What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a very common sleeping disorder, It makes you find it hard to fall asleep which is the most common. Insomnia can also make you find it hard to stay asleep, you wake up too early and just can’t sleep anymore. This may not sound too serious but it has a way of affecting your day to day life and can lead too future complications because your body is not getting enough rest. The biggest issue is knowing your body isn’t well rested but you still have to get up early for work or school, then you put your faith in …..”caffeine”
There’s good news and bad news, the good news is, Insomnia is quite common and basically self diagnosed. The bad news is, there isn’t any cure for it, and by cure i mean, there isn’t any drug you’ll take to make it go away (sleeping pills don’t count).
Lots of physical and psychological factors can lead to insomnia. Often, the cause is a temporary problem, such as short-term stress. In some other instances, insomnia stems from an underlying medical condition.
Common causes include:
- having jet lag, switching shifts at work, or dealing with any other changes to the body’s internal clock
- the room being too hot, cold, or noisy, or the bed being uncomfortable
- caring for someone in the house, if it disrupts sleep
- getting too littleTrusted Source physical exercise
- having night terrors or bad dreams
- using recreational drugs, such as cocaine or ecstasy
In some people, stress or a mental health issue is responsible for insomnia. A person may be experiencing:
- depression
- anxiety
- bipolar disorder
- schizophrenia
Some other health conditions that can limit sleep include:
- restless legs syndrome
- an overactive thyroid
- sleep apnea
- gastrointestinal reflux disease, commonly called GERD
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, known as COPD
- chronic pain
Often, symptoms of another health issue or natural transition cause difficulty sleeping. During menopause, for example, hormonal changes can lead to night sweats, which can interrupt sleep.
Lets look at a few tips on fighting insomnia;
#1 Try reducing the length of your afternoon/morning naps as they will surely mess with your sleep at night.
#2 Regularize your sleep time. If you sleep at 10pm every night, your body and mind will automatically adjust to that time, which means you’re bound to get sleepy at that same time.
#3 Try to reduce or remove any source of discomfort. Make your room as clean and airy as possible. Also, make the room as dark as possible or wear blinders.
#4 You might not want to hear this, but cut down on the caffeine. When you take caffeine, it keeps you active in the day and can also potentially affect your sleep at night. Too much food can also affect your sleep.
#5 Quit smoking. For real this time. Nicotine is a stimulant. People who smoke take longer to fall asleep, wake up more frequently, and often have more disrupted sleep.
#6 Try to relax and forget your problems at least till daybreak. Relax, take a bath, cool your body temperature and stop thinking too much. If you tend to lie in bed thinking about everything you have to do tomorrow, set aside time before bedtime to make plans for the next day. The aim is to avoid doing these things when you’re in bed, trying to sleep.
#7 Get a little exercise everyday, simple ones like walking, running even yoga will suffice.
#8 Don’t watch complicated and frightening television programmes before bedtime; try a comedy or some music for the last half hour of the day.
#9 If you cannot sleep, do not lie there worrying about it. Get up and do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again, then go back to bed. Make an appointment to see your GP if lack of sleep is persistent and it’s affecting your daily life.
#10 Finally, Consider talking to a therapist, so you can identify whats causing you mental stress.
