I’ve suffered from insomnia for a long time. Most people think that insomnia means you can’t sleep at all. Although insomnia literally means a complete lack of sleep, the meaning goes beyond the literal translation. Insomnia refers to the inability to sleep, which includes trouble falling asleep, difficulty remaining asleep, early final awakening, or a combination of these problems.

My doctor prescribed sleeping pills for me and told me that they may not work all the time. For someone who hadn’t slept in 3 weeks, this was not something that I wanted to hear.

I tried out the pills, but they didn’t always work. In order to properly take the pills, I needed to devote 6 to 8 hours to sleep. Well, if I tried to go without them and I woke up at let’s say 2AM and then I took the pill, I wouldn’t wake up until around 10AM and I’d still be tired. Oftentimes I would take the pill around 10PM, wake up around 2AM and be drowsy and tired all morning. Sometimes the sleeping pills did work, but most of the time they were a big let down.

In addition to the obvious symptom-lack of sleep-insomniacs suffer from lapses of memory and a lack of concentration during the day. Other symptoms also include loss of coordination and confusion and emotional instability.

Causes of Insomnia

Psychological factors-stress brought about by worry, work issues, relationship problems and other types of mental tension.

Lifestyle factors:
• Excessive intake of caffeine (tea, coffee, pop)
• Consumption of alcohol-a lot of people think a drink will help you sleep, but it actually promotes interrupted sleep
• Working non-traditional hours (shiftwork)
• Inactive lifestyle

Environmental factors-noise (rambunctious neighbors, television, traffic) and light (keeping lights on, LED lights from computers and TVs).

Illness-a lot of times insomnia occurs due to another illness or disorder that requires medical treatment.

Insomnia remedies I’ve tried

Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland and controls your body’s 24-hour patterns (Circadian rhythm).

One day I popped in to the local health store and started looking for an alternative to sleeping pills. The employees were really hyped about Melatonin and kept telling me that it would give me strange dreams. Not sure what marketing angle they were going for here. Sounded a bit suspicious to me.

I’d read mixed reviews on the net, but decided to give it a go anyway. It did reduce the time it took for me to fall asleep and overall, it kept me asleep longer than prescription drugs. I did have very vivid dreams and felt like I was somewhere else entirely.

You can pick up melatonin pills at your local drug store.

Valerian is a calming herb that’s used as a sedative for insomniacs. I tried it out and not only does it help improve overall sleep function, but it also reduces pain and anxiety. Take between 300-600 mg of valerian root supplement before you go to bed.

Meditation music-I tried a sea-themed CD. Track 1 was great and soothed me. I started to drift off and then track 2 came on and in keeping with the sea-theme, the CD makers decided to add some screeching seagulls. Lovely. I’d say listen to a preview at Borders before you buy a meditation CD. I could only imagine trying to sleep to sounds of the rainforest and some shrieking monkey creating mayhem and disrupting your sleep.

Home remedies for insomnia

Honey has a hypnotic effect and induces a sound sleep. Take 2 teaspoons in a cup of water before bed. Or add 2 teaspoons to decaffeinated herbal tea.

Thiamine (Vitamin B) is essential for healthy nerves and can be found right in your pantry-wholegrain cereals and nuts.

Cookies or other sugary foods act as a sedative when eaten 30 minutes before bedtime. Don’t overindulge though because eating too many cookies (say 3 boxes of Girl Scout cookies) will keep you awake.

Other remedies

Reduce stress-get rid of as many stress factors as possible. Limit your work hours and don’t take on too many projects at once. Spend time engaging in activities you enjoy.

Exercise-regular exercise promotes physical and mental relaxation, especially right before bed.

-Nolan

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Does a cup of warm cow juice before bed really help you fall asleep? Maybe. Or maybe not.

Milk contains tryptophan, a sleep-inducing chemical that tells your brain your body is sleepy. This is the same chemical found in your Thanksgiving turkey, the one that’s said to make you fall asleep afterward. However, the amount of tryptophan found in turkey and even milk is comparable to the amount found in other meats and not may people feel sleepy after eating a box of White Castles. So why the drowsiness? Most likely it’s the feeling of being full, the consumption of carbohydrates or just the simple ingesting of something warm and soothing.

It’s more probable that drinking warm milk to fall asleep may just be a psychological effect. Sorry Bessy!

Infants often go right to sleep after breastfeeding. When an adult enjoys a warm glass of milk they may just be taking an unconscious, nostalgic trip back to this “happy place.” Who doesn’t enjoy a good suckle?
–Andrew Klein

It’s a peaceful thought, going back to a time when you didn’t have to worry about paying bills, making dinner and getting up in time for work each morning. Warm milk may very well spark that lovely bit of nostalgia inside us. Indeed, we all need to find our happy place at night in order to get a good night’s rest.

—Magdalena

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