How to Treat Sleep Disorders Without Medication

Sleep disorders can be caused by any number of factors. Sleep specialists are not 100 percent sure about what causes certain forms of hypersomnia. Insomnia is similarly puzzling. Here are natural ways to help treat sleep disorders without sedatives or stimulants.

Things You'll Need

• Pillow
• Bed
• Silk mask (optional)

Tips

1. Do not read, watch TV or work in the bedroom if you suffer from insomina. The bedroom should be reserved for sleeping and sex. This will help to keep you from associating the bed with work or other things that distract you.

2. Install shades or curtains, cover your alarm clock or turn the LED display away from the bed to control the light and noise in the room at night. If light is still a problem, consider wearing a light, comfortable sleeping mask.

3. Learn your body's natural rhythms. If you naturally fall asleep at 11:30 p.m., try to adjust your schedule to wake at about 7:30 a.m. the following morning. This way, you can establish a routine based on your body.

4. Don't eat a large meal too close to bedtime. Your body will have to expend energy to digest a large meal and this can wake you up or disturb sleep.

5. Don't drink or consume sugar or caffeine late in the day. Some people have to cut off sugar and caffeine around 3 p.m. in order to get to sleep easily.

6. Don't exercise too close to bedtime. Exercise releases endorphins that energize you and a workout two to three hours before bedtime can disrupt your sleep cycle. If you have to exercise, try a gentle walk or some soothing, relaxing yoga to wind down and prepare for sleep.

Hypersomniacs: Get Tested Then Get Rested

1. Find out what's wrong. Sleep apnea is the disorder created by a lack of oxygen reaching the brain during sleep. If your brain and blood do not receive enough oxygen at night, they will shut down during the day. If you stop breathing, or snore heavily at night and suffer from daytime sleepiness, you may consider asking your physician about a sleep study. Treatment for sleep apnea includes wearing an oxygen mask at night to help with alertness in the short run, combined with a long term plan to lose weight and do yoga or some other form of mind-body fitness to improve breathing efficiency.

2. Undergo a sleep study. Narcolepsy is a complex combination of symptoms typified by REM intrusion, cataplexy and automatic behavior. A sleep study will verify that night-time oxygen levels are sufficient (ruling out sleep apnea), and will monitor REM brain waves to see if cycles fit the regular narcoleptic symptoms.Treatments for narcolepsy frequently include stimulant medication. To try to treat your narcolepsy naturally. Practice yoga and exercise regularly, take naps during the day if you need them, try to eat a balanced diet that is higher in protein than it is in carbohydrates.

3. Figure out the problem. Idiopathic hyper-somnia occurs when neither sleep apnea nor narcolepsy are present in a patient undergoing a sleep study, but the primary symptom, excessive daytime sleepiness, still exists. Treatments for hyper-somnia frequently include stimulant medication. To try to treat yourself naturally. Practice yoga and exercise regularly, take naps during the day if you need them, try to eat a balanced diet that is higher in protein than it is in carbohydrates. Also, get yourself tested for food allergies, digestive enzyme treatment or other metabolic disorders such as celiac disease. Often, the inability to absorb nutrients from food can result in sleepiness.