7 Good Habits to Fight Insomnia Naturally
Insomnia has become one of the modern ailments that, while ignored by many, is related to the appearance of other physical and emotional health disorders. Luckily, you can fight insomnia naturally by developing good habits.
It happens when a person has trouble getting to sleep, or when they suffer interruptions during the night.
Because the body doesn’t manage to optimally fulfil its functions during the period of rest, it leads to certain reactions which little by little reduce our quality of life.
The most worrying thing is that many people ignore the negative effects it leads to and, even if it happens regularly, don’t take measures to control it until they suffer from a significant consequence.
While it is true that many cases are mild and sporadic, it is essential to pay attention to this problem to stop it getting the upper hand.
Fortunately, you can fight insomnia naturally. After all, practising certain habits daily can have a positive influence on the quality of our sleep.
Discover them!
1. Eating a light dinner
Eating a light dinner one or two hours before going to bed is essential to prevent interruptions during the night.
- Skipping this main meal can cause digestive problems and hunger, which affects our sleep.
- On the other hand, eating very heavy or large meals causes heartburn and acid reflux, which will also stop you sleeping well.
We recommend you read: 7 Foods You Should Avoid if You Suffer from Acid Reflux
2. Avoid consuming caffeine or stimulants
Stimulating drinks, like energy drinks or coffee, contain caffeine and other chemical ingredients that can cause difficulties with getting to sleep at a healthy time.
- These substances keep the brain active and so inhibit the effect of the neurotransmitters that enable us to rest.
- It is essential to limit your consumption of these substances as much as possible, especially in the evening.
- Instead, it is better to drink natural juices, infusions or hot milk.
3. Keep a regular schedule
Keeping a fixed schedule for going to sleep is one of the habits that can help fight insomnia, especially when this tends to be recurrent.
In this way we can get our body used to keeping its circadian rhythms and so we will feel the desire to sleep at the same time each day.
- Your schedule needs to allow you to get enough sleep (at least 7 hours without interruptions).
- It also implies avoiding sudden changes on public holidays or weekends.
4. Do regular exercise
Doing regular physical exercise helps us to maintain adequate production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that influences our quality of sleep.
This, as well as helping relieve stress and depression, makes it ideal to fight insomnia.
- It is recommended that you dedicate at least 30 minutes a day, 3 or 4 days a week, to exercise.
- You can walk or do any cardiovascular exercise.
- It is also beneficial to practice high-impact combined training.
5. Create an appropriate environment for sleep
The environment we sleep in has a lot to do with the quality of sleep. Although we are accustomed to doing many activities in our room, the ideal thing is to leave this space exclusively for sleep.
That is to say, if you’re used to working or doing other activities in this room, it’s best if you look for other alternatives.
- Computers, televisions and other things which cause distraction should be kept in other places in the house.
- It is important to check the conditions of the space, making sure that the temperature is regular and that it is quiet and dark.
- It is also important to make sure you keep the bed clean and comfortable.
6. Meditate
Meditating before going to sleep is a reflective practice that, as well as controlling anxiety and stress, also contributes to achieving a better quality of sleep.
This therapy is especially recommended when the insomnia is related to emotional or nervous disorders.
- To practice meditation, it is important to have a calm and quiet environment at a distance from potential distractions.
- It is ideal to combine it with breathing exercises to get more benefits.
Read also: 2 Minutes of Meditation for Better Health
7. Drink infusions that help you to sleep
There is a wide variety of plants which, due to their properties, help to relax the body and mind to guarantee deep, restorative sleep.
In general, these plants are prepared as an infusion and are an alternative treatment to some medications against insomnia.
The recommended plants include:
- Valerian
- Chamomile
- Linden blossom
- Lemon balm
- Marjoram
- Boldo
- Mint
- Lavender
Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you struggling to get enough hours of rest? If lately you are tossing and turning in bed and you can’t get to sleep, put these recommended habits into practice and say goodbye to this problem.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Drerup, M. (2014). Insomnia, Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of. In Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385157-4.00556-X
- Wilson, S., & Nutt, D. (2004). Treatment of insomnia. Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1383/psyt.3.7.31.42879
- Currie, S. R., Wilson, K. G., Pontefract, A. J., & DeLaplante, L. (2000). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of insomnia secondary to chronic pain. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.68.3.407
