Are you making do with insomnia? Maybe you know about someone who is battling this disorder? If so, there is a good chance you want to look for the ideal ways to keep it bay. Depending on your situation, the diagnosis of insomnia and the search for its cause may include physical exam, sleep habits review, and sleep study.
In most cases, changing your sleep habits and addressing any complications that may be associated with insomnia, such as stress, medical conditions or medications, can restore sleep for a good number of people.
If they don’t yield the expected results, your medical practitioner may recommend cognitive behavioral therapy, medications, or both, to help improve relaxation and sleep. The essence of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia is help you control or do away with negative thoughts and actions that keep you awake.
The first line for people with treatment (CBT-1) teaches individuals to recognize and change beliefs that affect their ability to sleep. Moreover, is entails eliminating the cycle that can develop where you worry so much about getting to sleep that you can’t fall asleep.
With CBT-1, you will have to make do with stimulus control therapy. This strategy helps remove factors that condition your mind to resist sleep. For instance, you might be trained on what it takes to set a consistent bedtime and wake time, while also avoiding naps, use the bed only for sleep and sex, and leave the bedroom if you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes.
Aside from stimulus control therapy, your medical practitioner may also recommend relaxation techniques. These relaxation techniques entail progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback and breathing exercises to reduce anxiety at bedtime. Incorporating these techniques in your life has the potential to help you control breathing, heart rate, muscle tension and mood so that you can relax.
Last but not least is sleep restriction. This therapy is aimed at decreasing the time you spend in bed and avoid daytime naps, leading to partial sleep deprivation, which makes you more tired the next night. Once your sleep has improved over time, your time in bed is gradually increased.
While insomnia has the potential to turn your life into a living hell. No wonder you should seek medical attention within the shortest time possible before things get out of hand. It is then that you can help change your life for the better.