Sleep Disorders and Homeopathy

Sleep disorders are problems in the pattern of sleep of an individual, often leading to a serious mental, physical and psychological strain. The most common types of sleep disorders are:

1. Insomnia: People suffering from insomnia usually display symptoms like difficulty in falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to get back to sleep or waking up feeling tired.
2. Sleepwalking: People suffering from this disorder get up and walk around, being asleep all this time.
3. Narcolepsy: People suffering from narcolepsy usually complain of overwhelming drowsiness after waking up and the drowsiness persists throughout the day.
4. Obstructive sleep apnea: Patients suffering from this, generally experience a state where their breathing pauses for a while and resumes after few seconds. This usually happens when throat muscles block the airway and create problems.

Homeopathy offers several treatments for these disorders and they are:

1. Using Nux Vomica: This is especially helpful in case of insomnia; it can help in recovering from a general state of sleeplessness.
2. Using Coffea cruda: Sleep disturbance and waking up in the middle of the night are symptoms for which this medicine proves to be beneficial.
3. Belladonna: Bad dreams of deep-lying insecurities that don't let the patient sleep are most common symptoms that can be treated by this. Belladonna helps in case of problems of consistent sleep.
4. Stramomium: It is beneficial for sleepwalking and also proves to be helpful to an extent in case of sleep apnea.
5. Aconite: Especially, helpful for patients suffering from narcolepsy as it reduces the onset of tiredness brought about by lack of sleep and thus, helps in recovering from the drowsiness and lack of activity that narcolepsy brings.
6. Phosphorus: Helps in case of sleepwalking and is often beneficial in cases of insomnia too.
7. Pulsatilla: Beneficial for obstructive sleep apnea by reducing the muscle constriction and for people suffering from acute cases of narcolepsy.
8. Arsenicum: It helps with better sleep for people suffering from sleeplessness due to anxiety, fear or worry. Acute thirst of water coupled with lack of sleep past midnight and general drowsiness are the symptoms that you need Arsenicum. This works well for sleepwalking patients too.
9. Valerianna: Especially, beneficial for sleepwalking patients. Patients who are only able to sleep towards the morning are the ones on whom this works well and this can be taken in herbal capsule form as well.