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Insomnia: An In-depth Look

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Symptoms > Emotional Ailments > Insomnia
There is little doubt that at some point in your life, you have been given the advice to get plenty of sleep. This advice exists because sleep is an essential component of finding healing from many of the ailments humans can experience. Unfortunately, for many, sleep is elusive for a multitude of reasons. Whether sleepless nights occur when you’re burning the candle at both ends for work, binge-watching your favorite show, or due to everyday stress and anxiety, missing sleep can quickly begin to contribute to the very problems that led to wakefulness in the first place.

For some people, though, trouble sleeping is the result of a medical condition known as insomnia. This diagnosed disorder results in frequent difficulty sleeping even when the conditions for sleep are right. If you suspect your sleep issues go beyond occasional wakefulness, it’s essential to develop a better understanding of insomnia. Learning more can help you find ways to manage the disorder and get the sleep you deserve and your body needs.

What Is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by frequent trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, or diminished quality of sleep regardless of environmental conditions. When these symptoms occur, they can impact your ability to function. Overtiredness due to insomnia can leave you feeling drained, exhausted, and unable to complete tasks as you normally would.1

The causes of insomnia can vary depending on the individual, with excess stress, mental health symptoms, chronic pain, long-lasting illness, conditions like thyroid issues and even menopause, and poor sleep habits contributing separately or together. If you’re like many people, though, the cause of your sleeplessness may be no further away than your medicine cabinet. According to one study, medications listing insomnia as a side effect have increased reports of insomnia by 64% for those who take one medication with this side effect and 164% for those who take two or more. This means taking medications can put you at greater risk of suffering from insomnia strictly because of your use of OTC or prescription drugs.2

What Is Insomnia

Understanding Insomnia

Researchers have identified two primary forms of insomnia regardless of their cause. 1 The first, short-term insomnia, occurs when you are experiencing factors that cause insomnia or your sleep environment is impacted on a temporary basis. This short-term sleep issue can last for as little as a few days or a few weeks. 

The second type of insomnia is known as chronic insomnia. As the name suggests, chronic insomnia is persistent and frequent. Chronic insomnia symptoms occur three or more times a week, last for three months or longer, and cannot be attributed to any other medical condition.

Insomnia can be explained by imagining your brain and body as a dynamic, complex computer system. Putting your computer in sleep mode does not shut it down entirely but instead allows the drive, fan, memory, and other components a chance to switch off and rest, slowing down wear and tear and enabling them to continue operations much longer in the future. In the same way, sleep gives your brain, muscles, and organs time to rest and recharge, allowing them to continue to function the way they are supposed to. 

This is especially true of the brain. When you are sleep-deprived, you may find it difficult to make decisions, solve problems, control your behavior and emotions, and adjust easily to change. Like the “thinking” components of a computer, when the brain cannot process efficiently, it can lead to a greater risk of issues. For some, lack of sleep can lead to depression, anxiety, or destructive behaviors such as substance use disorders.3

Medication-Induced Insomnia

While there are many contributing factors to insomnia, it’s important to address the factors you can control. That often begins by considering the many types that could be at the root of your insomnia.

Such medications include:

Medications for Cold and Allergy

These medications are great at helping relieve cold and allergy symptoms, which commonly include cough and congestion. Unfortunately, these medications are also known to increase heart rate by increasing the contractions of the heart muscle. This can make sleep difficult, particularly if you already suffer from anxiety, heightened blood pressure, or are easily excited.4

Medication for Asthma

This is a tricky area because some asthma sufferers may feel medication is the only relief for their potentially life-threatening symptoms. While inhalers may be necessary, they can increase the sensations of excitability and increase heart palpitations. Additionally, they could result in headaches that can impact the ability to fall asleep or stay asleep.5

Medications for Blood Pressure

Available as both ACE inhibitors and beta blockers, these medications can have other side effects that impact sleep. ACE inhibitors may cause coughing or muscle aches that can make sleep difficult. Beta-blockers can impact the melatonin levels in your body, which can impact sleep cycles.6

Medications for Diabetes

Medications to control diabetes, particularly those containing metformin, can also cause insomnia to the extent that “metformin-induced insomnia” is a well-known side effect. Worse, metformin can also negatively impact the sleep you do get. Many individuals report increased occurrences of nightmares and other sleep disturbances related to dream patterns.7

Steroid Medications

Steroid medications can also cause insomnia. They typically do so by depleting the body’s stores of melatonin. This can make it difficult for the body to maintain normal sleep-wake cycles.8

Mental Health Medications

Psychotropic medications meant to address mental health symptoms, including mood and anxiety, can cause or worsen both sleep apnea and insomnia. This, in turn, can actually worsen mental health. As previously mentioned, insomnia can have a negative impact on depression and other mood disorders, increase anxiety, and even lead to suicidal thoughts. Eventually, insomnia and mental health issues can become a vicious cycle that is difficult to escape.9

Sleep Aids

Unfortunately, many sleep aids can actually lead to persistent insomnia. While most sleep aids are designed for short-term use, the mechanisms by which they induce sleep can cause dependence. Long-term use can also decrease the effects of the medication as the body begins to build up a tolerance, resulting in the need to increase dosage to achieve sleep. When the dosage is increased, the dangers of the side effects also increase.

