The Best Treatment for Insomniacs

We constantly seek stimulation in this digital age. Nowadays everyone has a smartphone and uses it to fill the gaps in their day – work emails, social media updates, games, texting, and oh yeah – talking on the phone (how old skool)!. We can’t seem to be separated from our phones for a minute and we all know someone that can’t help themselves from constantly checking their screen. This over stimulation and fear of missing out on something is contributing to increased anxiety and sleeplessness. With the blessing of mobile convenience comes the curse of insomnia!

Sleep disorders are on the rise in the UK and there is an alarming number of couples who sleep in separate beds. Sleeping in the spare bed or on the couch is accepting the discomfort of sleepless nights, but now there are some effective holistic spa retreats that offer insomniacs a good night’s sleep.

Playfully called “Sleep School” or “Sleep Camp”, sleep retreats offer diagnosis and sleep enhancement therapies to get to the root of the problem and find solutions to treat sleep disorders. There are numerous causes in addition to overstimulation that can contribute to sleepless ness – an unhealthy diet, stimulants (e.g., caffeine, sugar, supplements), stress, fear, and bad habits can all impair your circadian rhythm. Sleeping is a natural process and should be viewed as a monster that feeds on fear.

Sleep retreats are offered at specialised spas and usually last from 3 – 10 nights. You will begin with a sleep enhancement consultation to determine the cause of your sleep imbalance. The focus of the retreat is to address sleep issues through treatments and therapies that draw on naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicinal philosophies (e.g., acupuncture, Qigong), Indian medicinal philosophies (e.g., yoga, pranayama), and massage to treat your disorder in resort and to give you the tools to continue to once you have returned home.

State of the art technology such as polysomnography and auto-CPAP therapy is used in conjunction with specialized macrobiotic diets and relaxing spa treatments in most sleep retreats. Nutritionists, doctors, and lifestyle coaches teach you tactics  to break the cycle of insomnia.  At the heart of the strategies is mindfulness to stop the downward spiral when your thoughts begin to spin out of control. You will also learn important facts like most people don’t need the golden 8 hours of sleep that most people think is necessary to be functional the next day.

So next time you are laying in bed stressed out about work or on the verge of murdering your partner who is blissfully snoring away next to you, you will know how  to shut out the mental noise (and noise from snoring) to finally be able to sleep like a baby.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS:

SHA Wellness, Spain – The 7 day “Sleep Well” programme treats insomnia and apnea through Western diagnosis techniques and natural therapies. They understand, from a medical perspective, the influence of sleeplessness on the circulatory, respiratory, and nervous system. SHA Wellness has earned its reputation as an expert in the field of sleep therapy through years of experience and a fully comprehensive programme.

Kamalaya, Thailand – The “Sleep Enhancement Programme” was started last May and is offered in 5, 7, or 9 day increments or you can add a 5 night “Add On Sleep Enhancement Programme” on to any of the other spa retreats that they offer. A unique combination of Eastern medicinal techniques (e.g., Chinese, Indian, Japanese) are used to create a balance between mind and body to provide long term solutions to insomnia.

By Spa Samurai.