There are many causes for insomnia, although they all break the natural balance of the mind or the body and therefore affect sleep. Acute and chronic insomnia also differ in their underlying ailments and the intensity of the disorder but the way to start recovery for both of the disorders are the same.
Stress is one of the major stressors leading to sleeping problems, and so recovery from insomnia starts by teaching your mind and yourself how to deal with stressors such as stress. A specialist can guide you after a consultation and a detailed diagnosis for the appropriate techniques to cope with your condition. But the principle remains the same to treat insomnia, no matter what the underlying illness is- the problem is in the lack of ability to relax and sleep and so you need to practice techniques enforcing calmness, relaxation and sleep.
Most specialists work with various breathing techniques, which help to focus the mind on something else than the stress and worries he’s caught into, thus helping it relax. PMRT or progressive muscle relaxation training is another technique combined with the proper exercise that helps relaxing the body and preparing it for a good night sleep.
Rhythmic breathing techniques are one of the easiest and most effective ways to attain a relaxed state and help treating insomnia. Rhythmic breathing exercises can be combined with progressive muscle relaxation training to attain a maximum effect, and they are very easily learned. Although anyone can manage to do these exercises if he learns properly, there is need for perseverance in order to see long-term results since the relief is only temporary. But from my own experience I can tell you it becomes easier with time and the more you practice the different techniques, the faster they become part of your life and it will become easier for you to deal with stress, anger, anxiety and other every day stressors.
Rhythmic breathing techniques are based on the principle that when you focus your mind on something steady, it forgets about everything else, as strong and frightening as it may be such as your financial problems or a death in the family. In this technique you will learn how to breathe deeply, inhaling for a long time and breathing out slowly while counting. This is also a very good technique to attain concentration and the body also benefits from receiving more oxygen inside the heart and brain. Since both the heart and the brain are negatively affected when someone suffers from stress and insomnia, sometimes to the point of enduring serious strokes, high blood pressure problems and heart attacks, it is important to take those exercises seriously to help strengthen your body and thus helping it cope better with stressors and sleeping problems.
Once you’ve established a stable ground in breathing properly for a few minutes, you can start working on progressive muscle relaxation training to go deeper in your relaxation state. One way of helping you relax is by using a kind of meditation that loosen your muscles and quiet your mind. This way, all the tension that builds up during the day in the body from the anxiety and the mind from being so busy is relieved and you feel relaxed and ready for a quiet rest. If you have mastered these techniques, you can move to more advanced exercises to take your recovery a few steps further.
Working on your mind is very good to treat insomnia, but the body must follow. Therefore it is important to keep a healthy diet and avoid chemicals that can deteriorate your health such as beverages containing caffeine, alcohol and also nicotine and any kind of drug. Regular exercise such as cardiovascular exercises can help strengthen your heart and help you cope with insomnia in another field.
