A Counselor’s Take On Childhood Insomnia



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Insomnia is among the most prevalent problems that I often hear about in my counseling office. This implies that a child is having difficulty falling and staying asleep. Occasionally, kids can sleep without any problem, especially if their parents stay in the room with them.

Insomnia is a constant complaint of adults and children alike, but sleep problems in children can be particularly hard on the family. When kids aren’t sleeping normally, it takes a toll on everyone in the home. Not only will the kids not get sufficient sleep, but parents’ sleep may also be disrupted from their children’s constant waking.

The Vicious Cycle Of Insomnia

At some point in our lives, a lot of us will have problems sleeping, particularly when things at home are stressful. Often, a kid’s sleepless evenings get resolved by themselves once stress levels decrease. For others, sleep issues are not resolved as easily. Insomnia can linger for weeks or months, or even longer.

Sleep is crucial to a child’s mental and emotional well-being. Lack of sleep results in heightened anxiety and trouble focusing, which in turn could make it more difficult to sleep the next night. Through the support of parents and often from a child counselor, families can break free from the cycle and help each other get back to their normal sleep patterns.

Causes Of Childhood Insomnia

Many kids have trouble sleeping or staying asleep at some point in their lives – this is not an uncommon ordeal. Below are some popular reasons why children can’t sleep well at night.

Behavioral. Occasionally, without any intention, parents and kids come to follow an evening schedule that needs to be done repeatedly so that the child can feel that he’s ready to go to bed. For instance, a kid whose mom sleeps beside him until he falls asleep might begin to relate mom’s presence with the concept of sleeping, and eventually, this becomes a necessity for bedtime nightly.

Physical. As in adults, some children are inherently nocturnal while others are simply morning individuals, affecting sleep patterns. According to experts, a minority of kids with sleep issues might have preexisting medical conditions, like restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea. If sleep issues continue for months or you observe some physical indications like trouble breathing, it’s wise to consult your child’s pediatrician.

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Anxiety. Several kids seem tense or just downright scared of bedtime routines. Separation anxiety, a condition where a child is scared of being separated from his parents or guardians, is usual in the younger group. It could often present as hesitation to go to bed, a fear that something unpleasant might happen if he is not with his parents, or a fear of being by himself.

Other types of anxiety, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder, can also make it more difficult for kids to sleep. If he is worried or scared during bedtime or has to complete an unusually long nighttime routine, anxiety could be the primary source of his sleeping challenges.

Gadgets And Media. Children frequently have strong imaginations, which is actually an asset. Often, though, a very strong imagination can make them vulnerable to sleep problems. The use of television, computers, smartphones, and other gadgets must be limited to a specific number of hours per day to keep them from being incapable of reading between the lines of pretend and reality.

Traumatic Events. Seldom, an unpleasant incident can lead to sleep disorders. Kids who have gone through trauma are usually scared during bedtime, are disturbed by nightmares, or have difficulty falling asleep. If the sleep problems are supplemented by other indications like tantrums, bedwetting, or mood changes, trauma must be ruled out as a potential cause.

Helping Your Child Sleep Better

Sleep problems don’t develop overnight. Similarly, they don’t get resolved in one day as well. Anxious kids benefit from a nightly routine that is simple, stable, and entails opportunities to relax and calm down before heading to bed. Drafting a chart of the bedtime schedule is also a great method of helping children shift to positive gear and be more comfortable as nighttime approaches.

Kids with strong imaginations – those who are scared of monsters at night – can really help if parents talk with their kids about what’s real and what’s not. They should reassure their kids that scary movies or incidents don’t really happen in real life.

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If you’ve done these simple steps and your child is still having difficulty unwinding in the evening, he might require a professional – a therapist or a counselor – who can help him learn more effective coping strategies for relaxation and comfort. Sleep problems are not easy for everyone involved, but patience and determination can frequently turn most nighttime individuals into more relaxed sleepers. If you are unable to help your child by yourself, counseling is one of the best alternatives.




