Jul
16
Sleeplessness and insomnia are among our most common ailments, particularly today with the added stresses from the recession. The National Sleep Foundation reports that over 50% of US women sleep well only a few nights a week. Whether the culprit is a “hyperactive brain,” the inability to stay asleep once you fall asleep due to constant thoughts about to-do list, worries, or tasks you didn’t quite get to, or even snoring or night sweats, integrative medical professionals report that with simple lifestyle changes getting a good night’s sleep is possible, and may be simpler to accomplish than you thought.
Suggested solutions to the inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and let your mind quiet down vary from basic meditation, a warm bath or shower, and keeping away from the Blackberry, laptop, or television set an hour before bed to limiting liquids, sticking to a bedtime schedule, and optimizing the room’s temperature for maximum comfort. The beauty in each of these remedies is that they are simple, easy to experiment with, and do not necessarily require the use of medication, a lot of your precious time, or expensive trips to see a sleep specialist.
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