How Insomnia gets cured with Homeopathy?

Sleep-onset insomnia is
difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night, often a symptom of anxiety disorders. Delayed
sleep phase disorder can be
misdiagnosed as insomnia, as sleep onset is delayed too much later than normal
while awakening pills over into daylight hours.
It is common for patients who
have difficulty falling asleep to also have nocturnal awakenings with
difficulty returning to sleep. Two-thirds of these patients wake up in middle
of the night, with more than half having trouble falling back to sleep after a middle
of the night awakening.

Poor sleep quality can occur as a
result of, for example, restless legs, sleep apnea or major depression. Poor sleep quality is caused by the
individual not reaching stage 3 or delta sleep which has restorative
properties.
Major depression leads to
alterations in the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
axis, causing
excessive release of cortisol which can lead to poor sleep
quality.

Some cases of insomnia are not
really insomnia in the traditional sense. People experiencing sleep
state misperception called as
subjective insomnia; often sleep for normal durations, yet severely
overestimate the time taken to fall asleep. They may believe they slept for
only four hours while they, in fact, slept a full eight hours.

Causes for Insomnia:

Symptoms of insomnia can be
caused by or be co-morbid with:

• Use of psychoactive drugs, herbs,
  caffeine,
  nicotine,
  cocaine,
  or excessive alcohol intake.
• Withdrawal
  from anti-anxiety drugs or pain-relievers such as opioids.
•  Previous thoracic surgery.
• Heart
  disease.

•  Deviated nasal septum and nocturnal
  breathing disorders.
•  Restless legs syndrome, which can
  cause sleep onset insomnia due to the discomforting sensations felt and
  the need to move the legs or other body parts to relieve these sensations.
•  Periodic limb movement disorder
  (PLMD), which occurs during sleep and can cause arousals of which the
  sleeper is unaware.
• Pain,
  an injury or condition that causes pain can preclude an individual from
  finding a comfortable position in which to fall asleep, and can in
  addition cause awakening.
• Hormone
  shifts such as those that precede menstruation
  and those during menopause.
•  Life events such as fear,
  stress, anxiety,
  emotional or mental tension, work problems, financial stress, the birth of a
  child and bereavement.
•  Gastrointestinal issues such as heartburn
  or constipation.
•  Mental
  disorders such as bipolar disorder, clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder,
  post-traumatic stress disorder,
  schizophrenia,
  obsessive-compulsive disorder,
  dementia,
  and ADHD
• Disturbances
  of the circadian rhythm, such as shift
  work and jet lag can cause an inability to sleep
  at some times of the day and excessive sleepiness at other times of the
  day. Chronic circadian rhythm disorders
  are characterized by similar symptoms.
•  Certain neurological
  disorders, brain lesions, or a history
  of traumatic brain injury.
•  Medical
  conditions such as hyperthyroidism
  and rheumatoid arthritis.
•  Abuse of over-the-counter or prescription
  sleep aids (sedative or depressant
  drugs) can produce rebound insomnia.
•  Poor sleep
  hygiene, e.g., noise or over-consumption of caffeine.
•  A rare genetic condition can cause a prison-based,
  the permanent and eventually fatal form of insomnia called fatal familial insomnia.
•  Physical exercise. Exercise-induced
  insomnia is common in athletes in the form of prolonged sleep onset latency.

Insomnia affects people of all
age groups but people in the following groups have a higher chance of acquiring
insomnia.

• Individuals
  older than 60
• History
  of mental health disorder including depression, etc.
• Emotional
  stress
• Working
  late night shifts
•  Traveling through different time zones.

Patients with various disorders,
including delayed
sleep phase syndrome, are often
mis-diagnosed with primary insomnia. When a person has trouble getting to
sleep, but has a normal sleep pattern once asleep, a delayed circadian rhythm
is the likely cause. In many cases, insomnia is co-morbid with another disease,
side-effects from medications, or a psychological problem. Approximately half
of all diagnosed insomnia is related to psychiatric disorders. It is possible
that insomnia represents a significant risk for the development of a subsequent
psychiatric disorder.