Counseling Guidelines: Resolving Children’s Sleep Problems


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Getting good sleep is important to healthy growth and development in children. It is also essential to their rest and invigoration. Sleep issues impact a child’s mood, capacity to cope, school performance. Getting enough sleep can improve mental and emotional strength.

Quantity Vs. Quality

Sleep experts suggest that preschoolers require up to 13 hours of sleep every night, and children 5 to 12 years old require about 10 to 11. Ensuring that your child gets sufficient sleep can be quite challenging, but it gains many rewards. Children who are well-rested play better, interact better and sleep better the following nights after.

On the other hand, sleep is measured both by quality and quantity. Experts see our evening slumber through phases of brainwave physiology and activity that disrupt the process of getting a good night’s sleep. These phases continue in predictable patterns called sleep cycles. Sleep quality is a means of assessing the health of one’s sleep cycle.

Sleep Solutions

Below are some ways to resolve your children’s sleep problems.

  • Prepare A Peaceful Space. A relaxing bedroom atmosphere can be tremendously effective in putting your child to sleep. To do this, decrease visual provocations. If you are planning to decorate or paint, try to use pastel colors. Place low bedside tables with lamps on each of them. Decreasing clutter can also help. For children who share a bedroom, try putting up a white-noise machine.

If sleep is particularly hard to accomplish, more stringent measures may be required. Relating sleep with the bed could make a significant difference and could shift your child’s sleep environment. This involves matching the bed with something that is associated with sleep. This means that you can teach your children that beds are only meant for sleeping, so no other activity should be done on them.

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  • Use Dim Lights. Sunlight, including lights released by television, smartphones, computers, and fluorescent bulbs, holds blue wavelengths that elicit a waking reaction in our brains. Avoiding these can definitely help. So rather than letting them watch movies and television at night, let them read books or read their stories – this tradition should not be forgotten. If you’re not in the mood, try listening to slow music with your kids.

Stick To A Routine. A regular nighttime schedule would be great for your children. This means continuously doing repetitive activities before bedtime at the same time nightly. Activities can range from pajama-wearing and brushing their teeth, followed by massaging and listening to a bedtime story.

Be mindful that a nighttime routine is much easier to begin than to maintain, so it would greatly help if all members of the family are on board. To be successful in this endeavor, establish a sleep schedule that can be easily managed. Also, timing is key in routines, and flexibility is wonderful, but scheduling bedtime at 9 P.M. or earlier than that is strictly suggested for kids 12 years old and younger.

  • Teach Your Kids How To Relax. Your children can feel anxious and worried, too, and when they get stressed, they have trouble sleeping as well. This is because when stress levels go up, cortisol levels, which cause insomnia, also increase. But if they can learn to relax, these levels gradually decrease.

Teaching them how to soothe themselves through relaxation exercises can definitely help them decrease their tension and stress levels. Guided visualizations, isometric muscle exercises, and listening to slow music are some examples of relaxation exercises that your kids can easily master. Warm baths and gentle massage are also good activities that you can do for your kids to keep them feeling fresh, comfortable, and relaxed.

Another benefit of bedtime baths is that warm temperatures decrease an individual’s core body temperature, which helps begin an effective sleep cycle. Practice bathing them at least one hour before they go to bed so that their bodies have enough time to cool down and relax.

Research suggests that lavender oil effectively promotes calmness and peace of mind, so it works as a sleep booster. Pour a few drops in a basin or simply on the bathroom floor.

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  • Let Them Drink Warm Milk Or Choco Instead Of Soda. What you allow your kids to ingest in their bodies can affect how they sleep, and knowing how various foods affect sleep can have permanent advantages. Warm milk or hot chocolate are loaded with substances that enhance relaxation. Teach them to respect their own bodies. A fit body supports better sleep. For instance, they may require physical activity in the daytime to sleep soundly at night.

Additionally, naps are very important as well. If your children require naps, make them valuable by letting them have these naps at the right time. The most suitable duration for napping is at least 30 minutes between 2 and 5 P.M. Discourage them to take naps late in the afternoon.



