Living With Insomnia

The ability to sleep is taken for granted by so many of us and is deeply yearned by people living with insomnia.

A condition marked up sleep deprivation, insomnia can be acute or chronic. In acute cases, some big life event or a stressful situation is the precursor for the situation. It generally tends to last less than a month and resolves when the situation causing it improves. In chronic insomnia, the condition exists for a minimum of at least three months.

Dangers of Insomnia

Sleep is imperative for the proper functioning of the mental and physical health, and any issues therein lead to impaired body functions as well. People who have insomnia are more likely to suffer from depression, stress, anxiety. Moreover, they are also at risk of stroke, heart disease, osteoporosis etc.

Causes of Insomnia

Sometimes insomnia is not a disease, but a symptom of an underlying issue. People who have degenerative and vascular disease that affect central nervous system are likely to have insomnia. CNS lesions can also lead to insomnia, thereby meriting an urgent visit to a neurologist in Lahore

Similarly, mental problems like stress, anxiety, bipolar disorder can also lead to insomnia. In some cases, this problem is due to physical ailments that cause pain or conditions like pregnancy that cause frequent interruptions in sleep.

Moreover, bad lifestyle habits also can lead to the development of this condition.

How to cope with insomnia?

It is important for the patients to try making changes to their sleep routine and lifestyle to address insomnia. It is not easy to live with this condition as it compromises quality of all facets of life.

Hence, people should make active changes in their lifestyle to beat insomnia. Some things that can be helpful include:

1 Sleep Routine

Humans are creatures of habits and so, sticking to a proper sleep schedule can help with this condition. It is imperative to get into bed at a fixed time and wakeup also at same time every day. This way, your body will program to fix to a sleep schedule.

Kang and Chen conducted study on the effect of irregular sleep time on the quality of life. The findings showed that those who did not have a consistent bedtime routine experienced poor sleep quality and also suffered from insufficient shuteye.

2 Your bedroom is your haven

It is hard for anyone to sleep in a noisy and lit up space, let alone those people who already have trouble sleeping. Hence, people suffering from insomnia should prepare their bedroom for maximum comfort and only sleep.

Keep the bedroom dark for bedtime; light is associated with daytime and hence being awake by the body. Moreover, noise should be kept at bay too. Use thick blinds so that sun does not disturb you. Also, make sure the temperature of the room is comfortable as well.

Moreover, remove any stimuli from the room. Your body should only associate your bedroom with sleeping and no other activities that stimulate your brain into staying awake.

3 Do not use digital devices before bed

Screens emit blue light that suppresses the hormone that helps body feel drowsy. Hence, when we use digital devices when in bed or just before bedtime, our bodies find it harder to fall asleep.

Moreover, screens offer entertainment; whether it be the scroll through your social media feed or the show on TV, all things result in winding you up. Hence, it becomes easier to compromise sleep for in favor of entertainment.

It is even more important for insomniacs to stop this practice.

4 No midnight eating

When you eat before bed and lay down, you are more likely to have acid reflux which causes immense discomfort and prevents peaceful sleep. Moreover, when you drink too much just before bed, it’s likely that your bladder will keep pinging you for release.

People suffering from insomnia should then reassess their eating schedule so they can prevent their stomach from growling in bed.

5 Destress

Lack of mental peace is also a great hurdle for the insomniacs, as it causes them to endure sleepless nights. Therefore, addressing the mental stress and anxiety is very important. Meditation, yoga and breathing exercise are great for overcoming stress.

However, if the situation still does not improve, consulting a doctor is imperative.

6 Monitor Caffeine

Too much caffeine, especially nearer to bedtime, can also result in inadequate shuteye. If you cannot live without your cup of coffee, perhaps switch to decaf after midday.

7 If can’t sleep, then don’t try

If you keep lying awake in bed, get up and out of bed as otherwise your brain will form association between the two.

In case symptoms still do not abate, seek medical help. Insomnia maybe your body’s cry for help for some issue. For example, neurological disorders result in insomnia as well, and hence visiting the best neurologist In Lahore is necessary for resolution of both the problems.