Sleeplessness - remedies in homeopathy

Sleeplessness

The commonest sleep difficulty is sleeplessness, or abnormal wakefulness at night, or inability to sleep, or insomnia, is most frequent between the ages of one and four years.

About a fifth of children of this age take at least an hour to get to sleep or are wakeful for long periods during the night.

In the adult sleeplessness includes
-difficulty in initiating sleep,
-difficulty in maintaining sleep.

This includes both
-frequent awakening during night, and
-early morning awakening.

Causes

1. Medical illness such as
-any painful or uncomfortable condition,
-heart diseases,
-respiratory diseases,
-rheumatic' and other musculoskeletal disorders
-old age

2. Alcohol and drug abuse
-drug or alcohol withdrawal syndrome
-delirium
-stimulants like Amphetamine etc
-chronic alcoholism

3. Psychiatric disorders
-mania,
-major depression,
-anxiety disorder
-stressful life situation

Insomnia Should be differentiated from short sleeper, who needs less than 6 hrs of sleep per night and has no symptom or dysfunction. A short sleeper does not need treatment.
Wakefulness is an isolated problem and not over-distressing to the family.

Homeoapathic Treatment:

Chief Remedies:

Passiflora Incarnata: Passiflora Incarnata is a chief remedy for insomnia or sleeplessness. Passiflora helps in quietning the nervous system and induces normal sleep. Restlessness and wakeful sleep especially in the feeble, infants, and the aged with history of mental worries and over work.

Kali Phosphoricum: Kali Phosphoricum helps in insomnia or sleeplessness after worry or excitement from nervous causes. Also walking in sleep in children.

Aconite: anxious dreams; sleeplessness, with restlessness and tossing about; sleeplessness in the aged.

Belladonna: drowsy but cannot sleep; anxiety and restlessness; starting when closing eyes or during sleep; kept awake by pulsation of blood vessels.

Coffea Cruda: sleepless or account of mental activity; flow of ideas with nervous excitability prevents sleep.

Ignatia Amara: sleeplessness due to sudden grief or shock.

Nux Vomica: cannot sleep after 3a.m. until morning; awakes feeling wretchedly.

Pulsatilla: restless sleep with frequent waking and frightful dreams.

Other Remedies:

Rxhomeo COMBO # 33: A homeopathic combination pack with two single remedies Passiflora Incarnata and Kali Phosphoricum for relief of sleeplessness.