Frequently Asked Questions About Anxiety Attack Vs Panic Attack

Due to my overwhelming anxiety, I often experienced panic attacks. I suffer from physical manifestations such as excessive sweating, chilling, trembling, dizziness, and weakness or numbing of hands. In some instances, I also suffer from stomach pain, chest pain, breathing problems, and nausea. Honestly, it is an entirely uncomfortable situation that I know some individuals won’t easily handle. I am not stating it because I can adequately manage the symptoms but because I know how debilitating it feels.

Anxiety is a normal thing, but a panic attack is a different story. It promotes an intensified emotional and mental imbalance that makes everything complicated. Sometimes, even if I tried my best not to get affected by my mental health, the symptoms worsen that if even affect my sleep. To understand what I am dealing with, some of these answered frequently asked questions might help.

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What does an anxiety attack feel like? 

Anxiety is something that often makes you feel emotionally confused. It makes you feel like losing control or sometimes makes you go crazy overthinking about unnecessary stuff. In worst cases, it gets accompanied by chest pain or heart palpitations, trouble breathing, sweating, and choking sensation.

All of these symptoms are extremely hard to handle, especially when it occurs all at once. I would suggest that you quickly call your health care provider when you experience these warning signs. That way, your doctor can assist you and even prescribe you a medication to ease the mental health symptoms.

 Can an anxiety attack turn into a panic attack? 

Though panic attacks occur without a trigger, anxiety and a panic attack can happen simultaneously. When the situation becomes uncontrollable, anxiety escalates into a panic attack to show intense and disruptive symptoms.

Usually, when that happens, you begin to lose yourself. There is too much unrealistic fear everywhere. It affects the way you think and feels and even makes you overly exaggerated about your surroundings. Often, you might not see it, but panic attacks can make you hate yourself, which leads to self-harm and even suicide.

 How long do panic attacks last? 

Typically, a panic attack lasts between 5 and 20 minutes. But in some cases, it usually lasts from minutes to hours, depending on the severity of the condition. Some individuals experience panic attacks once or twice a month, while others struggle with mental health problems mostly several times a week.

If you constantly deal with panic attacks, like it always happens every moment and out of your control, it is advisable to seek urgent help. Consult your doctor and ask for a prescription that can at least manage your panic attack symptoms.

 How do you calm a panic attack? 

Calming a panic attack starts with closing your eyes and breathing slowly, gently, and deeply. You should focus on your breathing and use a relaxation technique also to calm your muscles. Practice mindfulness and picture yourself in a happy and peaceful place. That way, you can manage to take off your thoughts away from stressors.

But if this won’t help, it would be nice to get in touch with your health care provider and ask him for medication. Once you get a hold of your symptoms, you might as well schedule an appointment for therapy sessions. Always remember that an immediate health response is way better than trying to work things on your own.

What helps panic attacks fast? 

Breathing helps eliminate panic attacks faster. First, you should recognize that you are in a state of panic so you can put yourself in a calm and relaxed state. From there, practice mindfulness and picture yourself in a happy place. Also, you need to pay attention to your current emotional and mental needs. It is better to keep away from stressors as much as possible.

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 What triggers a panic attack? 

Honestly, there is no known particular cause of the panic attack. However, certain factors play an important role. These include genetics, environmental issues, serious illness, traumatic event, abuse, and major stress. Usually, panic attacks are a typical result of misinterpreting anxiety’s physical symptoms.

 Is crying part of a panic attack? 

Experiencing severe stress symptoms can cause an overwhelming feeling. Sometimes, it disrupts the balance of the mental, physical, and emotional aspects. Thus, it makes you want to cry, even without significant triggers. It often begins with intense fear, causing a rush of heat and flushed face, and increased heart rate.

 What helps panic attacks without medication? 

There are lists of self-care tips that can assist in managing symptoms of panic attacks. It includes staying physically active, cutting back on alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, avoiding too much caffeine, and getting enough sleep and hydration. It would also be great to consider sticking to your treatment plan and practicing relaxation and stress management techniques. You can also join support groups and surround yourself with good influence people.

