People who suffer from insomnia not only have trouble falling asleep, but once they are asleep, they can’t usually stay asleep or stay in restful sleep. Unfortunately for many, it is a regular occurrence each night and can end up causing more health problems over time, such as weight gain, hypertension, and stress or anxiety.
Sleep is essential to your health and provides both physical and mental well-being. When actively sleeping, you lower your blood pressure, restore your energy, and fight infection.
Multiple reasons cause insomnia! Most of these reasons can be treated without the need for medication. Below are some common reasons for insomnia and tips to reduce it.
Stress
Believe it or not, stress is a significant factor in causing insomnia. When your mind is preoccupied because you’re worried about something, you tend to focus on that, which can seriously interrupt your sleep pattern. In addition, stress or anxiety causes your body to feel overwhelmed and tired.
When you can’t sleep due to stress, the result can make you feel even more anxious, creating a cycle that makes it more challenging to sleep. So if you are more vulnerable to stress and suffer from insomnia, stress is causing it.
Reduce stress in your daily lifestyle by identifying the cause and finding a solution. For example, perhaps you need to create a calmer environment or engage in meditation or deep breathing exercises throughout your day. Find a channel to relieve stress, such as going for a walk, taking a boxing class, or getting a monthly massage.
Whatever the cause of your stress, if it is causing you to lose sleep, you must identify and address it so that you don’t continue to lose sleep. Insomnia can lead to more severe health problems down the road.
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Sleep Schedule
Another major cause of insomnia is your sleep schedule. Your body can naturally follow the patterns of day and night, known as your ‘internal clock.’ However, when you alter your body’s routine and mess with that pattern, your body has difficulty adjusting.
Typical examples of this misalignment of your body’s clock are when you try to sleep in or experience jet lag due to long flights. Changes in your sleep routine cause you to feel more tired and disrupt your sleep.
Try to make sure that you go to sleep and wake up at the same times each day. It can be tempting to try and sleep in on days you don’t need to get up for work or when you’re on vacation, but it throws off that natural internal schedule. If you know for any reason that you’ll be up later or want to sleep in, try to go back to your regular routine the next night.
Mental Stimulation Overdrive
Are you one of those who enjoy sitting in bed at night scrolling through your phone or playing games on your tablet? Unfortunately, mobile devices, television, video games and other electronics keep your brain stimulated, making it harder for you to calm down and sleep.
Try to make your bed a place for sleep only. When you use your bed for activities besides sleep, it creates an association in your brain that your bed is a place to be awake instead of at rest, and you develop trouble sleeping as a result.
Turning off devices and lights on your phone, television, and more can also create a quiet and dark place for better sleep. Keep your gadgets away from your bed and set up an environment just for resting.
Additionally, using a soft sleep mask can also be helpful in creating a dark environment and blocking out any potential sources of light that may disturb your sleep.
Napping During The Day
Maybe you enjoy taking a mid-morning or afternoon nap, especially on days off of work. Naps aren’t necessarily bad for you since resting helps restore your energy, but if you nap too late in the day or for too long, you confuse that natural sleep timer and make it challenging to go to sleep at night.
Try to avoid napping, or if you are a genuine napper, make sure you nap early in the day and no longer than twenty minutes to wake up feeling more rested from the evening.
Your Diet and Bathroom Routine
What you eat also impacts how you sleep. Choices in your diet play a role in developing insomnia, especially if you consume a lot of caffeine or alcohol. Caffeine can stay in your system for hours, making it challenging to sleep or stay asleep. Alcohol, while a depressant, can also worsen your sleep by creating interruptions to your sleep cycle.
Other foods you eat, especially if you eat close to bedtime, can also affect your sleep negatively. For example, heavy meals before bed cause your digestive system to work harder, and spicy foods may cause acid reflux and make it so you can’t sleep or fall asleep.
Emptying your bladder before bed is vital to ensure you get a good night’s rest. Bladder inconsistency can be another reason for suffering from insomnia, which occurs in close to one-third of patients who have dementia and can cause distress for patients. Suffering from dementia with incontinence stems from the effects of the disease, including medications, behaviours, and mood disorders. Make sure you empty your bladder, so you’re not getting up frequently in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.
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Eat your heavier meals early in the day, and limit the amount of caffeine or alcohol you have before bed. Instead, make a light snack before bed if you are hungry, and have some non-caffeinated tea or a glass of water if you want something to drink.
Recognise and Control Your Insomnia
Many factors can contribute to insomnia, so you must identify all causes. For example, suffering from mental health disorders like depression or bipolar disorder contribute to serious sleep problems such as insomnia. Other reasons might include taking certain medications, restless leg syndrome, and nightmares.
Take control of your mental and physical health to eliminate your issues with sleep. If you have trouble sleeping and aren’t sure of the cause, you must talk to your doctor. Identifying the reason for your insomnia and taking steps to fix it will help ensure that you keep your sleep routine regular and avoid more serious health issues.
