5 Ways to cure Insomnia
More than 50% of people live in urban areas and lead stressful lives due to financial pressures, congestion, noise pollution and overcrowding. Some of us work overtime late into the night just to cope with rising living expenses but when we reach home, our minds are still at work: Will I earn enough to live the life I want to live? What if the economy gets bad tomorrow and I lose my job? My boss isn’t happy with my proposal, what should I do? Living in urban areas often means having a fast-paced life of trying to keep up with inflation which may result in stress and insomnia.
Insomnia is a prevalent issue that affects most of us urbanites and if not treated, can cause severe health damages to our bodies. In the short run, fatigue will set in and productivity declines while in the long run, there may be brain damage. Here are 5 methods to cure insomnia:
1. Do not use electronic devices before bedtime
Electronic devices emit short-wave light which tricks your body into thinking it is still daytime, delaying your body’s natural sleep cycle such that you will have difficulty falling asleep. Moreover, if the electronic device is work-related (like smartphones and laptops used for business purposes), your mind will be stressed out since you will keep thinking about your work.
Instead of reading documents, writing reports or simply scrolling through instagram, why not spend the 30 minutes before you sleep with your family? Or do something you like such as baking or taking a night stroll?
2. Only use your bed for sleeping
Some of us like to turn on the air conditioner, lie on our beds and do work. While this is comfortable, we are unconsciously programming our body to “recognise”/associate our beds as a place to work, not a place to rest, disrupting our bodies’ clock. As a result, when we lie down in bed, our brains get ready to work, not sleep.
3. Drink honey with milk
Milk and honey contain the amino acid L-tryotophan which aids in relaxation, as well as serotonin which calms the mind down.
4. Meditation
Meditation involves sitting still, deep breathing and relaxation in phases, allowing us to clear our minds of negative thoughts. By sitting still and relaxing our muscles, we relax our bodies from head to toe. Deep and slow breathing further lowers heart rate making it easier for us to fall asleep. Most of us think we do not have time to meditation but if we meditate 5 minutes before we sleep every day, we would have meditated for more than 1000 minutes after a year.
5. Visualisation
Visualisation is similar to meditation such that both involve staying still and relaxing but visualisation utilises the mind’s creativity to create a “dream” of your own. For example, in a relaxed state of mind, you can imagine you are at a desired location: Perhaps a beach where you picture golden sand with waves crashing onto the shore? Or perhaps you are in your desired apartment right in the middle of the business district? What are the sights, sounds, smell and feel of the surroundings?
Visualisation not only allows you to relax at a subconscious level but it also lets you see your own vision, or goal, by letting your creativity flow freely, unrestricted by external pressures in its purest form.
Sleep is an important aspect of life because to travel further, to work harder, to live healthier, we need to have adequate rest.
