixed her brain to a go-go-go mode which has entirely destroyed her sleep-wake cycle.

She deems getting home at or before 1 am as early. How hectic is that?!

Also, after getting home, she can’t go to bed straight thanks to her ever-active mind. Ah! Her poor sleep-wake cycle!

Image via Twitter

Her insomniac traits are, as explained by her in multiple interviews, due to her hectic schedule and shiftless work that requires full attention at odd hours of the day and night.

She counters her condition by having sleep pockets as the pop and business world doesn’t let her have a defined sleep pattern.

There have been numerous researches on similar conditions, like the one faced by our Caribbean queen.

According to Aminoff’s Neurology and General Medicine, it can be classified as either Shift Work Disorder or Irregular Sleep-Wake Disorder, both involving an unusual schedule leading to a disruptive sleep-wake cycle.

The only way of getting rid of it is via either Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or pharmacologic interventions, aka, medicinal treatments.

Here are some natural remedies for insomnia that can help you sleep soundly at night:

Experts recommend that you engage in physical and mental activities such as meditation, yoga, and general exercise for at least an hour every day to reduce stress and improve your sleep quality.

It also improves heart health, burns fat, reduces anxiety, and boosts mental performance. If an hour is not possible in your schedule, a short 20–30-minute session will suffice.

When we are exposed to sunlight, our bodies produce melatonin, a sleep hormone.

It aids in the regulation of your body’s circadian rhythm.

In addition, when sunlight strikes our skin, it produces Vitamin D, which is beneficial to bone growth and immune system function.

It’s possible that stress caused you to become agitated, moody, depressed, and exhausted.

When stress begins to affect your daily life, it reduces your sex drive, alters your appetite, makes you pessimistic, and, in the worst-case scenario, causes health problems.

Learn how to manage your stress by taking time to recharge yourself, practice muscle relaxation and deep-breathing technique.

You are what you eat.

The healthier the food you feed your body, the better.

Many foods, such as cheddar cheese, nuts, salmon, collard greens, and others, include chemical properties that can make you feel relaxed or drowsy.

While other foods, such as caffeine-rich foods, spicy foods, and fatty foods, are known to prevent sleepiness.

An energizing walk helps you to relax and put your mind at ease, expert suggest it’s best to do in the morning, it gives more energy than a cup of caffeine.

It also optimizes better mood and improve sleep.

It originated in ancient times and gained popularity in the 1940s.

It’s been used to treat depression and anxiety, as well as rehabilitation healing, blood pressure control, pain relief, and insomnia.

Tuning forks, Tibetan gongs, and Tibetan bowls are examples.

Listen and participate in a health and wellness discussion.

It promotes emotional benefits to our well-being; reduces stress and helps you look for more deeper meanings in your life.

It is a blend of relaxation and therapeutic massage.

Insomniacs benefit from this therapy because it significantly improves their sleeplessness and daytime dysfunction.

It also helps to relieve stress, and because it focuses on pain points, it is appropriate for people suffering from fibromyalgia.

It also improves your overall well-being.

Depending on your insomnia condition, you can also try several types of massage, such as aromatherapy massage, reflexology massage, Swedish massage, and trigger point massage.

If you love scents, try using Aromatherapy products or essential oils.

It helps to improve mood, reduce pain, and improve sleep quality.

It can be inhaled or applied topically after being combined with a carrier oil.

Essential oils such as Bergamot, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Lavender, Peppermint, Sandalwood, and Valerian oil are recommended for you.

It is important to create a sleep-inducing environment. Among these lifestyle changes are:

Apart from Vitamin D, which helps you regulate melatonin, research show that Vitamin C is also an important sleep component.

It helps boost your immune system and act as anti-oxidant.

Guava, bell peppers, oranges, grapefruit, kale, and broccoli are all natural sources of Vitamin C. While a daily intake of Vitamin C can be obtained by supplement, the daily recommended amount for an average adult is 75mg to 90mg.

Diet and sleep are strongly connected to each other and nutrients have a great impact on our sleep.

There are number of nutrients that must be present in your diet in order to improve sleeping patterns and their deficiency can reduce sleepiness.

Lack of Vitamins B6 and B12, C, D, and E, Magnesium, Iron, Calcium, and Potassium are among them.

Insomnia can be treated by practicing a healthy lifestyle.

This sleeping issue can be treated in a variety of natural and medical ways.

Keep in mind that too much of anything is always bad for you, and that sleep is essential for our health.

Getting adequate sleep will help to support and strengthen your immune system.

Eating with discipline can go a long way. Regular exercise can improve the quantity and quality of life.

They say that laughter is the best medicine, so laugh with your friends and loved ones and engage in positive social activities to improve your mood and reduce stress.

Check out our other articles on sleep disorders or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more information.

Happy Sleeping!