Insomnia is a condition which describes problems getting to sleep, remaining asleep and getting up at the desired time in the morning. Symptoms can vary from mild to excessive daytime sleepiness, effects on your physical and mental health, and even a higher risk of road traffic accidents. There is a direct link with mental health problems to include depression and anxiety which, if left untreated, can deteriorate into serious mental health conditions(1).
When I first started my research for Sleepability, I was staggered by how big a problem insomnia is in the UK. In 2017, Mintel reported that half of Britons struggle to sleep(2). Leading industry research also revealed that half of those people don’t take any measures to help themselves sleep better and, for those that do, there is a trend for either sleeping pills or an alcoholic ‘night cap’(3).
What is keeping you awake?
There are many causes of insomnia, to include stress, anxiety, depression, hormonal changes, physical illness, medication, pain, neurological conditions, shift work, jet lag and PTSD. Women fare worse than men with insomnia, the most common reasons being hormonal disturbances, care for babies, children and elderly parents and juggling the home and work life balance(4).
Notably, there has been a strong upward trend for insomnia medication in the last 4 years – up an incredible 150%, costing the NHS £2.6m (May 2019)(5). Yet, while sleeping pills can appear to manage the problem, in reality, they mask the problem, like applying a ‘sticky plaster’, with the symptoms returning once patients stop medication. Furthermore, this type of medication comes with serious side effects, including shortened life span and cancer(6).
This explains the preference towards prescribing the pharmaceutical synthetic hormone, Melatonin, to avoid adverse effects. However, as with most medication, side effects are a concern with this medicine too (7).
As a responsible practitioner, I would always recommend seeking the advice of a health
professional but, before taking medication, I always try to resolve my health issues naturally. My research has proven that natural remedies – to include herbs, aromatherapy, homeopathy, nutrition, meditation and yoga – are effective in combatting insomnia (8-16).
You’re definitely not alone, and do not despair. Sleepability can help you learn to sleep again, using natural remedies. The evidence is there.
Contact me today? Because sleep matters.
References
1 Harvard Mental Health Letter, 2019: ‘Sleep deprivation can harm your mental health’ –
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Sleep-and-mental-health
2 ‘The Wide Awake Club’, Mintel, 2017: https://www.mintel.com/press-centre/social-and-lifestyle/the-wide-awake-club-half-of-brits-struggle-to-sleep
3 Aviva News Release, 2017: ‘Sleepless cities revealed
https://www.aviva.com/newsroom/news-releases/2017/10/Sleepless-cities-revealed-as-one-in-three-adults-suffer-from-insomnia/
4 Bonanni et al, 2019: ‘Insomnia and Hot Flashes’ – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31239118/
5 NHS Open Data 2019: https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset?tags=Prescriptions
6 Walker, Matthew, 2018: ‘Why We Sleep’ – Penguin Random House (ISBN: 978-0-141-98376-9)
7 Foley & Steele, 2019: ‘Adverse events associated with oral administration of melatonin: a critical systematic review of clinical evidence’ –https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30670284/
8 Szafranski, 201: “Herbal remedies in depression – the state of the art” – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24946435/
9 Hwang & Shin, 2015, “The effects of aromatherapy on sleep improvement: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25584799/
10 Yin et al, 2017, “Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture treatment on primary insomnia” –
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28899535/
11 Naude et al, 2010: “Chronic primary insomnia: efficacy of homeopathic similimum’ –
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20129178/
12 Villet et al, 2016: “Open-label observational study of homeopathic medicine Passiflora for anxiety and sleep disorders” –
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26828002/
13 Michael et al, 2019: “Efficacy of individualised homeopathic treatment of insomnia: double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial” – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30935555/
14 Martires and Zeidler, 2015: “The value of mindfulness meditation in the treatment of insomnia” –https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26390335/
15 Li et al, 2018: “The Role of the Microbiome in Insomnia and Circadian Disturbance” –
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6290721/
16 Harvard Health Publishing, 2015: ‘Yoga for better sleep’ – https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/8753-201512048753