Insomnia: Trouble Sleeping
- erudite .
- Dec 4, 2021
- 2 min read
By Ella Kang
If you have difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep, if you wake up too early, and if you are not able to get back to sleep easily, you might suffer from something called insomnia. It is also possible to feel tired after getting up; insomnia can destroy not only your energy level but also your health, work performance, and quality of life. As a type of sleep disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, APA states that one-third of American adults report insomnia symptoms, with 6-10% having severe symptoms enough to be diagnosed with insomnia disorder.
Causes
Common triggers that lead to chronic insomnia include:
Stress: Concerns about life and stressful events or trauma can make someone’s mind active at night, making it hard to fall asleep.
Travel or work schedule: Disruption of the body’s circadian rhythms can disrupt all the sleep-wake cycle, metabolism, and body temperature.
Poor sleep habits: An irregular bedtime, naps, uncomfortable sleep environment, and screen use before interfering with the sleep cycle.
Eating too much in the evening: Did you know that eating too much may cause you to be physically uncomfortable? Having a light snack is fine but if consumed a lot, it can keep you awake.
Medications or medical conditions of each person also cause insomnia.
Mental health disorders
Sleep-related disorders
Medical conditions such as chronic pain, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease
Use of certain medications, even the prescription drugs
Consumption of caffeine, nicotine and alcohol late in the day
Insomnia becomes serious as you get older. Changes in the following factors have effects on insomnia:
Sleep patterns
Activities
Health
Medications
Symptoms
Sleep is one of the most important components of your life as a healthy diet and physical activity. Insomnia can mentally and physically affect you, often leading to a lower quality of life.
Disrupted sleep
Fatigue or sleepiness during the day
Depression and anxiety
Gastrointestinal issues
Low energy
Poor concentration
Lack of coordination
Tension headaches
Bad performance in work or school
Slower reactions while driving, higher risk of vehicle accidents
Mental health disorders
Substance abuse
Long-term or severe conditions
Treatments
Although the necessary amount of time varies from person to person, most adults need at least 7 to 8 hours a night according to the CDC. The best approach to treating the underlying depends, and there are both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical treatments. You can talk to your doctor about what treatments might be the best. Some options include:
Counseling
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Prescription medications
Over-the-counter sleep aids
Medication
It is also possible to prevent insomnia and promote sound sleep through simple changes in your daily habits. Moreover, a quiet, comfortable bedroom and a relaxing bedtime routine are the key to improving the quality of your sleep. It is also important to turn off all screens at least an hour before bed, the blue light emitted from the electronic screens can disrupt the body’s production of melatonin and combat sleepiness.
Works Cited
Comments