Last Updated on 25 May 2022 by Brisbane Livewell Clinic
Insomnia generally is categorised into 2 types – sleep onset (difficulty falling asleep) and sleep maintenance (difficulty staying asleep). It is generally more common in women. As a general guideline, the recommended times for adults varies from 7-9 hours and school-age children should get 10 to 11 hours of sleep per night. While the average person gets around 7 hours of sleep per night anything less than 6 hours can increase the risk of developing serious health issues over time. If you’re looking for a Natural Treatment for Insomnia our Naturopath can help.
How can Naturopathy help with Natural Treatment for Insomnia?
A naturopath can facilitate sleep quality with natural treatment for insomnia by:
- Establishing the causative factors of insomnia
- Supporting neurotransmitter production and regulation, particularly melatonin secretion, our primary sleep hormone
- Suggesting effective home remedies and sleep routine habits, aimed at calming the nervous system
- Addressing any pathology that contributes to poor sleep
- Prescribing individualised natural treatment for insomnia to support one of the most important functions for good health
What can a Naturopath do for a patient suffering from Insomnia?
Often insomnia is made worse by a busy lifestyle, a result of living in a modern world. It is important to begin with changing the patterns in our daily routine such as stress reduction, avoiding TV viewing or looking at computer screens at least 1 hour before bed and refraining or limiting caffeine and alcohol. When all of these issues have been addressed but the insomnia is still an issue, then supportive elements can be prescribed.
Natural treatment for insomnia are chosen based on the underlying cause such as hormonal imbalance associated with adrenal fatigue, thyroid issues and of course peri-menopause but there can also be other reasons identified during case taking.
Herbal medicines are tailor-made in a combination that best fits the individual, while nutritional medicine plays a vital role in reversing the patterns of overstimulation experienced with insomnia.
Both children and adults respond well to gentle natural treatment for insomnia that allows the body to rest, restore and renew. The noticeable difference can be almost immediate and the goal is to use the supportive elements for the period of time it takes for the body to adjust to a healthier sleeping pattern.
Long term solutions
One of the principles of Naturopathy is to Treat the Whole Person and by using natural treatment for insomnia there is also a rewarding follow on effect for both the patient and the practitioner to note an overall sense of wellbeing as a result of getting good quality sleep. Improvements to energy levels, mood, appetite regulation and weight loss can be observed, giving much benefit and good results in achieving positive, permanent change.
