The term insomnia is often misused to refer to various sleep disorders, light sleep and difficulty falling asleep. In reality we can speak of insomnia only in the face of certain characteristics, which persist constantly for a long period of time and cause serious physical and mental problems. Find out in the article all the natural remedies for insomnia and the tips for finding a good night’s rest !
Sleep Quality or Amount
To determine a true sleep disorder, a standard optimal sleep duration must first be established. In practice, howeverIt is difficult to identify how many hours we need to sleep since it is an extremely individual aspect that varies from person to person . We can therefore say that to understand if it offers insomnia it is important to analyze the quality of sleep rather than the quantity.
There are people who need a few hours of sleep and others who need more sleep in order to stay healthy. It is a known fact that with advancing age the need for sleep decreases and also the psychological and character characteristics influence this aspect. It has been shown that those with a more extroverted, active and self-confident character generally need less sleep, compared to an introverted, neurotic and pessimistic person who instead tends to sleep for longer times.
How many hours a day you need to sleep
Let’s immediately dispel the 8 hours a night. In fact, insomnia or other sleep disturbances are often associated with a few hours of sleep per night. But in reality, as we explained earlier, there are people who need to sleep only a few hours. Some people while sleeping 4 or 5 hours a day feel rested like someone who has slept 9.
The point is not how many hours you sleep, but if the hours of sleep are enough for your body and your mind to feel healthy. It is essential to learn about your needs and respect them to avoid forms of stress. For example, it’s useless to force yourself to go to sleep early in the evening if you can’t fall asleep and risk getting anxious.
So: I suffer from insomnia, yes or noKnowing if you suffer from insomnia is relatively simple: if you are not feeling rested the next day then you may be suffering from a sleep disorder.
A minimum sleep time is essential
Scholars have established that there is a minimum sleep time necessary to stay healthy, equivalent to at least 2 hours per night. Special attention deserves the so-called afternoon nap: it is certainly a source of pleasure, but it cannot replace the hours of sleep at night.
But don’t think that sleeping a lot is good for you! The biological clock also establishes the maximum number of hours to devote to sleep equal to 15 consecutive hours a day. Sleeping too much is also a symptom of a disorder and an alarm bell that should not be underestimated.
Characteristics of insomnia and natural remedies to sleep well
Insomnia is a disorder or rather a symptom that signals an alteration in the organism. The causes of insomnia are numerous and can arise as a result of trauma, a period of high stress and anxiety or due to a biological disorder (in this regard, read the article on Melatonin).
Based on its characteristics, three types of insomnia can be distinguished:
- Transient insomnia , when strong external excitement, such as bad news, a change of time zone, a loud noise or a bad cold, causes a disturbance in the normal rhythm of the biological clock. Usually, once the original problem is removed, insomnia is also resolved.
- Chronic insomnia and habitual and present long-term insomnia. Sufferers have difficulty falling asleep or light sleep, which leave the feeling of never having fallen asleep.
- Short-term insomnia : As the term suggests, this type of insomnia lasts a short time, at most a few weeks, and often has emotional origins.
Natural remedies for insomnia
In the most serious cases of insomnia, with psychological and pathological causes, it is good to contact a psychotherapist or a sleep therapist. Medicinal herbs and melatonin supplements help in cases of short-term or transient insomnia, but also as additional support in cases of more serious sleep disorders.
To take officinal herbs you need to know how to choose the one suitable for your ailment, in fact each plant acts on a specific cause and symptoms. In general the purpose of herbs or remedies that help you sleepand that of stimulating mental and physical relaxation, reducing states of anxiety and anguish, to the point of reconciling the first phase of sleep. Each plant can be used alone or combined with other plants to enhance their effectiveness. Hawthorn, daisy and hops are just some of the herbs used to reduce sleep disturbances. To learn more about this topic, also read Herbs that help cure sleep disorders.
Dietary supplements of vitamin B6 and magnesium are also useful for regulating the sleep cycle. These elements in fact act to maintain the normal functioning of the nervous system by promoting the relaxation phases and regulating the biological clock.
Finally, taking pure melatonin can be one of thenatural remedies for insomnia, derived from a lowering of the concentration of this hormone in the body. Bringing the levels of melatonin present in the blood back to normal through a natural supplement can be the solution to sleep disturbances resulting from changes in time zones, frequent travel or for those suffering from “melatonin deficiency syndrome”.
Our advice
Before going to sleep, a nice hot shower relaxes the muscles of the body and the feeling of numbness that the steam of the hot water leaves envelops you. Prepare an herbal tea with relaxing medicinal herbs selected with your herbalist or try adding a few drops of a supplement consisting of vitamins, herbs or substances with relaxing powerin a glass of water. If you want to reduce the time to fall asleep, instead, try taking a pure melatonin supplement just before bed .