 What helps anxiety naturally? 

The most recommended ways to Naturally Reduce Anxiety are the following: Getting enough sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, ditching caffeine and alcoholic drinks, quitting smoking, and exercising. It would also help if you meditate and practice deep breathing, express your thoughts and feelings, and always prioritize self-care.

 What is the best medication for anxiety and panic attacks? 

The best medication for anxiety and panic attacks include Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These SSRI antidepressants are typically counseled about the initial option of remedies because they are generally safe with a low risk of damaging side effects.

But before taking any medication, it is best to consult your doctor for recommendations. Do not try and ease your anxiety symptoms by taking over-the-counter medicines. Be mindful that it could lead to serious health damage once not administered properly.

 What natural remedy is good for anxiety? 

Some of the natural remedies for anxiety include Passionflower, Chamomile, Valerian, Kava, Lemon balm, and Lavender.

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 What helps severe anxiety? 

Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, exercise, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation reduce anxiety symptoms. Not only that. These methods also increase the well-being’s emotional, physical, and mental aspects.

 What to drink to calm nerves? 

Kava Tea, Peppermint Tea, Valerian Root Tea, Chamomile tea, and Warm Milk are the best drink to calm nerves.

 What vitamins help with anxiety? 

The best vitamins that help reduce anxiety include Vitamin D, magnesium, L-Theanine, Ashwagandha, and valerian root.

What can you take over the counter for anxiety? 

Unfortunately, there is no over-the-counter medication that suits anxiety better. The only medications for mental illness are clinical prescriptions administered by a licensed doctor or therapist. There is no recommended over-the-counter anxiety medication. Anxiety medication needs a controlled substance because too many unprescribed drugs alter the brain negatively.


Anxiety and panic attack can be a common thing as both of them damages the mental health. You must note the things you can do to ease your anxiety or panic attacks.


An Insomniac Reveals How The Sleep Disorder Has Affected Their Mental Health

Six years, three months, and two days. That’s how long I had been fighting the sleep disorder called insomnia. And so far, I could still not see myself winning against it.

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The Backstory

I was 19 years old when I moved across the country to study medicine at UCLA back then and promised my parents that I would not come home until I already got MD attached to my name. I wanted them to feel proud of me, so I genuinely worked hard to get fantastic marks throughout the semester.

As soon as the classes started, I often woke up at 5 A.M. to prepare for the lectures that I had to attend. Trying to become a doctor was not all about memorizing medical terminologies at all – I realized that immediately. You must analyze every aspect of the human body to ensure that you could handle the advanced subjects in the coming years. Of course, other non-major classes required attention, too.

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Since I had always been a meticulous student, I aimed to study from 6 P.M. up to 10 P.M. This timeframe would have allowed me to spend more or less an hour on at least four subject matters every night. However, I failed to account for the fact that most college students like me needed part-time jobs to continue my education, so I had no choice but to push the study schedule three hours later. The setback meant that I could only get five hours of sleep every school night.

The first few days of following this routine were hellish, considering I was used to sleeping for eight hours my entire life. I became irritable and impatient with the customers at the coffee shop where I was working, to the extent that the manager placed me on kitchen duty. My classmates became a little aloof since I snapped at one of them just because they needed to borrow a pen. It also felt like five-pound dumbbells were tied on my eyelids, pulling them close all the time. Worse, the more schoolwork I had to do, the more I needed to pull an all-nighter.

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Experiencing Symptoms Of Insomnia

Before the semester ended, I became used to getting very little sleep or none at all. I boasted about it to my friends because I thought that it made me invincible. I even said, “If I could keep it up until my residency and licensure exam, my dream of becoming a full-pledge doctor would be in the bag.”

When summer break came, my parents surprised me with a trip to Paris, France. We flew on the last day of my finals, and I still thankful for developing the ability to function with almost no sleep. Even if we had a long flight, I remained wide awake, but I charged it to high adrenaline because I was about to revisit my favorite city.

