Can’t sleep? Insomnia is an exceptionally common issue. Dealing with insomnia can be an incredibly stressful experience that affects you not just during the night, but also throughout the day.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that makes it harder than normal to fall asleep, stay asleep or sleep a typical amount of time.
There are two different types of insomnia. Primary insomniaisn’t associated with any other health problem. People that have primary insomnia may struggle to sleep normally even if they’re otherwise completely healthy. Secondary insomniaoccurs as a result of another health issue, such as a disease or condition, pain, or use of medication or alcohol.
Like many other sleep disorders, insomnia can come and go. People with insomnia that’s lasted for a long time are referred to as having chronic insomnia, whereas insomnia that occurs over the short term is usually referred to as acute insomnia.
Insomnia can cause a range of symptoms, including:
• Difficulty falling asleep after going to bed
• Frequently waking up during the night
• Waking up too early in the morning
• Not feeling refreshed and rested after waking up
• Feeling tired and sleepy during the day
• Difficulty focusing or memorizing information
• Making avoidable errors and mistakes
• Feeling irritated, anxious or depressed
• Worrying or feeling nervous about sleep
These symptoms can vary in severity. While some people might find it difficult to fall asleep after spending hours in bed, other people with insomnia might fall asleep quite easily, only to wake up an hour or two later and struggle to fall asleep again.
What Causes Insomnia?
Insomnia can occur for a variety of reasons, from underlying health issues or use of medication to anxiety, travel across time zones or just drinking too much coffee. The most common causes of insomnia include:
• Stress. Stress is closely associated with both acute and chronic insomnia. When you’re stressed, you may find it more difficult to relax after going to bed, making it more difficult to fall asleep and enjoy a full night of sleep.
• Jet lag. As we’ve explained in our guide to jet lag cures, traveling across time zones can make falling asleep difficult. Luckily, this type of insomnia normally gets better on its own as your body adjusts to your new time zone.
• Work schedules. If you work long hours at the office, or work late-night or early-morning shifts, you may find it harder than normal to fall asleep due to the effects of your work on your sleep-wake cycle.
• Poor sleep habits. Going to bed at a different time every night, staying up late watching TV or gaming, using your smartphone in bed, sleeping in a noisy environment and other poor sleep habits can all contribute to insomnia.
• Stimulants and food. Stimulants, such as caffeine and nicotine, can make sleeping far more difficult when consumed in the afternoon and evening. Likewise, eating too late at night can affect your ability to fall asleep and cause insomnia.
• Alcohol. Although alcohol often makes falling asleep easier, drinking too much alcohol can affect sleep quality, prompt you to wake up during the night and cause certain other symptoms of insomnia.
• Health conditions. Numerous diseases and health conditions can cause and contribute to insomnia. Some health conditions, such as sleep apnea, may cause you to frequently wake up during the night, affecting your sleep quality.
• Medications. Insomnia is a common side effect of many medications, including common medications used to treat depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, allergies, pain and asthma.
• Mental illness. Many people with mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and others have difficulties falling asleep, waking up on a normal schedule and maintaining normal sleep habits.
There are also several risk factors for insomnia. Your risk of insomnia is higher than the average if you’re over 60 years of age, you have a mental health disorder, you’re female or you often go to sleep at irregular times due to your career, travel schedule or general lifestyle.
How to Treat Insomnia
There are a range of ways to treat insomnia. Sometimes, making changes to your sleep habits may be enough to make sleeping easier.
Lifestyle Changes
It’s often possible to overcome insomnia by making changes to your lifestyle, particularly your sleep habits and consumption of stimulants like caffeine. Try the following lifestyle changes to treat insomnia and enjoy better sleep:
• Give it time. Stressful or traumatic events, such as the death of a loved one, can often cause insomnia. This type of insomnia often gets better without medical treatment after enough time has passed.
• Reduce or manage sources of stress. Stress, whether from your work or personal life, is a common cause of insomnia. While it can be difficult to completely eliminate stress, it can help to either reduce or manage the major sources of stress in your life.This could mean taking up a stress-reducing practice like meditation.
• Set a consistent bedtime and wake time. If you often wake up and sleep at different times of day, try setting a specific bedtime and wake time. Then, make an effort to stick to your sleep schedule.
• Reduce your caffeine consumption. Caffeine is a powerful stimulant with a half-life of several hours. It’s also closely linked to insomnia.If you often drink coffee or other drinks containing caffeine, try to limit your consumption after midday to avoid disrupting your sleep.
• Exercise. Getting at least 30 minutes of exercise per day can have a positive effect on sleep quality.
• Stop smoking. Nicotine in cigarettes is linked to increased sleep latency, reduced slow wave sleep, daytime sleepiness and several other symptoms of insomnia.Smoking can also worsen respiratory and cardiovascular diseases that may affect your ability to fall asleep. If you smoke and have insomnia, consider quitting to improve both your sleep and your general health.
• Create a more comfortable sleep environment. If your bedroom is too bright, noisy or uncomfortable for healthy sleep, take steps to make it a more relaxing, sleep-promoting environment.
