Are you sick of people giving you advice on how to sleep better or cure your insomnia? Me too. I provide insomnia treatment in Houston, Texas and most of my clients have absolutely tried it all when it comes to sleep. They have a laundry list of remedies they have tried with little success.
Below are some common remedies for insomnia
1. Warm milk, sleepy-time tea and other beverages
If warm milk cured insomnia, there would be a lot of happy and well rested people. Warm beverages at night can be relaxing and be a part of a healthy wind down routine to help you decompress from the stresses of your day. It’s not bad to drink decaffeinated tea, but it’s not a science supported treatment for insomnia.
2. Sleeping in a cold, dark room
It’s true, if you’re trying to sleep in a hot room with bright lights shining down on you, you just might have trouble sleeping. In Houston, it is hot and humid and stays light out until 9pm in the summer. So if you are having difficulty sleeping because it’s 83 degrees in your room and your partner is leaving the light on to read, then sure, maybe try cranking up the A.C. and ask your partner to please get a book light.
The hormones that our bodies produce to help us sleep are cued by darkness, but that’s not usually the problem that people with insomnia are having. Also, as our body temperature drops, it does promote sleep. Being too hot can disrupt your ability to sleep. But as mentioned above most people with insomnia are already sleeping in cold and dark rooms. Making the room colder and darker is not usually the cure for insomnia.
3. Counting sheep to fall asleep (and other distractions)
Have you found yourself counting from 500 to 1? Or thinking of all the cities you can name? If this is you, you’re not alone. Many people try all kinds of thinking exercises or imagery exercises at night to try to help them fall asleep.
However, I want you to go back to a time in your life when you had very little difficulty sleeping. What did you “do” to fall asleep? Or, ask someone you know who doesn’t have insomnia. What do they “do” to fall asleep? Their answer is probably “nothing.” They just lie down with the expectation that sleep will happen. Their mind wanders all over the place thinking of various things.
They don’t try to control it or do any special mind tricks. The process of sleep just happens naturally. In fact, sometimes the more mental “effort” we put in, the more alert our brain becomes. As we count backward and notice that oh yeah, I’m still awake… still counting… our frustration grows. As our frustration grows, our chance for sleep lessens.
4. Does alcohol help you sleep?
Alcohol may initially make you feel more sleepy, but alcohol has been show to cause fragmented or broken sleep in the second half of the night. Research shows that as alcohol exits the bloodstream in the night, it causes wakefulness.
When you drink alcohol at bedtime, it causes REM suppression in the first half of the night ,with REM rebound (lots more time spent in the light/dreaming stage of sleep) in the second half of the night.
Alcohol also increases the severity of sleep apnea. Depending upon how sensitive you are, even drinking 2 glasses of alcohol with dinner several hours before bed can still disrupt sleep. Typically, the more you drink and the closer it is to bed, the worse the effects.
5. Trying harder.
Do you know what really doesn’t cure insomnia? Trying harder to fall asleep. Sleep is an involuntary process. This means that we do not have control over it. We cannot force ourselves to fall asleep. The harder we try, the more alert our brain becomes. We have more trouble falling asleep, which leads to even more frustration. We lie in bed trying to fall asleep but only experience anxiety, frustration, and dread.
What cures insomnia?
So, if these 5 cures for insomnia don’t work, then what does? Getting to the root of the cause of your insomnia and sleep difficulties is an important part of figuring out what will help you sleep. A proper medical evaluation to rule out sleep apnea and other medical conditions that may interfere with sleep is a great first step.
Once your doctor has determined that you have no underlying conditions causing your sleep problems, then Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) may be right for you. CBT-I is a type of counseling, known as the Gold Standard for Insomnia Treatment. It helps you understand your behaviors and your thinking patterns that may be contributing to your problems with sleep. CBT-I helps you learn how to cope with a difficult night of sleep and start making changes in your life that will help restore your natural sleep rhythms.
If you would like more information on CBT-I or to schedule an appointment, contact us today.
Kathryn Tipton,has passion for sleep and wants to help you return to sleeping through the night. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), a non-pharmacological treatment to help clients gain control over their insomnia and improve the quality of their sleep. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. Her private practice is located in central Houston, in the Montrose district. Additionally, she conducts sessions online/via phone with clients from the comfort of their own home or office across the great state of Texas.
If you are ready to begin counseling with Houston Center for Valued Living, our caring therapists at Houston Center for Valued Living are here to help. Reach out to us today for more information on how therapy can make a difference in your life.
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