Insomnia Due to Anxiety: How to Remedy It

When you climb to into bed after a hard day’s work, do you find yourself having a difficult time getting off to sleep no matter how tired you feel? Is your mind still racing with thoughts of events that happened earlier in the day? Do you find yourself constantly tossing and turning night after night? If so, you could be suffering from insomnia.

Insomnia Defined
By definition, insomnia is an abnormally, prolonged inability to fall asleep or remain asleep. And since the amount of sleep people need differs individually, the true measure of adequacy of sleep is based on your feeling of being fully rested and refreshed when you wake up.

Insomnia Due to Anxiety
Insomnia is often a symptom of another problem. Its real cause is the stresses and strains of the day that you feel unable to cope with.
Overwhelming responsibilities and chores that need to be fulfilled throughout the day can take away your ability to rest at night. The anxiety, pressure and tension you experience during the day can stress your muscles and drain your mental faculties, leaving you unable to relax and get the sleep you need. 
Insomnia can also lead to other health complications such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

Here are some tips for some simple changes in your daily habits and lifestyle patterns that can significantly help:

The Remedies

1. Avoid Coffee
To remedy your sleeping problem, keep in mind that coffee is a known stimulant. Coffee contains caffeine that suppresses melatonin, a hormone necessary for relaxation and for sleep. It also stimulates the secretion of adrenaline that keeps the body fired up. Instead of winding down the body and preparing it for sleep, caffeine increases blood flow to the muscles and increases alertness to keep the mind and body active. Therefore, to get the much needed rest, it is vital that coffee and other caffeinated beverages such as colas must be avoided before bedtime.

2. Limit Alcohol
Although wine does help calm the nerves, experts caution that excessive consumption of this alcoholic beverage prevents you from reaching the deeper stages of sleep. Even if it makes you drowsy initially, it can causes you to wake up in the middle of the night.

3. Drink Warm Milk
Drinking warm milk before going to bed helps to encourage sleep and to manage insomnia. Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan which makes you feel sleepy. A warm glass of milk also helps to warm the body. When the body is warmer, people can sleep better as the muscles become more relaxed.

4. Have An Exercise Routine
The purpose of exercise is not only to keep the body fit but also to relieve the mental stress brought on by demanding roles and functions. Brisk walking, jogging, running or aerobics can help alleviate the tension and agitation felt mentally and physically. With exercise, oxygen supply to the brain is increased which helps improve the transmission of electrical impulses from neurons to neurons. In addition, exercise helps release special hormones that deliver a positive effect on your mood. These hormones are called endorphins. They are popularly known as the happy hormones because they induce a feeling of happiness, calmness and positivity.

5. Change Your Eating Habits
You have to be careful with the amount of food you take upto 4 hours before you go to bed. It is very important to have smaller meals and avoid lots of sweets and colas. Having a big meal and may result in hyperacidity that can affect your ability to sleep. On the other hand, foods containing lots of sugar can keep you alert and wide awake at night.To induce sleep, substitute fatty foods with complex carbohydrates. Include green leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach and cauliflower in your diet. Foods high in fat content are difficult for the body to digest. Drink plenty of water during the day too. Water will help flush out toxins from the body.

Insomnia is not something that you should take lightly. Without adequate rest, your body will not be able to function to its fullest. To feel refreshed, alert and raring to go in the morning, you have to get the sleep you need.

Ryan Rivera, a former anxiety patient, conquered his insomnia through the use of these simple remedies. To learn more, visit www.calmclinic.com.