Some side effects of sleeping pills include blurry vision, severe itching accompanied by a rash or hives, facial swelling, difficulty breathing, and others. Aside from their negative impacts on sleep, these symptoms can be dangerous.10

Holistic Approach to Insomnia Relief at Alternative to Meds Center

Holistic Approach to Insomnia

While the first thing many medical professionals reach for to combat insomnia is a prescription pad, sleep aids, mental health drugs, and other medications can actually be the root cause of your insomnia. That’s why it’s so important to address insomnia holistically – by investigating and relieving the way insomnia begins and affects each and every part of you. At Alternative to Meds Center, our services are focused on alternative therapies for physical and mental ailments in a way that decreases dependence on medications and overcomes the side effects caused by medications. The result is the identification of the root causes of your insomnia rather than the application of a one-size-fits-all treatment.

If you are experiencing medication overload and mental health struggles that are influencing your insomnia, there are a variety of treatment options available. Our residential treatment services offer many services that, when used together, return you to healthy sleep patterns. These holistic strategies consider your unique needs and place the focus on improving mental and physical health.

While our services are individualized according to the needs of each client, some of our strategies include:

Medication Tapering

This process isn’t as simple as arbitrarily reducing or eliminating medications. Instead, we conduct testing and develop a safe, steady medication tapering plan bolstered with counseling services, nutritional correction, and building a supportive environment, among other positive strategies. We consider the physiological influences unique to your situation and address them so the body can perform at its peak without relying on medications that may be causing your insomnia.

Learn More About Medication Tapering

Neurotransmitter Rehabilitation

The way your cells communicate with each other can have a dramatic impact on how you feel, sleep, and behave. Our rehabilitation process incorporates a healthy diet with a focus on prebiotics, probiotics, amino acids, and other necessary adjustments. In addition, we look to reduce levels of heavy metals and other neurotoxins and supplement that with psychological therapies that promote a healthy mind. In turn, these efforts create a better environment for the cell communication that promotes healthy sleep habits.

Learn More About Neurotransmitter Rehabilitation

Therapeutic Counseling

Stress, anxiety, and other mental barriers can impact sleep and cause both chronic and short-term insomnia. With our personalized counseling services, we help you return to a balanced state of mental health. Counseling can also help to teach you how to mitigate environmental factors that could be influencing your inability to sleep.

These are just a few of the services we provide to help improve the quality of sleep you receive without medication. However, there are a number of services we use to help you find a healthier way to have the sleep you deserve. During intake, we’ll conduct a comprehensive overview of your current health and medications, including lab work, to determine a treatment regimen that is right for you. We don’t just seek to treat you while you’re with us; we want to help give you the tools you need to regain control of your life and your sleep.

Learn More About Therapeutic Counseling

Lifestyle Adjustments and Natural Remedies

After you receive our treatments, we’ll help you reestablish habits at home that can keep you falling asleep and staying asleep.

Some of the strategies that we may suggest to help you include:

Increase Liquid Consumption and Eliminate Alcohol

Many people believe that a nightcap can help them sleep. However, consuming alcohol can actually make sleep more difficult. Increasing your consumption of the right variety of beverages can help your body reach relaxation levels that promote healthy sleep. Liquids that are healthy for your body and may help you sleep include warm milk and green and chamomile teas. Tart cherry juice can even help you boost natural melatonin production.11

Exercise

Exercise

Keeping your body physically healthy can help to promote sleep. Gentle exercises like yoga and pilates can help your body increase the natural sleep you receive. However, as with any exercise, you want to do this at the right time. Aerobic exercises also increase your energy levels by releasing endorphins and raising heart rates, which increases body temperature. Thus, it is not recommended you exercise just before bed, as your body will be less likely to fall asleep.12

Address Your Sleep Environment

Light is a common hindrance to good sleep. By darkening the physical environment where you sleep, you can improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. This can be done with inexpensive blackout curtains over windows or even by incorporating an eye mask into your nighttime apparel. You should also reduce your screen time before bed, as blue light can impact your ability to fall asleep and overly engage the mind. If you do wake up in the middle of the night, use a different light source, such as a flashlight instead of a ceiling light or lamp.