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As soon as we landed, my parents wanted to sleep in, complaining about jetlag. I also felt jetlagged, but my body refused to stay idle. In the end, I roamed around the streets of Paris in my lonesome, taking as many selfies as I could with the Eiffel Tower behind me. I only went back to the hotel when my parents called and told me they already ordered our dinner.

After not sleeping throughout a whole flight and walking for hours, I was beat. I thought I would pass out when my back hit the cozy mattress, knowing I could use some sleep at that point. It was the first time that I could sleep in for a while and wake up to a beautiful Paris morning. Unfortunately, no matter how exhausted I was, I could not force myself to sleep immediately. The sun was already rising before my lids got heavy. As a result, it did not feel as I got no rest when my parents woke me up.

Insomnia Diagnosis

I experienced similar symptoms every night during the month-long trip, to the extent that I could not enjoy Paris at that time. It also persisted even when I was already spending the rest of the summer break at my parents’ house, practically doing nothing. I did not let my parents know about it until I was two weeks away from going back to UCLA and still had the same sleep dilemma.

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We found a sleep doctor in town on the same day and confirmed that I most likely had insomnia. It entirely made sense because my mentally and physically strenuous activities halted when the semester ended, but my sleeplessness did not.

I tried several things to counter my insomnia after that. I practiced yoga and meditation (as the sleep doctor recommended) since my schedule was always too chaotic to induce sleep. I let go of my part-time job so that I could finish my schoolwork early. Furthermore, I focused on having a social life, hoping that having fun would do the job. The only thing that worked was the sleeping pills that the doctors prescribed to me, but I often halved the drugs so that I won’t get used to taking them.

My battle against insomnia is not over yet. Hopefully, yours will never start. 

Good luck!


Childhood Insomnia: Consulting The Family Doctor



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Does your child habitually walk up in the middle of the night because he has trouble sleeping? Or is he fidgety during bedtime? Read these tips from the family doctor so you can help your child fall asleep and remain asleep when he needs to.

Knowing More about Sleep Problems

If you look back into your own childhood years, you would perhaps recall times when you were so frustrated about being told to go to sleep, got up in the middle of the night, or felt impatient but really couldn’t go back to sleep. Yes, sleep problems are pretty usual among young kids. Some might not feel sleepy yet at their assigned bedtime, or have difficulty going to sleep without their nanny or sitter with them or sleepwalk. While it is annoying to handle a fussy baby or run around during the mornings because you preschooler is very hard to wake, there is help around the corner.

A lot of sleep problems are related to bedtime routines and behaviors during the daytime, and you can definitely work on this with your kid to make positive changes. Fortunately, with some resilience, discipline, and patience, you’ll soon see them sleeping soundly and have more peaceful nights yourself.

Your Child’s Sleep Needs

Before identifying if your kid has trouble sleeping or really does have a sleeping disorder, it would be wise for you to first understand his sleep needs. To be more efficient, young kids and teens are required to sleep more hours than the adults do. Infants need 12 to 16 hours of sleep, including their morning and afternoon naps. Toddlers must be able to get a total of 14 hours of sleep for the entire day. Kids 6 to 12, on the other hand, are totally fine with a minimum of 9 hours’ sleeping time. Finally, teens up to 18 are required to sleep for 8 to 12 hours in total.

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How would you know if children aren’t getting sufficient sleep? They are actually like adults. They have their moods when they lack sleep. They’re often cranky and over-emotional, they can’t concentrate, and they fall asleep on their way to school. They also have some ‘space-out’ moments and they don’t follow conversations because they lack focus.

Rituals for Better Sleep

Other explanations for children’s insomnia may be related to their bedtime habits. Perhaps they’re used to being fed or rocked until they fall asleep. If you or your baby’s nanny are used to doing this at night, don’t stop abruptly. Instead, try putting her to bed when they’re almost sleepy. Maybe hum a tune sing a song. After a few days or weeks, they will be able to sleep without being rocked or fed.

