CAUSES OF INSOMNIA
SO WHY ARE YOU TOSSING AND TURNING ALL NIGHT?
Stress is the most common trigger as one of the causes of insomnia. When your body is stressed, increased stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol are produced, which keep your body on high alert and in turn keep you awake. So if it takes you a while to nod off, or if you frequently wake during the night and can’t fall back to sleep, the first thing you can do is address your stress levels. There are many ways we can help you do this.
Poor sleeping habits – We understand that you’re probably super busy and the habit of going to bed early has probably flown out the window. On top of this there’s even more distractions during the day than ever before such as social media and other electronic gadgets, and your to do list is ever increasing making it almost impossible to accomplish everything in your waking hours. Not only are you most likely going to bed later, you are buzzing when you do go to bed, a reason more and more people are seeking insomnia cures. A rare few people are not effected by this, but if you’re one of the unlucky majority who are, you will need to learn to strike a work life balance and re prioritise sleep. We can help you form healthier sleep habits and strike a better work life balance.
Hormonal imbalance – if your hormones are out of balance, such as during menopause or perimenopause, this could also be one of the causes of insomnia. Menopause can affect your body’s thermostat and play havoc on your sleep. Women of reproductive age report sleep disturbances during the premenstrual week and the first few days of menstruation known as PMS insomnia.We can offer herbs and supplements to counteract these issues.
Digestive issues – go hand in hand with a nervous system that is in need of calming down. Your gut and nervous system are so interconnected that when you don’t sleep your digestion slows down to the point it can stop working, and when your digestion stops working it leads to stress and is another cause of insomnia. It becomes a vicious cycle. When your system is full of toxins you may need a good clean out in order for your body to return to normal. We can prescribe an insomnia detox to start your system afresh.
Overactive adrenals leading to adrenal exhaustion and fatigue – When you don’t sleep, you have to rely on something to keep you going. That’s why your adrenals start going into overdrive to pump out the energy needed to get you through the day. Unfortunately this in turn only serves to deplete your adrenal energy which can lead to chronic fatigue and health problems. By teaching you relaxation techniques and prescribing herbal formulas when needed we can help your body adapt to daily stress and in turn relieve your insomnia.
Overburdened liver – If you are living a busy life chances are you may be overindulging in take away or processed foods and relying on a drink or two at night to wind down. This may help in the short term, however a liver struggling to get rid of toxins from excess alcohol and highly processed foods is likely to cause disruption to sleep. We don’t say that you should never have a drink, it’s just a lot wiser that you don’t rely on alcohol as a crutch to help you relax. In Chinese medicine alcohol is known to overheat the body which is also a contributing factor to why you may be waking up at night. The best thing you can do is to give your liver a break and possibly a good liver cleanse, this is a fantastic insomnia cure.
A bad diet – can have bigger consequences than you may realise. There’s a lot of science behind why we need to eat certain foods. We need the right nutrients to turn on and off gene expression as well as for the efficient functioning of chemical reactions in the body. For example a diet that isn’t high enough in the sleep inducing foods such as those rich in magnesium and tryptophan can lead to sleep difficulties. The timing of food also plays a role in insomnia and even eating late at night will have your system working overtime. We can explain to you in an easy to understand way the science behind the food you eat and how it’s effecting your sleep.
Environmental Issues – Your surroundings and living arrangements play a big role in your ability to sleep. We can help you redesign your bedroom so it reflects a tranquil space that can actually send you to sleep as opposed to keep you awake.
Bad habits – Sometimes we are our own worst enemy when it comes to sleep. We get into bad habits and find them hard to break. We help you break these bad patterns and re form new healthy ones.
Overstimulation – There’s no doubt about it, it’s becoming harder and harder to switch off thanks to an array of sleep competing products such as the smartphone, computer and internet, bright lights etc. It doesn’t have to be this way!
If you think you are suffering from the causes of insomnia and would like to seek help for insomnia cures then look no further than the team here at Counting Seashells. We have tried and tested techniques to help promote a healthy sleep pattern in everyday life, regardless of the obstacles you face! Contact us today for the insomnia cure that is right for you and your lifestyle.
