POV: It’s way past midnight. While everyone else is asleep, you find yourself staring blankly at the ceiling, fully awake. Turning, tossing, checking the time...insomnia can turn your divine sleep time into an anxiety-fueled suffering.
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Well, you're not alone in this. Thousands of people around the world are lying wide-awake at night. Luckily, retrieving peaceful, reviving sleep is possible with the correct self-care steps.

What is insomnia?
Insomnia is a constant trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or awake too early, which leads to tiredness and weakened daytime function.
Temporary insomnia, lasting days to weeks, often a result from stress or a major life incident. But for some, restless nights that last for a month or more – an illness known as chronic insomnia. Sometimes insomnia is the prime issue, while other times, it's related to other health conditions or the medications we take.
Causes of Insomnia
Whether severe (or temporary) insomnia that lasts for a few nights or long-lasting insomnia that continues for months, the toll it takes on your quality of life can be important.
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Detecting the root causes of your insomnia can be a powerful stage toward dealing it efficiently. Causes are often varied, spanning from emotional to physical including:
Stress and anxiety
Burdens from work, finances, school, relationships or general life can trigger worry and anxiety that keep the mind anxious at bedtime. Plus, anxiety about lack of sleep can create a particularly cruel series of suffering.
Medical conditions
Cancer, chronic pain, acid reflux, asthma, arthritis, and numerous other illnesses can disturb sleep patterns and quality. Changes in women’s hormones is also a well-known cause.

Medications
 Medicines like steroids, stimulants, antidepressants and blood pressure medications can cause insomnia as side effects. If you’re suspicious that this may be the case for you, discuss alternatives with your doctor.
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Mental health illnessesÂ
Conditions like PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addiction often coincide with insomnia and worsen it. The connection between sleep and mood illnesses is complex and often recurring. E.g., depression can lead to sleep disorders, while sleeplessness can worsen depression.
Poor bedtime habits
A poor sleep environment can make it harder to nod off. Electronic disturbances, such as social media or indulging TV shows in the bedroom, can also hinder sleep.
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Lifestyle factors
Consistent use of caffeine, nicotine and alcohol can inflict chaos on your sleep. Although alcohol can initially make you drowsy, it affects with the quality of your sleep. Also, caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that can keep you wide-awake.
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Uneven sleep schedules
Irregular sleep schedules, late afternoon nap, working graveyard shifts or jet lag can disrupt your body-clocks rhythm, leading to insomnia.
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Importance of self-care when you’re struggling with Insomnia
Most of our days are spent juggling immeasurable errands like family, friends, work, home, health, and on and on. Such a delicate balancing act often interrupts our sleep patterns, leaving us fully awake when we’d rather be sleeping.
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That’s where self-care comes in. By helping lessen anxiety, manage stress, and reinstate a sense of balance, self-care can lead for a peaceful night's sleep.
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Prioritizing self-care is essential for dealing insomnia both in the short and long term. Self-care helps by:
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Minimizing stress, worry, and anxiety by improving your lifestyle and mental health practices. This eliminates common contributors to insomnia.
Creating healthy sleep habits and environment to make falling asleep easier. This trains your body's sleep mechanisms to function perfectly.
Building emotional flexibility so insomnia has less of a daily effect on your mood, relationships, and work routine.
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Here are the 10 self-care tips to manage Insomnia:

In spite of all of the very actual trials posed by insomnia, there's good news. Including self-care into your routine can meaningly lighten symptoms and improve sleep quality. Here are some real self-care tips:

1. Improve your sleep environment
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Make your bedroom a sleep-friendly haven with calm temperatures (around 65°F), minimal sound, and low light. Consider a high-quality bed and soft pillows to make your bed a cuddly nest.
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2. Create a steady sleep schedule
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Going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day can help control your body's internal clock. Develop a relaxing pre-bedtime routine 60-90 minutes before sleep. Relax with a warm bath, a nice book, calm yoga, or meditation during this transition time.

3. Minimize screen time
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The blue light produced by screens can defeat melatonin, the hormone that manage your sleep-wake cycle. Attempt to turn off all screens at least one hour before bedtime to guarantee your brain gets the indication that it's time to sleep.

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4. Practice calming methods
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Methods such as deep breathing, gradual muscle relaxation, and guided mental images can help you relax and ease the transition into deep sleep. Include meditation or mindfulness into your routine to help lessen anxiety and help relaxation.
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5. Concentrate on handling your anxiety and stress
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Developing plans can greatly improve the quality of your sleep. This may include writing a journal, doing yoga, working out regularly, or talking to a friend or therapist.
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6. Exercise regularly
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Engaging in a regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercises, can help you fall asleep quicker and enjoy deeper sleep cycle. However, try not to work out right before bedtime, as this could disrupt your sleep.
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7. Limit caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol intake
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These substances can affect the quality and quantity of your sleep. Try to consume less, particularly in the afternoon and evening. Drinking coffee might cause sleep disturbances up to 6 hours later.

8. Stay away from heavy meals and snacks before going to bed.
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Sleeping can be difficult due to indigestion caused by heavy meals. You can have a light, healthy snack if you feel hungry late at night. Also, limit liquids intake before bed unless you wish to make a late-night restroom trip.
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9. Use sleep sounds, soundscapes, or relaxing music
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Background music or relaxing sound can help drown up distractions and create a calm atmosphere encouraging to sleep.
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10. Use Eye Mask
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Sleep masks help you get a good night sleep by making a conducive atmosphere. They prevent light exposure since artificial brightness can complicate your circadian rhythm. Therefore, this can limit the release of melatonin – a sleep-inducing hormone – and result to insomnia.
Thanks! This is very informative. I have been having issues with sleep lately due to work schedule.