Treating Chronic Insomnia
People who often find it difficult to go to sleep or get a good nights sleep often find it very tough to get help . The most commonly and widely spread chronic insomnia treatment is still sleeping pills, in spite of their well documented known side effects.
It is also common to try “medicating” using alcohol – the night cap so symbolic in movies actually has damaging effects especially if you drink close to bedtime .
Most of the OTC remedies , for example antihistamines and sedatives , are effective short term, but are not effective as a long term medication .
In 2005 the National Institutes of Health in the US set up a “State of the Science” Panel, which was
tasked with analyzing and the summing up of what works and what does not work regarding chronic insomnia treatment.
It was agreed was that much more emphasis and research should be directed towards the use of “Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies”.
How does that affect you as an insomnia sufferer ?
Simply put , learn techniques and methods that lets you relax – that’s the “Behavioral Therapy”, and combine that with “cognitive therapies specifically targeted at anxiety-producing beliefs and erroneous beliefs about sleep and sleep loss”.
This is not difficult , but as always it requires a bit of work to succeed. It seems far easier and quicker to take a pill, or have a stiff drink! But, unfortunately , in the long run these “quick fixes” will only serve to make your sleeping problems worse .
First step is “How To Relax?”
There are many different ways and techniques that will help you relax, from acupuncture to yoga . It really doesn’t make a big difference what technique (or techniques) you decide on, as long as you learn it, practice it and it works for you. One new but surprisingly effective method is to use an acupressure mat, another is to learn and practice deep breathing.
“Cognitive” therapy focuses on the fact that maybe 70-80% of sleep problems are are caused by your mental state . Anxiety and worry are two main culprits here.
The goal of those who teach cognitive therapies is to make you, as someone who’s looking for ways to cure insomnia, focus on what your thoughts are when you are thinking about sleep. And, in particular, what is going through your mind when you are about to go to bed.
Once you become aware it is fairly easy to tell yourself that your thoughts in fact are just “thoughts” – they are not reality!
There is no need to become upset, or start to worry, and this elementary disassociation between thoughts and feelings will make it a lot easier to relax your mind and fall into a deep sleep. Particularly effective as chronic insomnia treatment, this method will step by step turn a vicious circle into a beneficial one!
