Embrace Yourself

We wake up at sunrise and fall asleep in twilight.

All of us somehow knew that each of us has a sleeping pattern of our own. For example: your sleeping time, your sleeping hours and even what you do before your sleeping time.

Some may sleep after a good reading,
Some may sleep after listening to music,
Some may sleep after a cup of hot milk,
But some of us just could not fall asleep.

Counting stars outside your square-window or imaginary sheep over the fence were one of the ways to fall asleep when we were young.

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation categories insomnia into four:

• Difficulty falling asleep,
• Waking up too early and not being able to get back to sleep,
• Frequent awakenings, and
• Waking up feeling unrefreshed.

Insomnia was stated as:
A symptom of a sleep disorder or other medical, psychological or psychiatric problems. Often, insomnia can be treated. Symptoms should be discussed with a health care professional when those symptoms occur more than a few times a week and start to affect a person's daytime functioning.

Generally, what we do and eat 2 hours before our bedtime is important as it causes difficulty in falling asleep. According to Nutritionist Joy Bauer, caffeine, alcohol, large meal and stop liquid intake 90 minustes prior to bedtime should be considered to counter typical insomnia.

Caffeine can be found in drinks and food such as, coffee, tea, certain soft drinks and chocolate. Most people are sensitive to caffeine, thus caffeine should be avoided at least 8 hours before bedtime to ensure a good night sleep.

Alcohol caused dizziness and at times it was wrongly translated as sleepiness. Using alcohol to get a good night sleep is a big mistake. No doubt, falling asleep is not a big problem with alcohol consumption but the problem arise when the alcoholic effect wears off and you will find yourself waking up in the middle of the night. Moreover, your sleeps will be non other than restless sleeps with the presence of alcohol.

Consuming large meal before bedtime will cause discomfort. Your body takes time to digest thus it is advisable to consume your dinner at least 3 hours before your bedtime and meal of 600 calories and below for dinner.

Avoiding liquid 90 minutes before bedtime is merely to ensure that you need to wake up halfway for toilet trips. This will be useful for those who have difficulties falling asleep after awoke.

There a lot factors causing insomnia and there are more ways to counter insomnia.
Visit Sleep Doctor Michael Breus's blog for further specific information.

Watch it here:
How to make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary by Dr Breus on The Today Show.





Picture Courtesy of Medicine World. org


Thank you for reading.