Treatment:

It is important to identify and
rule out medical and physiological causes before deciding the treatment of
insomnia. If insomnia caused due to some physiological or medical causes, if
primary causes can be treated which improves the sleep and insomnia will get
cured. If the insomnia is primary thing, then cognitive behavioural therapy is
more affective in chronic insomnia cases than medications. In acute insomnia,
sleep inducing medications will help somewhat, but its long term use intern
develops some side effects. Meditation also good non medical treatment for
insomnia cases. Relieving from stress, avoiding caffeinated products before
sleep, warm bathing before the sleep, taking warm milk before the sleep and
taking long deep breath after lying on bed will help somewhat to reduce
insomnia and have good sleep.
Non pharmacological strategies
provide long lasting improvements to insomnia and are recommended as a first
line and long term strategy of management. The strategies include attention to sleep hygiene, stimulus control, behavioral interventions,
sleep-restriction therapy, paradoxical intention, patient education and
relaxation therapy. Stimulus control therapy is a treatment for patients who
have conditioned themselves to associate the bed, or sleep in general, with a
negative response. As stimulus control therapy involves taking steps to control
the sleep environment.

Homeopathic treatment for
insomnia:

In Homeopathy insomnia can be
treated with constitutional treatment. Classical Homeopathy helps in taking
complete case history of the patient, in which we can understand the mental,
emotional and physical plane of person’s constitution. If we can prescribe
constitutional medicine for the person’s totality of the symptoms, it will cure
insomnia. Homeopathy can also treat the side effects from sleep inducing pills,
other effects of medication. Alcohol induced, or caffeine induced and other
drug induced insomnia can be treated with homeopathic constitutional
medications.
In Homeopathy, sleep has given
major importance. As we think that it will alter the person’s emotions and
physical complaints. That’s why in repertory, one complete sleep chapter has
been given.

Rubrics which helps to treat insomnia:

Sleeplessness, day and night,
children, in
Sleeplessness, alcohol agg.
Sleeplessness, anxiety from
Sleeplessness, anger after
Sleeplessness, calamity after
domestic
Sleeplessness, caressed unless
Sleeplessness, causeless
Sleeplessness, children in
Sleeplessness, chronic
Sleeplessness, coffee agg
Sleeplessness, delusions, with
Sleeplessness, desire for,
fruitless
Sleeplessness, drugs, after
Sleeplessness, drunkards, in
Sleeplessness, excitement, from
Sleeplessness, fear, fright, from
Sleeplessness, fancies, from
Sleeplessness,hysterical,
Sleeplessness, insane people, in
Sleeplessness, joy from excessive
Sleeplessness, mania, in
Sleeplessness,narcotics.
Sleeplessness, newborn, in
Sleeplessness, nicotinism,
chronic
Sleeplessness, night watching,
from
Sleeplessness, old people, in
Sleeplessness, periodical
Sleeplessness, persistent
Sleeplessness, pregnancy, during.
Sleeplessness, restlessness, from
Sleeplessness, shock, from
Sleeplessness, sleepiness with
Sleeplessness, tea, after abuse
of
Sleeplessness, tobacco, after
abuse of
Sleeplessness, wine, after abuse
of
Sleeplessness, woman, in
Sleep, disturbed, morning,
3am-5am
Sleep, disturbed, easily
Sleep, interrupted, morning.
Sleep, interrupted, midnight.

Some of important medicines which
help in insomnia:

Argentum nitricum: Sleepless,
from fancies before his imagination. Horrible dreams of snake and of sexual
gratification. Drowsy, stupor.

Arnica: Sleepless, restless from
overexcited. Awakens in middle of night with hot head, fear of sleeping again
with recurrence. Dreams of death and mutilated bodies. Anxious and restless.
Terrible horror in the night. Involuntary stools and urine.during sleep.  Great drowsiness during the day, without
being able to sleep. During sleep, groans, talks and snoring.

Arsenicum album: Disturbed,
anxious, restless. Head must raised by pillows. Suffocative fits during sleep. Lying
with hands under the head. Frequent awakening from sleep, with fear and
anxiety. Dreams of dead people, frightful dreams, waking from sleep with sweat
all over the body.

