Insomnia – Trouble sleeping?

The English proverb says: ‘Six hours sleep for a man, seven for a woman and eight for a fool.’ but even a fool is better off than someone who cannot sleep at all. An insomniac may have difficulty in falling asleep or in staying asleep, both of which can increase daytime fatigue and irritability.

What causes insomnia? There are many reasons why you may have insomnia, chronic insomnia can itself be a symptom of another condition; some include receiving bad news, running out of time in an over burdened busy schedule; there are physical disorders such as ‘sleep apnoea’, restless legs, heart disease, lung disease, hot flashes, or diabetes, therefore it is wise to consult with your doctor if you are having trouble sleeping; the environment may also be a factor, like noise and light or lack of exercise during the day, lifestyle or the miss use of sleeping drugs can be another factor for having insomnia, or it can just occur for no apparent reason.

Insomnia can also be a symptom of psychiatric illnesses like depression and anxiety attacks. In all, we should be sensitive to those who spend the night trying to count all of the sheep in the world and never getting to sleep.

Alternative medicine or the use of alternative medicine types and natural remedies can be a very successful way in treating those suffering with insomnia - when administered properly by a qualified health specialist and therapist, they encompass a wide variety of disciplines that include everything from diet and exercise to mental conditioning and lifestyle changes. You may find one or more of the following alternative medicine types helpful to you.

The learning of relaxation techniques can help you to fall asleep faster and increase your sleep time, there are lots of things that you can do to improve your relaxation such as visualization which helps you relax by imagining a relaxing scene for you to sleep on.

Another alternative medicine type is meditation which essentially involves you focusing your mind on the present.

Some have found Yoga to be very relaxing and to encourage sleeping, Yoga develops the relationship between deep breathing, meditation, and stretching; There are many gentle styles of Yoga available that maybe helpful.

Acupuncture is often used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating cases of insomnia and is becoming a more popular practise in the western world.

A careful look and adjustment to your diet can make a huge difference too, particularly if you can cut out caffeine from your diet which can have a pronounced effect on sleep, in addition eliminating the drinking of tea and soft drinks at night time, can be beneficial.

Avoiding sweets or high sugar foods at night time that give you a short burst of energy will also help; because these type of high sugar foods can often cause uneven blood sugar levels, they can disturb your sleep in the middle of the night as the blood sugar level falls.

Apparently, it is proven that regular exercise deepens sleep in young adults with or without sleep disorders, therefore, increasing your personal exercise plan may also be an advantage in getting a better night sleep.

Alternative remedies such as using the root of valerian (Valeriana officinalis), and using herbs such as chamomile, passionflower, hops, ginseng, lemon balm and skullcap are all alternative medicine types that have been successfully used in treating people with sleep disorders. It is to be remembered that natural remedies are not always benign, some herbal therapies can interact with other medications you may be taking, therefore is it good practice to always consult with your doctor or health care provider before you change or adjust your current medication.

Many have found that taking a warm bath with appropriate aromatherapy oils added can relax the body and reduce a stressful mind to help you enjoy a comfortable rest through the night.

Alternative Medicine for Constipation

Constipation is usually caused by a diet which denies the body of roughage. It is quite possible that our ancestors did not suffer as much as we do in the modern world from the infrequent or difficult passing of hard, dry faeces known as constipation. Their diets would have been without the availability of such refined and rich foods that we today can find in our superstore shops.

Constipation can be very unpleasant particularly after straining or pushing a bowel movement or not having a bowel movement for more than 3 days. Constipation is common among children, the aged and pregnant women.

It is very important that we establish regular elimination habits, because straining bowel movements can cause blemishes which if not healed can become infected and cause other problems. There are a rang of related conditions to constipation such as hemorrhoids, bowel obstruction, chronic constipation, spastic colitis, hernia, depression, diabetes, diverticulosis, Parkinson's disease and lead poisoning; it is important that if your condition is considered much serious than constipation then you must consult a health profession for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Another consideration in helping prevent constipation is to make sure that you are getting enough exercise, physical exercise together with drinking plenty of water and having the correct amount of fibre-rich foods in a regular diet such as beans, bran cereals, fruits, raw vegetables, rice, and whole-grain breads will help to keep your body healthy and strong and free of ‘struggling’ with bowel movements.

There are many alternative medicine and natural remedies available on this subject, including aromatherapy, reflexology, acupuncture, homeopathy etc., but often all will suggest an increase of fibre to the diet and intake of water, together with making sure that you are getting enough exercise each day; there is also a variety of herbs that have often been used successfully including Aloe, Dandelion, Ginger, Burdock root. When using natural herbs, it is important that you see a qualified specialist, proficient in understanding and administrating alternative medicine and/or natural remedies so that you can receive the best and safest treatment available.

The major causes of constipation are usually due to having a low fibre diet or dehydration. It is worth noting that every person both old and young have different bowel patterns, some of the symptoms associated with constipation are bloating, uncomfortable and sluggishness; these in general are not a serious problem although occasionally they may be a symptom of an underlying disorder, especially if they recently occur with an adult over the age of forty.

Many people simply do not drink enough water - that is unadulterated water; tea, coffee and fruit juice do not count. Drinking two or three pints of clear (preferably filtered) water every day will strengthen your general health and reduce your problems with constipation.

Natural remedies such as taking a tablespoon of cider vinegar sweetened with a teaspoon of honey or black strap molasses dissolved in a hot mug of water or two or three teaspoons of violet syrup on a bowel of strawberries a few times a week will certainly help to lubricate the system and help you keep free of constipation.