These are just a few of the tools you can incorporate into your lifestyle that can help positively impact sleep and support the routines we help you establish with our inpatient care.13

Success Stories and Testimonials

While we believe in our work with our patients, we know that hearing from patients could help you determine if our services are right for you.

Recently, Rob visited us because he was prescribed Ativan and Ambien to help with anxiety and insomnia after a mental breakdown. After his body became used to these meds, he was put on Depakote. While this helped initially, he found the side effects were painful and caused severe discomfort. With the help of Alternative to Meds, he was tapered off the medications, and his diet and lifestyle became the focus. Not only did he find that he looked and felt better, he was able to get off the medications that were impacting his insomnia.

M.B. turned to Alternative to Meds when their benzodiazepine withdrawals became too much. After suffering a variety of health problems, they felt as if they were dying every day. But with our help, M.B. found themselves on the path to living again. They found that our methods helped them not only return to feeling healthy but also allowed the treatment to help their body return to a state in which it could heal itself more easily.

These success stories and more are just a couple of examples of how our clients feel after they receive treatment.

Insomnia Relief at Alternative to Meds Center

Sleep is something everyone needs and our bodies crave. Unfortunately, medications, diet, mental and physical health conditions, and many other things can cause insomnia that not only leaves you feeling exhausted but affects your overall wellness. Helping you get the sleep you need starts by developing an in-depth understanding of its cause instead of addressing the symptoms with medications that can make the problem worse.

If you need help overcoming your insomnia, contact Alternative to Meds today and let our professionals help you not only get the rest you need but also provide you with the tools and resources you need to take back control of your mind and body. With our resources, you can return to being a healthier and happier you.

Find a Lithium

References:

  1. NIH. (2022). Insomnia – What Is Insomnia? NHLBI. Retrieved May 3, 2024, from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/insomnia 
  2. Do, D. (2020). Trends in the use of medications with insomnia side effects and the implications for insomnia among US adults. Journal of Sleep Research, 29(4), e13075. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13075 
  3. Palagini, L., Hertenstein, E., Riemann, D., & Nissen, C. (2022). Sleep, insomnia and mental health. Journal of Sleep Research, 31(4), e13628. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13628 
  4. Taranto-Montemurro, L., Sands, S., Azarbarzin, A., Calianese, N., Vena, D., Hess, L., Kim, W., White, D. P., & Wellman, A. (2021). Impact of cold and flu medication on obstructive sleep apnoea and its underlying traits: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Respirology, 26(5), 485-492. https://doi.org/10.1111/resp.14009 
  5. Sundbom, F., Malinovschi, A., Lindberg, E., Almqvist, C., & Janson, C. (2020). Insomnia symptoms and asthma control—Interrelations and importance of comorbidities. Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 50(2), 170-177. https://doi.org/10.1111/cea.13517 
  6. Molnar, F., Frank, C., Chun, S., & Lee, E. K. (2021). Insomnia in older adults: Approaching a clinical challenge systematically. Canadian Family Physician, 67(1), 25-26. https://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.670125 
  7. Wiwanitkit, S., & Wiwanitkit, V. (2012). Metformin and sleep disorders. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 16 Suppl 1(Suppl1), S63–S64. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.94262 
  8. Cole J. L. (2020). Steroid-Induced Sleep Disturbance and Delirium: A Focused Review for Critically Ill Patients. Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS, 37(6), 260–267. Retrieved May 3, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7357890/ 
  9. Merrill, R.M., Ashton, M.K. & Angell, E. (2023). Sleep disorders related to index and comorbid mental disorders and psychotropic drugs. Ann Gen Psychiatry 22, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-023-00452-3 
  10. Fitzgerald, T., & Vietri, J. (2015). Residual Effects of Sleep Medications Are Commonly Reported and Associated with Impaired Patient-Reported Outcomes among Insomnia Patients in the United States. Sleep disorders, 2015, 607148. Retrieved May 3, 2024, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26783470/ 
  11. Howatson, G., Bell, P. G., Tallent, J., Middleton, B., McHugh, M. P., & Ellis, J. (2012). Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. European journal of nutrition, 51(8), 909–916. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-011-0263-7 
  12. Hartescu, I., Morgan, K., & Stevinson, C. D. (2015). Increased physical activity improves sleep and mood outcomes in inactive people with insomnia: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of sleep research, 24(5), 526–534. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12297 
  13. Johnson, D. A., Billings, M. E., & Hale, L. (2018). Environmental Determinants of Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Disorders: Implications for Population Health. Current epidemiology reports, 5(2), 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-018-0139-y 
Medical Disclaimer:
Nothing on this Website is intended to be taken as medical advice. The information provided on the website is intended to encourage, not replace, direct patient-health professional relationships. Always consult with your doctor before altering your medications. Adding nutritional supplements may alter the effect of medication. Any medication changes should be done only after proper evaluation and under medical supervision.

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