Did you know that when the average person thinks of insomnia treatment, their mind first goes to sleeping pills? Although sleeping pills are more widely used than ever before in the United States, there are also more alternatives to sleeping pills than ever before.
Perhaps the simplest insomnia treatment is to get a little exercise.
Even low to moderate amounts of exercise can have a huge impact on your quality of sleep.
It is important to time your schedule correctly when using this technique, however.
If you work out too close to bedtime, you will be more alert than usual and have even more difficulty falling asleep.
If you are a morning person, it is a good idea to get up and go for a short jog before work.
Starting out your day this way will make you feel more vibrant and energetic than normal.
If you aren't a morning person, getting a quick workout on your lunch break or right after work is just as beneficial.
Some studies have shown that exercising about five hours before bedtime is most beneficial for those with insomnia.
This is because a drop in body temperature can assist in relaxation and make it easier to fall asleep more quickly after your head hits the pillow.
If western medicine is not your thing, acupuncture might be just the thing you need to help you get to sleep and stay asleep.
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese treatment for insomnia, among many other things, and studies have shown that it can be very effective.
During acupuncture, fine needles are placed into very specific points on the body, which influences how it functions.
Sometimes, these needles are used in conjunction with electrical stimulus or heat produced by burning certain herbs.
Although acupuncture may seem strange to some Americans, it has worked for the Chinese for centuries, so why not give it a shot? Two of the reasons many people have trouble sleeping are muscle tension and a mind that just can't seem to relax.
Simple treatments for this include relaxation and meditation.
Muscle relaxation can be gained by progressive muscle relaxation and biofeedback, while mind relaxation is gained from meditation.
Both of these can be learned and done on your own, so it is a good way to deal with insomnia privately.
These may take several weeks to master though, so do not become discouraged if they don't help with your insomnia right away.
All of these sleep aids are natural and without side effects, so they are good things to try before going straight to the doctor and asking for sleeping pills.