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Suggest Treatment For Severe Insomnia

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Posted on Mon, 22 Sep 2014
Question: hi doctor,

i am facing troubled sleep and severe insomnia. it is affecting my health personal and professional life. i initially had sleep problems but this got aggravated due to taking cetrizine for almost an year due to eye and nose allergies. Now i have stopped taking the pill but facing insomnia since 2 3 months. please suggest how to overcome this.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Ashok Kumar Choudhary (25 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Follow the principle of good sleep hygiene

Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXX,
Thanks for using healthcaremagic.

The first thing that need to be done in case of insomnia is following principal of sleep hygiene.
I am noting down an article written by me. I hope that will help you for a large extent.

Four Important Factors for a Good Sleep Environment:

Darkness - Avoid lights in bedroom, including night-lights or low power lights. Take care to cover the windows with blinds or curtains.
Temperature - the temperature of your bedroom should be cool enough to necessitate blankets for warmth. Keeping the room temperature around 20-25 degree Celsius is ideal for sound sleep.
Quietness - Old saying of “falling asleep and maintaining sleep is easier if your sleep environment is void of noise” holds more truth today.
Comfort - To have a sound and refreshing sleep use of mattress that is comfortable enough to support your back is one of the important factors of good sleep environment.

Important Don’ts to Have a Good Night Sleep:
Consumption of alcohol before retiring to bed - This is a common myth that alcohol helps in sleep problem. It may help you to fall asleep but it does so on cost of impairing quality of your sleep.
Avoidance/modification of your current medications - Some of the commonly used medications have side effects of impaired sleep (insomnia), including number of herbal remedies. Before you pop up any medicine for your sleep problem, make sure to read the accompanying leaflet of your current medication and consult your primary care physician or specialist.
Do not wake up too late - By doing so we are liable to get a "second wind" which will make it difficult to fall asleep even if it is too late.
Avoid a heavy meal or liquids before bed - Abdominal distension and the need to pass urine are counterproductive and lead to disturbance of your sleep.
Do not use your bed for other activities - Ideally bed should be used only for sex and sleep.
Avoid consumption of caffeine (coffee) and nicotine (cigarettes) before bed - they are stimulants that prevents you from falling asleep.
Avoid exercise immediately before bedtime - It is a very healthy thing if done several hours prior to going to sleep. Exercising just before bedtime produces natural high which interferes with natural sleep.
Avoid forcing yourself to fall asleep - If you are not able to sleep within 30 minutes after going to bed it is better to get out of bed and do something that is not stimulating.
Avoid daytime sleep - Avoid daytime naps as they disrupt your body’s biological clock and rhythm. By sleeping during daytime you will not feel tired at bedtime and encouraging you to stay up. If sleeping during daytime is necessary, sleep for less than 45 minutes before 2 PM.

Important Do’s to Fall Asleep Easily:
A bedtime ritual - This makes sure that your body receives a cue that it is time to settle down and fall asleep. This should not be a long and stimulating process. It can be very simple like brushing your teeth and praying for just 15 minutes.
A regular sleeping pattern - Very important and often neglected. It allows our body's biological clock to take care of our ability to fall asleep on time. It can be set very easily like exposing oneself to direct sunlight for 20 minutes immediately after waking up in the morning.
Having a light meal before bed - It will allow you to sleep soundly through the night without waking up from hunger. Take care of not eating a heavy meal as it will make very difficult to fall asleep due to indigestion, heartburn etc.
Taking time early in the evening - It is very essential to relax your brain and body before going to sleep. Onset of sleep may be almost impossible if our brain is solving or working through day to day issues and preoccupied with problems of past or present. A calm, peaceful mind is necessary for a relaxed sleep.
Taking a hot water bath before retiring to bed - Hot baths raise our body's temperature and lead to cooling of our body after the bath. This cooling makes us to feel sleepy leading to onset of sleep.

I suggest you to practice these in your life style. Should you persist to have troubles, you can let me know I shall guide you further.

Thanks and regards
Dr Ashok Kumar
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Dr. Ashok Kumar Choudhary

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2000

Answered : 3350 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Severe Insomnia

Brief Answer: Follow the principle of good sleep hygiene Detailed Answer: Dear XXXX, Thanks for using healthcaremagic. The first thing that need to be done in case of insomnia is following principal of sleep hygiene. I am noting down an article written by me. I hope that will help you for a large extent. Four Important Factors for a Good Sleep Environment: Darkness - Avoid lights in bedroom, including night-lights or low power lights. Take care to cover the windows with blinds or curtains. Temperature - the temperature of your bedroom should be cool enough to necessitate blankets for warmth. Keeping the room temperature around 20-25 degree Celsius is ideal for sound sleep. Quietness - Old saying of “falling asleep and maintaining sleep is easier if your sleep environment is void of noise” holds more truth today. Comfort - To have a sound and refreshing sleep use of mattress that is comfortable enough to support your back is one of the important factors of good sleep environment. Important Don’ts to Have a Good Night Sleep: Consumption of alcohol before retiring to bed - This is a common myth that alcohol helps in sleep problem. It may help you to fall asleep but it does so on cost of impairing quality of your sleep. Avoidance/modification of your current medications - Some of the commonly used medications have side effects of impaired sleep (insomnia), including number of herbal remedies. Before you pop up any medicine for your sleep problem, make sure to read the accompanying leaflet of your current medication and consult your primary care physician or specialist. Do not wake up too late - By doing so we are liable to get a "second wind" which will make it difficult to fall asleep even if it is too late. Avoid a heavy meal or liquids before bed - Abdominal distension and the need to pass urine are counterproductive and lead to disturbance of your sleep. Do not use your bed for other activities - Ideally bed should be used only for sex and sleep. Avoid consumption of caffeine (coffee) and nicotine (cigarettes) before bed - they are stimulants that prevents you from falling asleep. Avoid exercise immediately before bedtime - It is a very healthy thing if done several hours prior to going to sleep. Exercising just before bedtime produces natural high which interferes with natural sleep. Avoid forcing yourself to fall asleep - If you are not able to sleep within 30 minutes after going to bed it is better to get out of bed and do something that is not stimulating. Avoid daytime sleep - Avoid daytime naps as they disrupt your body’s biological clock and rhythm. By sleeping during daytime you will not feel tired at bedtime and encouraging you to stay up. If sleeping during daytime is necessary, sleep for less than 45 minutes before 2 PM. Important Do’s to Fall Asleep Easily: A bedtime ritual - This makes sure that your body receives a cue that it is time to settle down and fall asleep. This should not be a long and stimulating process. It can be very simple like brushing your teeth and praying for just 15 minutes. A regular sleeping pattern - Very important and often neglected. It allows our body's biological clock to take care of our ability to fall asleep on time. It can be set very easily like exposing oneself to direct sunlight for 20 minutes immediately after waking up in the morning. Having a light meal before bed - It will allow you to sleep soundly through the night without waking up from hunger. Take care of not eating a heavy meal as it will make very difficult to fall asleep due to indigestion, heartburn etc. Taking time early in the evening - It is very essential to relax your brain and body before going to sleep. Onset of sleep may be almost impossible if our brain is solving or working through day to day issues and preoccupied with problems of past or present. A calm, peaceful mind is necessary for a relaxed sleep. Taking a hot water bath before retiring to bed - Hot baths raise our body's temperature and lead to cooling of our body after the bath. This cooling makes us to feel sleepy leading to onset of sleep. I suggest you to practice these in your life style. Should you persist to have troubles, you can let me know I shall guide you further. Thanks and regards Dr Ashok Kumar