Insomnia ¦ Trouble Sleeping: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Remedies for Kids and Adults (I am under stress)

Yoga (especially meditation for insomnia) can be an efficient way of physical activity, reduce your stress, and decrease the intensity of symptoms for people with Restless Leg Syndrom.

It would be best if you could find a qualified yoga therapist or a teacher to work with you one-on-one. For group classes, a beginner class will be suitable. Make sure that the class you are taking is led by a qualified instructor who can show you safe and healthy poses for you and make adjustments for any limitations you may have. 

You can find yoga instructors from all over the world at Yoga Alliance.

 Before you start practicing yoga, consult with your doctor. 

Studies show that sex and a good night sleep are closely related. One affects the other. Not only does sex leave you tired due to physical exertion (usually men more than women), but it also releases hormones that relax you and make it more natural for you to transcend into sleep.

As an insomnia treatment, engage in sexual activities before bed. Sex can relieve you of stress, depression and anxiety, all of which are often connected to a poor quality of sleep, and can make you sleep better and longer. Reversely, good night sleep can increase your sexual desire and quality of your sexual experience.

If you don't know how to stop insomnia, try This type of gentle yoga will help you relax and make it easier for you to sleep. You don't need any previous yoga experience. Check this video for instructions:

Can depression cause insomnia? Possibly, it can. If it does, to fight against insomnia, you need to win the fight against depression, first. St. John's Wort is a plant that works as an antidepressant and as such can relieve your anxiety and help you sleep better. You can order St. John's wort pills at Amazon.

Always check with your doctor if you are trying any herbal remedy.

Everybody's different - that's why no advice can be applied to everybody. If you have trouble sleeping, you will need to find out what works for you and what doesn't. The best way to find out about it is to observe, and document it in a "sleep diary".

Make a chart with spaces for:

• The time you went to bed/woke up
• How long and well you slept
• If and when you were awake at night
• How much alcohol and nicotine have you consumed and when
• What and when you ate and drank
• What drugs or medication you took and when
• Stress situations you endured during the day
• Level of activity

You can find online many sleep diaries that you just need to print to use them. One of them can be found here. If you do this for a week or two, you might be able to determine what causes your irregular sleep or inability to fall asleep.

There are many causes of insomnia. One of the reasons for your inability to sleep might be the fact that you don't spend enough energy during the day to be tired enough to go to bed at a reasonable time. If your job doesn't require any physical activity, be sure to include some in your free time. Studies find that moderate aerobic exercise early in the day can improve sleep quality.

As an insomnia treatment, pick your favorite activity that includes moderate aerobic exercise and do it at least 3 times a week. Just make sure that you don't do it in the evening, close to bedtime, to allow your body to wind down before bed.

Make your bedroom a sanctuary. A place that will only be used for sleeping and making love with your partner. Don't work, eat or exercise there. Make sure that when you think about your bedroom, sleeping is first that comes to mind (or second, right after sex).

Researchers have found that foods containing melatonin, serotonin, tryptophan, potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates help to relax the body and mind. Also, high protein foods will help you get some rest by helping in the production of tryptophan. Such foods are all kinds of meat, eggs, dairy products, nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachio nuts), cherries, oatmeal, etc.

Be careful with using the TV or other electronic devices as part of your bedtime routine. Artificial, or blue light, produced by electronic screens, can severely impact your night rest in a negative way, especially when you watch at screens late at night.

Create a technology-free bedroom. The lure of the screen is too strong for many to turn off. If you simply must watch TV late at night, at least decrease brightness so it's affecting you less. 

If you’re not really tired, don’t force it. Tossing and turning can cause sleep anxiety. If it is late at night, and you cannot fall asleep, get out of bed and do something relaxing. If you wonder how to deal with insomnia, try meditation for insomnia, listen to soothing insomnia music, or walk around. When you start getting sleepy, go to bed. If you don't fell asleep in the next 20-30 minutes, get out of bed and try again.

If you are not sure how to deal with insomnia, try wearing ear plugs. Outside noises like traffic, neighbour's pet, loud party on the floor above you, all that can interfere with a good night rest. To cancel out agitating noises and enjoy a complete silence, use earplugs.

You can order them at Amazon. There are many types, so learn which ones works best fo you.

Meditation is a well-known technique for reducing stress. And with reduced stress, sleeping becomes much better. Make meditation part of your bedtime routine. For meditation techniques visit life.gaiam.com.

Keeping your brain active and entertained during the day is a great way to improve your intelligence, memory and even reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. But, late at night, that is the last thing you want to do. A "busy" brain in the evening hours tends to stay busy at night as well and prevent you from sleeping.

In the evening, avoid watching complex movies, reading challenging books or engaging in activities that stimulate your brain (such as playing chess, or discussing the origin of the universe with your friends). Focus on light reading, or simple house chores.

A 2009 study from the University of Sussex showed that just six minutes of reading can reduce stress by 68% as it clears the mind and gets the body ready for sleep. When our mind is engaged in a world of words, the body relaxes, the tension evaporates, paving the way for sleep.

Just make sure that the reading material is not work-related or too complex as it can engage your brain too much and make it harder for you to fall asleep. Read something light, something that you find relaxing.

Sometimes, our day gets so hectic that we forget about our problems. And then they sneak up on us, occupy our brain and mess with our sleep.

Each day, no matter how busy you are, dedicate 20-30 minutes, or more, to problems that are bothering you. It is less likely they will obstruct your rest at night if you resolve them, or at least contemplate about them, early in the day.

Having a 15- or 20-minute nap could give you that extra energy to perform better and successfully get through the day, especially if you are sleep-deprived.

But napping too long can interfere with your night rest, so don't nap more than 20 minutes or after 4 PM. For the benefits of napping and tips on how to make the most out of it, visit WebMD.

Even though the role of melatonin is complex and still not studied enough, it is certain that it affects the quality of your sleep. Don't spend an entire day inside. Go out and expose yourself to natural light as much as you can. That brings balance to your melatonin level, which can help you sleep easier at night. 

Eating a large meal late in the evening can occupy your digestive system for hours, make you bloated and gassy and give you heartburn, all of which could interfere with your sleep.

You don't want to go to bed too hungry because hunger can keep your brain alert and cause you discomfort and a sleepless night. The best thing to do is to have a moderate, healthy meal 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Alcohol may help you to fall asleep, however, it can disrupt your sleep cycles and make you restless at night. You don't have to completely abstain from alcohol, just don't drink it after 6 PM.

Even couple of beers late at night can cause you problems due to multiple visits to bathroom and dehydration that forces you to get up and have a glass of water in the middle of the night.

It is usually a bad idea (for insomniacs, anyway) to exercise right before bedtime, because you get all fired up (adrenaline is high, heartbeat is elevated), and all that makes it really hard for you to fall asleep. But, it seems that certain leg exercises can relieve your brain and appease your mind by redirecting blood to legs. Try some leg lifts or squats.

Writing down what's bothering you can clarify your thoughts and make you see a solution that you wouldn't see otherwise. It is also a form of meditation and as such it can reduce your stress. 

Try writing about your emotions in a diary, or you can write short stories, maybe even a novel. All of that can really help you deal with stress.