You're reading Help Battle Insomnia and Sleep Like A Baby With This Genius Hack, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you're enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
If you are here
because it is one of those nights when you feel that counting sheep is no
longer enough to take you to dreamland, then you are in the right place. We get
you, honey. After doing all the necessary things like meditation, listening to
calming music, and using essential oils just to shut those eyes down; you have
come to a conclusion that you are probably experiencing insomnia.
So What is Insomnia?
Without giving you
too many complicated medical terms, insomnia is simply the experience of having
difficulty sleeping or having a hard time staying asleep. It is the feeling
that even after long nights of finishing Netflix series, your eyes and brain
won’t work together and give you a good night sleep.
According to the National Sleep Foundation,
there are two types of insomnia, acute and chronic insomnia. Acute insomnia is the difficulty of sleeping,
which occurs on a random basis. A good example would be the night before a significant
event like exams or interview, or while you are in the middle of coping up with
bad news.
Chronic insomnia, on
the other hand, is the difficulty in sleeping, which occurs regularly or at
least three nights per week and can last up to 3 months. A sudden environment
change, a shift in work hours, unhealthy
sleeping habits like eating heavy meals a few hours before bedtime, or mental
health disorder can be the causes of chronic insomnia.
People with insomnia
do not just deal with lack of sleep but also carry the burden during the day
when they have to function. It’s because lack of sleep can lead to less energy,
fatigue, changes in mood, lack of focus, and total disorientation.
Who Can Experience Insomnia?
This kind of sleep
disorder does not choose a particular face, age, or gender. Although anyone can
have difficulty sleeping from time-to-time, insomnia often occurs among women
and aging adults.
Is There a Medical Cure For
Insomnia?
Yes there are medical
practices that can cure insomnia. The National Sleep Foundation
recommends seeking professional help if the recurring difficulty in sleeping is
already affecting your daily life. You may start by setting an appointment with
your physician; his assessment will depend if there is a need for you to be
referred to a sleep doctor who will give you better diagnosis and treatment.
But we all know why
you are here; you want to know that one genius hack that you probably have not
tried before. After all, treating insomnia often includes nonmedical therapy,
which will help you develop a healthy sleeping habit.
So What is The Secret to
Fighting Insomnia?
If you are looking
for a drug-free way to win against insomnia but have not succeeded after
different methods available, then you must try investing for weighted blankets.
This extraordinary blanket will surely become your sleeping buddy from now on.
For sure, the next
question on your mind will be: “Is a regular blanket not enough?” Well if you
have been experiencing insomnia, unfortunately, your regular soft security
blanket is not enough.
So what is a quality weighted blankets?
It is not your ordinary blanket; a weighted blanket is a soft blanket filled
with stuff like pellets, beads, or disc to give it extra weight. It claims to
provide you with a relaxing feeling of being hugged due to the blanket’s
additional weight, which usually ranges from 4 to 25 pounds.
A weighted blanket
looks like a regular comforter with tiny stuffing distributed evenly to give
you that extra weight feel. If you want to buy high-quality weighted blankets, WebMD recommends one which
weighs 10% of your body weight.
How Does a High-Quality
Weighted Blanket Help You Fight Insomnia?
Aside from giving you
a stress-free sleep with a huge hug feels, experts said that quality weighted
blankets could also be an aide to ease anxiety, depression, and most especially
to help those who are having chronic sleep problems.
“It’s
like having the best hug for a long period of time. (It may be) a good
alternative to life-long sedative-hypnotic medications (sleeping pills) at
night,” University of Southern California
Clinical Medicine assistant professor Raj Dasgupta, MD said.
Deep touch pressure
is the science behind quality weighted blankets way of improving sleep. Deep
touch pressure promotes gentle applying of pressure to the body in order to
increase the production of serotonin – a body chemical that helps in
relaxation.
Deep touch pressure
also provides relaxing stimuli in the form of hugging, cuddling, swaddling,
firm strokes, and squeezing. When the body feels all of these stimuli, it
creates a calming sensation which will help you to fall asleep and have a deep
sleep all throughout the night.
A 2015 study from the
Journal of Sleep Medicine and Disorders
shows that quality weighted blankets indeed help those people who have insomnia
to experience an improved quality of sleep.
“Objectively,
we found that sleep bout time increased, as well as a decrease in movements of
the participants, during weighted blanket use.
Subjectively, the participants liked sleeping with the blanket, found it
easier to settle down to sleep and had an improved sleep, where they felt more
refreshed in the morning. Overall, we found that when the participants used the
weighted blankets, they had a calmer night’s sleep,”
the study noted.
Another research from
Occupational Therapy in Mental Health
back in 2006 reported that 63% of the 32 participants had lower anxiety after
using weighted blankets. Meanwhile, 78%
of them also said they felt more relaxed while using a weighted blanket.
Journey To A Good Night Sleep
There’s no harm in
trying quality weighted blankets. Especially if you are looking for a drug-free
way to improve your sleep and have an anxiety-free sleep routine.
If the thousands of
dollars worth of high-quality weighted blankets can provide peace of mind,
clearer focus, and healthier outlook the moment you wake up, then, by all
means, shut up and take my money now. Have a good night's sleep!
You've read Help Battle Insomnia and Sleep Like A Baby With This Genius Hack, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you've enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.