It’s 3 AM and you can’t sleep. You toss and turn, but nothing seems to help. This frustrating situation is often called insomnia. Insomnia is when you have trouble sleeping. It affects 10% of people sometimes and 30% of people all the time. You might not sleep well if you are stressed or anxious, or if you have pain, depression, certain medicines, or alcohol. In this article, we will discuss what you should do when you can’t sleep!
Contents
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a condition where you have trouble sleeping at night and/or staying awake during the day. It can be short- or long-term, depending on your symptoms. You may feel tired even after getting enough sleep, or fall asleep but wake up earlier than usual and not feel rested.
What are the Symptoms?
If you feel tired during the day, have trouble concentrating or focusing on tasks, fall asleep when not wanting to (for example while driving), and/or experience negative mood changes such as irritability or anxiety because of sleep issues. This may be a sign that there is something wrong. If these symptoms last for more than two weeks it might be time to talk to your doctor. There are other conditions that can cause similar symptoms; therefore treatment should always start with consulting your primary care physician who will refer you if needed. Insomnia occurs in most age groups but is more common among older adults and women compared to men. It also tends to run in families so if someone close has insomnia it increases your chance of also developing the condition.
What are the Causes?
There are many causes of insomnia. In most cases, it is caused by an underlying medical or psychiatric condition, certain medications, change in work schedule, jet lag, or changes to your environment such as noise that disrupts sleep. There can be many other reasons for not sleeping well. Therefore, seeing a doctor should always be the first step when you feel like something might be wrong with your ability to get enough rest at night. Insomnia may occur because of problems initiating sleep or staying asleep throughout the whole night without waking up too often. If this persists over time it could lead to significant sleepiness during the day, which can affect your mood and overall health.
What are the Treatment Options?
If you have trouble falling asleep, try to create a more relaxing environment before bedtime. Dim the lights an hour before bedtime. This will make it easier for your body to get used to this change of light cues over time until it starts feeling tired earlier in the evening.
You should avoid caffeine and alcohol after a certain time. They will keep you awake for longer than usual. If you still have problems getting to sleep, talk to your doctor about other ways that might work for you. One of the solutions may be talking to a therapist about how you do things during the day and changing some of them so that you can get more restful sleep at night.
People do many things in their life without thinking about them. But when it comes to our ability or lack of ability to sleep, we should pay attention because sleep affects how tired we feel during the day and our mood, health, memory, and work production. This can affect how much other things matter in life.
Insomnia and Aging
Most people start having problems falling asleep or staying asleep as they get older.
There can be a variety of reasons for this, but it is often due to the lack of energy that comes with age.
People who have trouble sleeping may also have trouble falling asleep because they are thinking about things all day. They can’t get their mind off of these thoughts and they can’t sleep. A good way to help yourself fall asleep is to do some relaxation techniques before bed or take a warm bath before going to bed. This might be the same thing that helps you sleep at certain times of the day. If it does, go to bed earlier instead of staying up late.
Sometimes older adults wake up earlier than usual. That is because they didn’t get enough sunlight or they woke up at the same time every day. Sleeping in can make it hard to fall asleep again. If you sleep too much, your body will think that it has been sleeping long enough and wake you up early. This is because there is a connection between sleep patterns and daylight exposure. If you have depression, you might wake up earlier in the morning. Depression makes people want to stay awake even when they don’t feel like moving or getting out of bed at night. If you have arthritis, it can be hard to sleep because your pain will keep waking you up. Try sleeping on a soft mattress that is made of foam rubber instead of springs if this applies to you.
Insomnia in Children and Teens
Some children and teens have trouble getting to sleep or they don’t want to go to sleep at the same time as other people. This is because their clocks are different. They want to stay up later and wake up later than others do.
Risk Factors Associated with Insomnia
Various factors, including sleep deprivation, stress, and anxiety disorders can trigger insomnia. If you have trouble sleeping, you might want to look at jet lag. You can get that from airplanes. There are medicines with stimulant properties that might help that, like the ones that treat arthritis and GERD. Lastly, some vitamin deficiencies may also contribute to poor sleeping patterns. These are just a few examples of how many different things could lead to insomnia. If you have any questions about what might make it hard for you to sleep at night, feel free to contact us. We can help identify if there is something that needs attention so you can get your good night’s rest again.
Conclusion
Insomnia can occur by many factors. But if you’re feeling restless at night and your sleep quality is suffering because of it, try these four suggestions to calm down before bed.
1) Try to keep a regular sleep schedule;
2) Get enough exercise during the day;
3) Cut out caffeine afternoon (or better yet, cut it out completely);
4) Keep screens out of your bedroom for an hour before bedtime.
These may not work for everyone. So talk to your primary care doctor or consult with a sleep specialist about what might best help you get some restful zzzs! People who are struggling with insomnia should speak with their physician about how they could manage this disorder more effectively.
For more information, please contact MantraCare. Sleep is an essential part of our daily routine and it plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy body and mind. If you have any queries regarding Online Insomnia Counseling experienced therapists at MantraCare can help: Book a trial therapy session