Belladonna: Restless, crying out,
gritting of teeth, kept away by sensation of blood vessels. Screams out in
sleep. Sleeplessness with drowsiness. Starting when closing the eyes during
sleep. Sleeps with hands under the head. Worse by lying, better by semi erect
position. On waking headache with increased suffering.

Calcarea carb: Ideas crowding in
the mind prevents the sleep. Horrid vision when opening the eyes. Starts at
every noise. Fears that she will go crazy. Drowsy in early parts of night.
Frequent awakening from sleep. Disagreeable ideas from every slumber. Night
terror, dreams of death.

China: Drowsiness, unrefreshing
and constant stupor. Wakens early. Protracted sleeplessness. Anxious, frightful
dreams with confused consciousness on waking, so that sleep cannot be rid of
frightened dream, remains in affect of dream. Snoring, especially in children.

Citrus vulgaris: Frequent and
irresistible yawing. Disturbed sleep, due to facial neuralgia, especially right
sided.

Coffea: Wakeful on constant move.
Sleeps till 3 am after which only dozing. Wakes with starting. Sleep disturbed
by dreams. Sleepless on account of mental activity. Flows of ideas with nervous
excitability. Disturbed by itching on anus.

Cypripedium: Hydrocephaloid
symptoms results of long exhausting sleeplessness. Especially in young children
with overstimulation of brain. Child cries out and wakes during the night. Is
wakeful and begins to laugh and play. Efficient antidote for Rhus poisoning.

Kali phos: Wakes early with heat
and restlessness. Mumbling, grinding the teeth and talking during the sleep.
Sleepy, yawing, hard to wake. Eyes hurt, they feel so sleep. Pains frequently
change the positions and makes him to wake from 2-3 am to 4 am. Dreams as if he
is partially clothed in public. Lascivious dreams with emissions, wakes with
angry and cross. Sleeplessness during latter part of night. Night terror in
children, awakens from sound sleep screaming with fright. Sleeplessness fro
mental exertion, worry from business load and nervous exhaustion.

Lachesis: Patient sleeps into an
aggravation. Sudden starting when falling asleep. Sleepiness yet cannot sleep.
Wide awakening in the evening. Cannot lie on left side. Sleep aggravates all
the complaints.

Nux vomica: Cannot sleep after 3
am until morning. Awakens feeling wretchedly. Drowsy after meals and in early
evening. Dreams full of bustles and hurry. Better after short sleep, unless
aroused.

Opium: Great drowsiness, falls
into stupid sleep. Loss of breath in falling asleep. Picking of bed clothes.
Very sleepy but cannot go to sleep, distant noises and sounds wakes him up.
Child dreams of cats, dogs and black forms. Bed feels so hot that cannot lie on
it. Shaking chills, with heat and heat, thirst during sleep.

Phosphorus: Great drowsiness
after meals. Sleeplessness in older people. Vivid dreams of fire, of
haemorrhages. Lascivious dreams. Goes to sleep late and wakes early. Short naps
and frequent awakening. Disturbed sleep.

Rhus tox: Dreams of great
exertion. Heavy sleep with stupor. Sleepless before midnight.

Pulsatilla: Wide awake in the
evening. First sleep restless. Wakes languid and unrefreshed. Sleepiness in the
afternoon. Sleeps with hands over the head.

Silicea: Night walking gets up
while asleep. Sleepless with great orgasm of blood and head in the head.  Frequent starting during sleep. Anxious
dreams. Excessive gaping.

Thuja: Persistent insomnia.
Emotional sensitiveness.

Tabacum: Insomnia with dilated
heart. With cold, clammy skin with anxiety.

even though these are some indicated remedies in treating the insomnia, but in my opinion, treating the person with constitutional homeopathic medication will give a good success rate in primary insomnia cases. in secondary insomnia, treating the actual cause for insomnia with improving healthy living style with diet, exercise and stress free life will helps in cure rate in Homeopathy.