This is the second part of my article on how to prevent the physiologic causes of insomnia thereby preventing insomnia itself.
1. GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
GERD is a condition in which stomach contents reflux back into the esophagus which could cause heartburn and regurgitation. This is quite uncomfortable and can wake the individual from sleep.
Solution:
- Elevate upper body during sleep
- Since reflux is worse following meals, try not to eat a lot right before sleeping
- Avoid peppermint, alcohol, chocolate, fatty foods, and smoking since they reduce the pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter thereby promoting reflux
2. Heart disease
There are many kinds of heart diseases most of which can cause insomnia.
Solution:
- If you think that your heart disease is the primary contributor to your insomnia, try to speak with your physician on how to manage it.
- There have also been reports about the effectiveness of acupuncture and other Chinese medicines associated with insomnia caused by heart diseases.
3. Hormonal changes
Decreased in levels of growth hormone, and estrogen and progesterone as well as an increase in the level of the stress hormone cortisol can cause insomnia.
Solutions:
Hormonal replacement therapy may do the job. As for cortisol, try to teach yourself in properly managing stressful situations since cortisol levels rise during these conditions.
4. Pain
I think its pretty obvious how pain can cause insomnia; and since pain is brought about by a lot of different factors, its treatment also varies with the type of pain you have. Simply manage your pain issues properly and you can prevent insomnia. There are those which are hard to manage though such as pain caused by surgery.
5. Parkinsons disease
The insomnia caused by Parkinsons disease is due to the symptoms of the disease itself such as tremors during the night and the side effects of the medications used to treat Parkinsons disease.
Solution:
Since less than half of those with Parkinsons disease complain about insomnia, theres really not much any preventive measures for insomnia specifically caused by Parkinsons disease. If it causes too much problem on your sleep, you can use sleeping pills or sleeping aids as a last resort.
