Insomnia and Solving Sleep Problems

What is insomnia?

According to mayoclinic.org – Insomnia is the most prevalent sleep condition that makes it difficult to fall asleep, difficult to stay asleep, or induces you to wake up early and be unable to sleep again. When you wake up, you may still be exhausted. Insomnia may drain not just your energy and mood, but also your health, job performance, and overall quality of life.

It is important to take note that there are two types of insomnia – Primary insomnia and secondary insomnia. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the causes of insomnia and the steps we can take to solving sleep problems.

    What are the causes of insomnia?

    Primary causes of insomnia

    • Stress resulting from major life changes, such as job loss or change, death of a loved one, divorce, or relocation.
    • Noise, light, and temperature are examples of environmental factors.
    • Jet lag, a new shift at work, or bad habits you picked up from previous sleep problems can change your sleep schedule.
    • A tendency for insomnia may run in families, according to research.

    Secondary causes of insomnia

    • It is common for stress to cause profound changes in the body that negatively impact sleep. These changes are triggered by work, school, and relationships. PTSD may result from repetitive exposure to traumatic situations.
    • Psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder can negatively affect sleep. Negative thoughts and hyperarousal caused by these conditions can cause sleep disturbances. According to research, insomnia can worsen depression and anxiety disorders, thus increasing the risk of suicide in individuals suffering from depression.
    • Pain or discomfort from a wound or aches in the body.
    • Alcohol, which is a sedative that can make you feel sleepy, can actually worsen your sleep by disturbing your sleep cycle and causing fragmented, non-restorative sleep.
    • Unhealthy lifestyle habits can also cause insomnia. An example is the intake of caffeine within 5 hours from bedtime. The stimulant caffeine can stay in your body for hours, making it difficult to fall asleep and making insomnia a possibility when taken in the afternoon and evening. Nicotine, too, is a stimulant that has the potential to negatively affect sleep.
    • Other conditions such as ADHD, PMS and menopause, pregnancy or sleep apnea.
    Insomnia and Solving Sleep Problems

    What if we ignore it?

    Some may think this is just a small issue and will disappear, so what happens if we decide to ignore the symptoms and not finding a need to treat insomnia?

    You may risk:

    • having mental health issues such as worsened depressions and anxieties

    • fatigue throughout the day

    • attitude becomes more grumpy

    • severe concentration problems and finding it hard to pay attention

    • High-risk health problems such as heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure

    Slower reaction time that may lead to collision, especially when you are driving

    10 best practical and proven tips to solving sleep problems

    Simple sleep-improvement strategies include everything from maintaining a regular bedtime schedule to getting regular exercise. Stress from job and family obligations, as well as unforeseen problems like illness, might keep you up at night. It’s understandable that getting a good night’s rest can be difficult. Even if you can’t change the things that keep you up at night, you can change your sleep patterns. To get started, here are 10 ways to solve your sleep problems:

    The recommended time for sleep is near 8 hours. Most people can attain this aim with no more than eight hours of sleep per night. It is important to keep healthy sleep habits while managing a fast-paced lifestyle. Try to keep the time difference between your weeknight and weekend sleep schedules to a minimum of one hour. Maintaining a regular sleep-wake cycle is easier if you’re a stickler for it. If you haven’t fallen asleep after around 20 minutes, it’s time to get out of bed and do something soothing.

    Don’t let yourself get too full or too hungry before you go to sleep. Avoid consuming large or heavy meals within a few hours of going to bed. Discomfort may keep you awake at night. Tobacco, caffeine, and alcohol should all be taken with prudence. Cigarettes and coffee have long-lasting impacts on the body that can disrupt sleep for hours at a time. Even if alcohol induces drowsiness, it can cause sleep disturbances later in the night.

    Improve your sleep quality by making a sleeping space that’s perfect for you. With some people, it’s more difficult to sleep if they’ve been exposed to light. Think about how you can adjust the lighting and noise levels in the room to suit your preferences. Taking a bath or engaging in other relaxing activities before bedtime may help you get a better night’s sleep.

    Night-time sleep might be disrupted by long naps during the day. Take a 30-minute nap if you must, but don’t do it late in the day. However, if you work nights, you may need to take a late-morning nap in order to compensate for your lack of sleep.

    Improved sleep can be facilitated by regular physical activity. However, you should avoid being active too close to your bedtime. Spending time in nature on a daily basis may also be beneficial.

    Before you go to sleep, try to put your worries and concerns to rest. Jot down what’s on your mind and put it away for the next day.

    All colors of light help your body regulate its natural sleep-and-wake cycle. Blue light interferes with how your body prepares for rest because it interferes with the hormone melatonin. The most harmful type of light is the blue light emitted by electronic devices such as smartphones and computers. Either set your LED screens to a warm yellow tone in the evenings, or consider getting a pair of blue light glasses. Remember to also cut back on the screen time as the night kicks in.

    Your fight or flight response is controlled by the hormone cortisol, which is regulated by exercise. Cortisol released in too large a quantity too often can have negative effects on your health long-term. The 4-7-8 breathing technique is useful for reducing anxiety, improving sleep, managing food cravings and controlling emotions including anger

    A study suggests that slow music or classical music is more relaxing and can help you sleep. Slowing the pulse and lowering stress hormone levels can be achieved with classical music or instrumental music. We’ve picked out a playlist here for you too, check it out below!

    Most people use earplugs to sleep as well as to protect their ears against loud noises. Light sleepers and people living in noisy places can greatly benefit from them. It is definitely one of the best and fastest method to improve your sleep quality drastically. When you sleep with ear plugs, the quality of your sleep can be significantly improved. Earplugs for sleeping are often the only option for shutting out sounds while sleeping, such as highway noise or a snoring partner.

    Share on facebook
    Share on twitter
    Share on linkedin
    Share on telegram
    Share on whatsapp
    Share on reddit
    Share on pinterest