CJ interviews Sondra Kornblatt author of “Restful Insomnia” on the causes and cures of insomnia.<\/p>\n
Do you suffer when you can’t sleep? Maybe you lie in bed, battling with your mind. You might take cures that can be addictive or not work. Or drag yourself out of bed and try to be productive.\u00a0You don\u2019t feel renewed, so you\u2019re zapped the next day.<\/p>\n
Believe it or not, insomnia doesn\u2019t have to be stressful. Restful Insomnia, a program developed by Sondra Kornblatt, helps you get the benefits of sleep \u2013 even when you can\u2019t.<\/p>\n
The key is moving into deep, renewing rest. When you learn how to transcend the difficulties and distractions of your body, mind, and emotions, your nights are more peaceful AND you’re more productive the next day.<\/p>\n
This quick guide to Restful Insomnia starts with the basics on insomnia, then shares how you can renew when you can’t sleep. To change your nights and days.<\/p>\n
Restful Insomnia developer and author, Sondra Kornblatt, describes three types of insomnia:<\/p>\n
There are many causes of insomnia that include:<\/p>\n
Sleep is wonderful, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s as important to your health as a healthy diet and regular exercise. And you probably know that lack of it can affect you both mentally and physically (which doesn\u2019t make it easier to sleep!).<\/p>\n
Many things can cause sleep deprivation, such as awakening during the night, awakening too early, or not feeling well rested after a night’s sleep. Someone with insomnia will often take 30 minutes or more to fall asleep. And might get only six or fewer hours of sleep, for three or more nights a week over a month \u2013 or longer.<\/p>\n
These are the negative side effects of lack of sleep, according to Mayo Clinic: (source: http:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/basics\/lifestyle-home-remedies\/con-20024293)<\/p>\n
Even when you can\u2019t sleep, you can help yourself rest. And deep rest gives you the following benefits, according to Sondra Kornblatt, and her Restful Insomnia program.<\/p>\n
Rest decreases:<\/p>\n
And rest increases:<\/p>\n
Deep rest also opens a door to sleep as well. But even if sleep doesn\u2019t come for a while, you\u2019re having calmer, less stressful nights, and more energy for the next day.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s always worth it to check out if insomnia cures help.<\/p>\n
But if cures don\u2019t work, or if you wake in the middle of the night, all is not lost, once you know how to rest, and get the benefits of sleep.<\/p>\n
Below is a brief summary of cures, including lifestyle changes from the Mayo Clinic.<\/p>\n
Many nonprescription sleep medications contain antihistamines that can make you initially drowsy and groggy. However they can also cause side effects, such as daytime sleepiness, dizziness, urinary retention, dry mouth, and confusion.<\/p>\n
Prescription sleeping pills \u2014 such as zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata) or ramelteon (Rozerem) \u2013 can knock you out for the night.\u00a0 However, these drugs can have side effects and some have been linked to early onset of Alzheimer\u2019s (source: http:\/\/time.com\/3313927\/alzheimers-linked-to-sleeping-pills-and-anti-anxiety-drugs\/<\/a>). These medications may become addictive and cannot be used for more than a few weeks. Be careful when coming off of them, as withdrawal can have some serious effects. In short \u2013 these are powerful medications, so make wise decisions about using them.<\/p>\n Melatonin is an over-the-counter (OTC) supplement. It’s generally considered safe to use melatonin for a few weeks, but the long-term safety is unknown.<\/p>\n Valerian is another popular sleep aid because it has a mildly sedating effect, although it hasn’t been well studied. Discuss valerian with your doctor before trying it to ensure it doesn\u2019t have any risk of liver damage or interaction with other medications. When it’s time to stop using valerian, it must be tapered down to prevent withdrawal symptoms.<\/p>\n Several techniques work on stress and energy flow such as acupuncture, yoga, or meditation.<\/p>\n Mayo Clinic offers a laundry list of different lifestyle changes. Here are a few of them: This type of therapy helps you control or eliminate negative thoughts and worries that keep you awake. It may also involve eliminating false or worrisome beliefs about sleep, such as the idea that a single restless night will make you sick.<\/p>\n When you can\u2019t sleep and want to rest, it\u2019s helpful to have a variety of techniques to deal with any obstacles that arise to keep you wakeful. These basic techniques from the Restful Insomnia program are a good foundation to support deep rest, so you can get the benefits of sleep, even when you can\u2019t.<\/p>\n Seems counter-intuitive, when all you crave is sleep. But sleep is about letting go<\/em>, says Sondra Kornblatt. And when you want to sleep you have a goal \u2013 to sleep! Then you keep checking your progress about whether you\u2019ve met that goal. Which just keeps you awake\u2026.<\/p>\n Instead, you can let go into rest, to both renew and open the door, to let sleep sneak in as a lovely surprise.<\/p>\n Create habits and darkness to create physical and intuitive reminders to rest.<\/p>\n Turn off overhead lights and use lamps a few hours before bed. Create a regular relaxing pre-bedtime ritual \u2013 such as a warm bath, soft music, reading, yoga, or prayer.<\/p>\n You can then do any or all of these rituals when you wake in the middle of the night, which reminds your body memory that it\u2019s time to let go.<\/p>\n Getting up in the middle of the night for comfort items can wake you with light, and with reminders of things you want to do (like clean the messy bathroom drawer when you look for hand cream).<\/p>\n Instead, keep a stash of the most crucial items by your bed, to easily pull out when you need them. Things such as: chap stick, hand cream, Advil or other pain medication, water, notepad and pen, nail clippers or file, and anything that can soothe an irritation in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n There are a lot of tools to help calm the chattering mind. One of the simplest is giving your mind something else to do, so it stops its spiral of creating new problems to analyze and solve.<\/p>\n Could be something as simple (and challenging) as counting backwards from a huge number by an odd amount, say from 13,778 by 33. Or mentally practice a regular yoga, qi gong, or tai chi routine. When your mind starts chattering, just come back to the practice, to reduce the power of the mind in charge.<\/p>\n Emotions make our mind chatter seem urgent and real. One good way to manage it is through Energy Psychology tools.<\/p>\n The simplest one is F-O (Frontal-Occipital) holding: Place one hand across the forehead, and the other hand at the back of the head, cupping the bump or occipital ridge. Hold for at least one minute or until the body shifts. For example the body has a subtle or noticeable change, such as a big sigh, a slight loosening of muscle tension, a need to move or stretch or yawn, slower breathing, and\/or a noticeable or vague sense that \u201csomething just feels better.\u201d \u00a0(Adapted from Energy Medicine<\/u>, by Donna Eden.)<\/p>\n Deep rest makes a huge difference in alleviating insomnia stress. If you encounter bumps and obstacles on your way to rest, you can learn myriad techniques through the Restful Insomnia program.<\/p>\nNatural supplements<\/h3>\n
Alternative Medicine<\/h3>\n
Lifestyle changes<\/h3>\n
\n(Mayo http:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/basics\/lifestyle-home-remedies\/con-20024293)<\/p>\n\n
Cognitive behavioral therapy<\/h3>\n
How to move into deep rest, via Restful Insomnia<\/h2>\n
Stop trying to sleep<\/h3>\n
Create dusk and evening rituals<\/h3>\n
Night Nest<\/h3>\n
Reduce Mind chatter<\/h3>\n
Reduce Worry and Emotional distress<\/h3>\n
How to learn more about deep rest and Restful Insomnia<\/h2>\n