Insomnia has been plaguing the human race for the last 3 centuries. The main reason for the advent of common insomnia is the rise in complexity in life. Before the advent of war, economy, and politics, insomnia was only caused by disease and brain disorders. Now, especially in the electronic age, insomnia is a rampant case that has been plaguing society and causing less productivity in our waking hours. That is why there is a need for natural treatments for insomnia in our lives today.
Just What Causes Common Insomnia
When I talk about common insomnia, it is the type of insomnia that can be cured with common means. This type of insomnia is caused by psychological and chemical causes. Doctors have found that people who cannot sleep during their bedtime have increased activity in the arousal circuits of their brain. This can be caused either by the brain itself or by the chemicals that affect the brain. In curing insomnia, we take a two-pronged approach. One aiming at the psychological causes such as anxiety, stress, worry, fear, and anger. And the other aiming at the chemical causes, certain chemicals that wake up your brain.
Chemicals to Avoid in the battle against Insomnia
Caffeine is the main culprit why most people cannot get to sleep right away. What caffeine does is it dulls the special receptors in the brain that accept special neurotransmitters that tells the brain it needs to get some sleep. Try to avoid food containing caffeine at least 3-4 hours before bedtime. Items that contain caffeine are energy drinks, colas, coffee, and certain carbonated beverages. Nicotine is the brain’s ignition switch. That is why most truck drivers smoke or use nicotine patches to “wake up” their brains so-to-speak. Lastly, sugar can temporarily heighten blood sugar, making it hard for the brain to settle down and relax. It causes hyperactivity for a short while, but often times it makes people less sleepy for a substantially long time.
Food to Take to Fight Insomnia
Here are some of the best natural treatments for insomnia. Milk, turkey, oats, cereals, corn, eggs, poultry, and beef, are just some of the foods that can really help you get some good night’s rest. Milk, turkey, eggs, beef, and some poultry, are rich in tryptophan, a precursor to melatonin and an essential ammino acid. Melatonin a naturally occurring antioxidant that helps people avoid a lot of disorders including sleeping disorders and regulate sleep. Whole what, oats, corn, and cereals are rich in carbohydrates that promote the release of insulin. Insulin helps tryptophan to be processed right away for melatonin instead of storing it into our muscle. Ever, wonder why you feel really sleepy after a big thanksgiving dinner? Now you know.
It’s all in the Mind
The brain is responsible for sleep and always will be. We cannot get to sleep easily when we’re worried stressed, anxious, or angry. Here is nothing good that worrying can do to us, so why worry? It is like a rocking chair that cannot get us anywhere. There are lots of books that help us fight worry, and anxiety, but my personal favorite is Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to Stop Worrying and Start Living’. Speaking of books, reading a good book can always appease the mind. Not only does it put your mind away from your worries, it relaxes the eyes with rhythmic motions.