In America, more than 60 million people deal with insomnia daily. It is still not clear to doctors how to treat this condition that affects your everyday life. Chronic lack of sleep or a poor quality of sleep is associated with reduced learning and memory, increased risk of diabetes and dementia. If you lose just one day of sleep, you may be unable to perform mentally and physically. Insomnia manifests as the difficulty of going to sleep or remaining asleep each night. Physicians think that this problem comes from certain factors, such as mental, emotional or physical issues.
Addressing insomnia in a different way
People are affected by two types of insomnia, which have basically the same symptoms, such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up multiple times during the night, waking up too early in the morning, feeling of tiredness in the morning.
- The first type of insomnia is defined as the sleep problem that does not result from another health issue.
- The second type of insomnia is defined as the sleep problem that results from a medical condition, such as depression, cancer, heartburn, asthma, and arthritis.
Both types of insomnia can affect you for short or longer periods of times, people being unable to sleep well for several months. In addition to this, it is hard to diagnose insomnia because its symptoms can come and go.
Problems with prescription medication
The causes of insomnia vary from patient to patient, but physicians address this in the same manner by prescribing medication. While prescribed medication will help you sleep for a couple of days, they have a lot of side effects that will only damage your health more. The CDC had announced in 2013 that more than 9 million Americans were regularly using prescription sleep aids. In addition to this, they established that as people get older, they tend to take more and more sleeping medication. It is easy to get some sleeping pills from your physician, but the side effects that come with them are not something you want to deal with. Side effects may include:
- Increased tolerance to medication
- Burning in your arms, hands, legs or feet
- Loss of balance
- Uncontrollable shaking
- Change in appetite
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Mental slowness
- Unusual dreams
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Dry mouth
- Heartburn
- Weakness
- Stomach pain
- Increase resistance to insulin
- Amnesia
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Disorientation
The herb teas that can help you fall asleep
Herbal teas have been used for centuries as a way to relax before bed. But not every herb offers the same effects. For example, some herbs, such as gray tea can cause sleep disturbances. In addition to this, the effects of the herbs can vary from person to person. You have to experiment firstly before finding the tea that will help you sleep like a baby. The following herbs are known to help people fall asleep.
Passion Flower
This mild herb is used when you are overtired, overworked or anxious. Specialists have studied the passion flower and recommend you to use 0.07 ounces or 2 grams in 150 milliliters of water. You should drink this type of tea three-four times a day
Chamomile
This is one of the favorite herbs known for inducing relaxation and sleepiness. Clinical studies have determined that chamomile could get rid of chronic insomnia. Furthermore, this herb can help an irritable digestive tract.
Kava kava
Kava kava is known to reduce depression and anxiety. It is safe only in small dosages because it could cause liver damage. Germany, Canada, and Switzerland have banned all substances containing Kava kava because of this.
California poppy
Many people use this herb for relaxation. Studies prove that California poppy can reduce the amount of time until you fall asleep and also improve the sleep quality when used directly. With just 30 drops of tincture a day, it can help you fall asleep much easier.
Chronic problems, such as sleeplessness or insomnia can ruin your life. But with these simple herbs you can improve the quality and number of hours of sleep.