Set a Relaxing Mood

To prepare your child for sleeping, create a relaxing mood beforehand – about 30 to 45 minutes. You may also include a few activities that could help soothe her. You can give her a quick warm bath, sing a lullaby, or read her a bedtime story. Don’t use smartphones and other electronic devices, as these worsen insomnia and further interrupt the sleep/wake cycle of the body.

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Establishing Limits

When you create new routines, anticipate that your child will initially defy you. But instead of letting her cry all night, you can slowly let her get used to your absence. She’ll gradually be able to learn how to comfort herself and stop depending on you. If your kid finds it hard to sleep without you by her side, don’t keep checking on her always. When you go to the room and she’s still awake, just give her hugs and kisses but don’t stay long. If your child can get up from bed, close the door and tell her you’ll check on her but she has to stay in bed.

Practice a Reward System

If your child is a preschooler or older, you can try creating a positive reinforcement system for her. Give her incentives if she’s going to sleep at almost the same time every night. Reward her with smaller things first, like stickers or snacks to encourage good outcomes. Make sure you set achievable goals for her like if she sleeps in her own bed tonight, she’s getting her favorite ice cream in the morning.

Build Daytime Routines

In some instances, children’s inability to sleep and remain asleep during nighttime is linked to their behavior during the daytime. This is usually seen in teens and adolescents. Practicing daytime routines help support restful sleep.

·      Encourage your child to sleep at the same time every day, including weekends. This will help her wakeup and sleep more easily. Adolescents can be given an hour more than their usual bedtime during the weekends, but not more than that.

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·      Don’t let your child go to bed very full or hungry. A piece of banana or warm milk before she heads off to bed would definitely fill her tummy and help give her a restful and continuous sleep. Heavy meals will keep children awake if they are too full an hour before their sleeping time.

·      Inspire your child to be active. Exercise can be in the form of walks in the park during the afternoons, gardening with you in the morning, dancing with you in the living room.



COVID-19 Health Awareness: Tips For Getting Good Sleep

Now more than ever, we need good and relaxing sleep. Sleep can help our overall immune system function at its best. It can help us think clearly and solve problems better. It is vital to understand that an adequate amount of sleep aids in our mental health, which is essential in fighting the uncertainties of the pandemic. Sleep is tied with our immune system, so when we get less of it, we become prone to sickness and infections. Gladly, there are tips for getting good sleep. So without further ado, here is the list.

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Establish A Connection Between Sleep And The Bed

Home quarantine experience can make us feel bored and unmotivated. At times, we want to find solace in a place where we feel secure. That is why we often choose to stay in our bedroom to keep ourselves company. However, for us to get a good night’s sleep, we need to establish a connection between our bed and sleep. Thus, we should never eat, work, relax, or pretty much do anything in it. We need to understand that our bed only serves the purpose of sleeping. And for times that we lay in bed and still can’t sleep, we need to get out of bed and do something that can make us fall asleep.

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Set A Schedule And Following A Routine

Having a fixed wakeup time each day is an essential part of the schedule. But of course, a bedtime routine should be associated with that. Thus, waking up early but going to bed late is not advisable. There are no benefits. So, we should spend a couple of hours doing bedtime routines such as brushing our teeth, changing into our pajamas, and arranging our beds. And if we find it difficult to sleep due to stress, we can try keeping our body lying in bed while the lights are off. We can also practice breathing exercises and meditation to calm both our mind and body so they can prepare to sleep.

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Keep Technological Devices Out Of Reach

There should be a wind-down moment without using technology if we want to get a good sleep. The problem with most people is that they use their smartphones before bedtime because they believe that it can make them fall asleep faster. But contrary to that, the device emits a blue light, which is similar to the sun’s light that stimulates the brain to think it is still day time. The light suppresses the release of melatonin, which supposed to help us get a good night’s sleep. So to avoid sleep disruption, we need to keep away our devices and turn off the notifications.

