What is Insomnia and how can it be treated?

Insomnia has been a known problem going back many years ago. The basic definition as a sleep disorder means difficulty falling or staying asleep. Short-term sleeplessness is caused by stress, schedule or environment changes, or a health condition that causes insomnia.

Long-term (chronic) insomnia occurs three or more nights a week for more than three months despite another medical condition. So with Insomnia you could wake up through the night, find it tough to fall asleep and therefore have an impact during the day of feeling tired.

Chronic insomnia can increase your risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. Your memory and focus may also be affected if you have insomnia.

The NHS states that we should be getting around an average of 7-9 hours of sleep (adults). For those suffering from Insomnia, it can be exhausting and start taking an effect on mental well-being and our day-to-day tasks due to extreme tiredness. Whilst common, it is tiring for the person experiencing it and no one should have to.

What Are Some Known Facts About Insomnia?

According to Aviva ‘as many as 16 million UK adults are suffering from sleepless nights as a third (31%) say they have Insomnia’ (2017).

• Insomnia is one of the most common sleeping disorders
• Some believe Insomnia can be hereditary and others don’t. Whilst some research has been made to show that genes have been associated with Insomnia, several factors can contribute to a person’s lack of sleep such as depression or other health conditions and therefore the treatment is made the same way whether genetic or not
• Insomnia is not something that you are making up, it is acknowledged and recognised as a sleeping disorder medically
• Whilst alcohol may make you feel tired, it does not help with insomnia. It can disrupt the quality of your sleep. Consuming alcohol will not help.
• Irregular sleep times (Social Jet Lag) where your sleeping patterns are all over the place, such as sleeping early on particular days and late on others. Night shifts/early shifts. It messes up your body clock and therefore may cause Insomnia.
• Women’s hormones may play a role in insomnia due to their physiology and can suffer more than men.
• A poor nutritious diet including refined carbohydrates and sugars may increase the chances of developing insomnia
• Stress and trauma. Now, temporary stress may cause temporary insomnia but long-lasting stress can contribute to chronic insomnia
• Electronic devices late at night can cause sleep disruptions
• If you cannot sleep for 8 hours, it does not mean that you have insomnia
• Insomnia can be treated but the root cause needs to be addressed
• Insomnia is not just about the inability to sleep, it also means difficulty staying asleep or waking up too early and being unable to sleep
• There is some research on smokers and the impact it has on sleep. The reason being is due to the nicotine when smoking (as it is a stimulant).

Insomnia differs from person to person and can be temporary to chronic. Remember to make healthier changes to your lifestyle and appreciate the importance of your sleep cycle.

The Importance of Sleep

When you think of looking after yourself, most people tend to focus mainly on eating well and exercising along with some meditation. Now, whilst all of these things play a vital role in your overall health, so does sleep.

Sleep enables you to recharge, and by that, it means the body repairs its cells including your heart and blood vessels. The brain plays an important role too, it removes waste by working with nerve cells. If sleep helps with brain function then it’s something we should all think about a lot more.

There is a boost in your immune system when you sleep better too. Lack of sleep contributes to a lower immune system.

Whilst all of these points are key to your health, it’s also important to generally feel recharged and refreshed when you start your day. Your brain function is key in everyday life, so good sleep will allow you to feel more alert.

Ways to improve your sleep cycle

Stay off of technical devices, and improve on environmental factors such as shutting out the light. Avoid caffeine and avoid late-night eating. It’s important to practice how to lower stress, it may be hard when you feel so tired but try to limit daytime naps. Improve physical activities is equally as important.