Getting over insomnia without drugs
"Sleep is better than medicine." - Proverb Some people prefer to avoid drugs. If you can do so, it is almost certainly better to avoid medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter. Try these techniques. 1. Follow the rules of good sleep hygiene 2. Take a warm bath. Bringing heat to the muscles often relaxes them and lets you get to sleep. 3. Get a massage. However, make sure that whoever is doing the massage knows how to do it. Causing pain never helped anyone get to sleep. 4. Listen to music. Actually, any soothing noise (played softly) in the background may help. Light music helps many people sleep. 5. Drink warm milk. Another old home remedy with some scientific validity. Adding honey can often help. However, if dairy products give you diarrhea, then skip this one. 6. Drink herbal tea. Make sure that this is decaffeinated. 7. Sleep on a firm mattress. Sagging or poor quality mattresses can lead to difficulty maintaining sleep. 8. Count something. The old counting sheep technique works as long as the setting in your mind is a peaceful, slow-moving scene. Concentrating on a mental image often relaxes the rest of the body and allows you to fall asleep. A study cited in Industrial Health in 2005 found insomniacs in the United States have an average monthly sick absence rate that is 1.4 times greater than people without sleep troubles. And figures from the National Commission on Sleep Disorders suggest insomnia in the workplace costs the American economy between $92 and $107.5 billion a year in absenteeism and workplace disability, lost productivity, mistakes, and accidents. In the United Kingdom that figure was put at £10-12 billion ($18-21 billion) a year. Tips for talking to your doctor about sleep problems Alternative insomnia treatments
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Sleep Disorders
"It’s been a hard day’s night (John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
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