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Avoid Napping During Day Time

Nap is essential because it helps our mind and body rejuvenate. However, if we do it often in a day, it can disrupt our 24-hour sleep cycle requirement. To avoid that, we have to do it early in a day with no more than 20 to 30 minutes. Arguably, some of us might excuse themselves with boredom due to home quarantine. To address that situation, we need to be physically active to avoid thinking that our body is tired and requires a nap. Also, we need to note that our bed is not the right place for a nap as it can confuse the brain and body in distinguishing it with sleep.


We can all understand the difficulty of the situation due to COVID-19. We are all under stress. But regardless of what is happening with things around us, we need to take care of ourselves. With that, we should never underestimate the health significance of sleep.

When The Pain Just Won’t Stop

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As a student in the medical field, I was privileged to be able to attend the 2019 Headache Conference. I learned a lot about different causes and effects of having a headache. We may think that headaches are normal, especially if we are stressed. Still, we should also not forget to consult a doctor to make sure that we are diagnosed well and can be treated immediately to avoid further complications in the future.

Continue reading “When The Pain Just Won’t Stop”

Sleeping Problems Due To Pandemic Stress

Understandably, the world is dealing with the domino effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses are shutting down, not getting enough food, and being restricted in doing what we want, etc. These are all contributors to anxiety that causes sleep problems. Over the past few weeks after the issue of Coronavirus hit a global crisis, we become aware of the problems of not getting enough sleep. Honestly, it is a serious issue because the damages are inevitable. Not getting enough amount of sleep can lead to many health complications, such as physical, mental, and emotional ones.

Since there are a lot of things going on around us this pandemic time, we can’t help ourselves from overthinking. It is not easy to shrug thoughts because it somehow lingers every time we experience something challenging and uncomfortable. Thus, we get to be prone to sleep-related issues. And since we understand that the common cause of this sleep disorder is stress and anxiety, we must find solutions to do something about it. Yes, we must do our best to eliminate the factors that cause mental instability, even if there is too much uncertainty about the pandemic situation.

What Can We Do To Address Sleeping Problems?

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Some medications might help ease sleep disorders. However, we need to make sure that we get a consultation first before purchasing anything in the drugstore. We also need to consider the possibility of getting caught up with its use. That is if we depend too much on these drugs because it can also lead to severe health complications. In some unfortunate instances, taking too much of it can impact our daily routines as well. With that, experts suggest that we should consider taking self-improvement remedies or seek professional help first before trying to pop some pills.

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One of the best pieces of advice that we need to take a moment to understand is the changes in our routines. It is essential to make our activities scheduled as much as possible. That is if we are going from one task to another. For us to secure a better sleep at night, we have to ensure that we limit the things we do in the day so that we don’t need to worry about a pile of unfinished tasks at night. Thus, we can count the accomplishments throughout the day, and that helps in providing us a better sleep.

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Another thing that might help is the habit of exercising a few hours before going to bed. No, we do not need to do a full course of workouts. Just a couple of stretching and light to medium exercises will do. It is also important to expose ourselves to light more frequently. Since most of the time, we have to stay indoors, we need to find a way to get ourselves a good source of lighting. It will not only help our immune system, but it will also allow the brain to signal a waking time.

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Being home quarantined, sleeping in time is necessary. Therefore, we must avoid alcohol, caffeine, or heavy meals before going to bed. These factors disrupt the body’s ability to recognize sleep. It hinders us from going to bed at the same time every night because the body gets confused about what it needs to do at that particular moment. With that, it would be beneficial if we do some unwinding stuff hours before going to bed instead of eating and drinking. We can listen to music, read a book, meditate, or even practice breathing exercises.

The pandemic situation until now is uncertain. But hopefully, we can all get through this together.

How Insomnia Can Destroy Your Body

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The 2017 Scottsdale Conference talked about many things, and one of those is the benefits of sleep, and another is how insomnia will affect one’s health. I was lucky to be part of the conference because of my sister. She needed to tag me along that time, and it was a very productive two days for me. Of course, I also wanted to see the beauty of Scottsdale, and yet the highlight of that short visit was the discussion.

Continue reading “How Insomnia Can Destroy Your Body”

Top 7 Benefits Of Sleep

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Continue reading “Top 7 Benefits Of Sleep”