Insomnia
Insomnia is a symptom, not a stand-alone diagnosis or a disease. By definition, insomnia is "difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both" or the perception of poor quality sleep. Insomnia may therefore be due to inadequate quality or quantity of sleep. Insomnia is not defined by a specific number of hours of sleep that one gets, since individuals vary widely in their sleep needs and practices. This condition can range from mild to severe, depending on how often it occurs and for how long. Insomnia can be chronic (ongoing) or acute (short-term). Chronic insomnia means having symptoms at least 3 nights a week for more than a month. Acute insomnia lasts for less time. Some people who have insomnia may have trouble falling asleep. Other people may fall asleep easily but wake up too soon. Others may have trouble with both falling asleep and staying asleep.
Most adults have experienced insomnia or sleeplessness at one time or another in their lives.
Signs of insomnia may include:
Tips to help prevent insomnia
Most adults have experienced insomnia or sleeplessness at one time or another in their lives.
Signs of insomnia may include:
- Not feeling refreshed after sleep
- Inability to sleep despite being tired
- Daytime drowsiness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and impaired ability to perform normal activities
- Anxiety as bedtime approaches
- Tension headaches
Tips to help prevent insomnia
- Visit your Doctor who will be able to advise you if you have short or long term insomnia. They will then be able to advise you on possible treatments, which can vary from a short course of sleeping tablets, hypnosis or even acupuncture.
- Set a bedtime routine and stick to it every night, this will gradually condition your body for sleep. Your body likes a regular schedule, whether it is eating, moving your bowels, or sleeping. Don’t sleep in on weekends, despite how tempting it is. Doing so can upset your body clock.
- Try not to worry about problems you have in your life that you can do nothing about addressing until the next day - master this skill and most causes of insomnia will go away virtually overnight.
- Explore the potential causes of your insomnia. Common causes are stress, anxiety and/or depression. Other causes of insomnia can be pain, major health issues, diet, lifestyle, medication, noisy environment or even just a worn out mattress. So often simply finding out the underlying cause of your insomnia is the best way to cure it.
- Exercise regularly, preferably aerobically, for twenty to thirty minutes in the late afternoon, but not during the four to six hours before bedtime, and never just before you go to sleep. You sleep better when your body temperature is low, and exercise raises it.
- Don’t smoke before bedtime. Nicotine is a stimulant; it raises blood pressure, makes the heart beat faster, and causes your brain to be more active.
- Do not eat late or have too heavy an evening meal. You may satisfy your hunger pangs with a light snack at bedtime, but avoid heavy, spicy, or high-fat foods. They increase gastric acidity and give you indigestion.
- Avoid sleeping tablets unless you absolutely have to. Try natural cures such as having a warm glass of milk in bed. This works as milk contains melatonin which the body produces naturally to aid sleep. So hence a glass of milk will aid the bodies naturally produced melatonin. Alternatively try a small cup of chamomile tea before going to bed.