7 Things You May Not Know About Insomnia

From wales247.co.uk

Guest contributed article by Jana Abelovska, a UK-based pharmacist

Regularly not getting enough sleep can have a significant negative influence on both your physical and mental health, as well as your quality of life. Insomnia, a common sleep disorder, can make it hard to sleep and cause you to stay awake earlier than usual and have problems falling asleep. Along with affecting your energy level and emotions, insomnia can negatively impact your health, work productivity, and overall quality of life. 

Most people eventually experience temporary (acute) insomnia that may last for a few days or even a few weeks. Usually, a traumatic event or anxiety is to blame. However, some persons have chronic insomnia that lasts several months or more. There are many medications available in the market for treating insomnia. One of them is Kalms Night. It helps you sleep on time. It contains valerian, a classic sedative used to treat insomnia without making people sleepy the next day.

Causes of insomnia

There are many causes of insomnia. Some of the common ones are:

Stressful Situations or Worries

Your mind may remain active at night due to worries about your family, job, health, finances, or other factors, causing it difficult to fall asleep. Insomnia can also be brought on by traumatic or stressful life events like divorce, losing your job, or losing a loved one.

Bad sleeping habits

An erratic sleep schedule, naps, distracting activities right before bed, and an unsuitable sleeping environment, including using your bedroom for work, eating, or watching TV, are all examples of poor sleep habits. Using laptops, TVs, smartphones, video games, or other devices might disrupt your sleep cycle right before bed.

Mental health conditions

Your sleep may be disturbed by anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Conversely, an early awakening could indicate depression. Additionally, insomnia frequently coexists with various mental health issues.

Medications

Numerous prescription drugs, including some antidepressants and asthma or high blood pressure treatments, can disrupt sleep. Multiple over-the-counter medications, including some pain relievers, allergy and cold remedies, and weight-loss pills, contain stimulants like caffeine that can keep you awake.

Late-night eating

A small snack before bed is acceptable, but if you consume too much, you can feel physically uncomfortable when lying down. Heartburn, or acid reflux and food in the oesophagus after eating, is another common condition that might keep you awake.

Things to Know About Insomnia

Only mental health issues linked to insomnia

While psychological illnesses can contribute to insomnia, this is not the sole factor that sets them off. In addition to psychological concerns, a variety of other factors, such as poor hygiene, disease, drug side effects, chronic pain, restless legs syndrome, or sleep apnoea, can contribute to insomnia.

Sleeping pills pose no risks

Without a doubt, sleeping pills work better than any other medication. However, only a small number of them may carry possible dangers, such as the danger of addiction. Therefore, a person should always speak with a doctor before using sleeping drugs. In addition, although just a few sleep aids may help with insomnia relief, they cannot treat the condition.

One can quickly learn to sleep less

This one is the most prevalent insomnia myth, which can have catastrophic repercussions. Adults typically need 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night in order to maintain good health. One cannot make their bodies require less sleep. Less sleep may make it more difficult to concentrate or recall information. Other adverse effects of sleep deprivation include decreased productivity at work, deteriorating health, and an increased chance of accidents.

Napping compensates for inadequate sleep at night

If we feel overly worn out, napping might be beneficial. However, keep naps brief, no longer than 10 to 20 minutes. You might receive a boost from this to get you through your day. Take a nap early in the day because taking a nap later in the day or at night is likely to disrupt your sleep cycle and worsen insomnia. Keep your nap as brief as you can since if it becomes a full sleep, it will disrupt your sleep pattern.

If you suffer from insomnia, please talk to your doctor about your options. The consequences of sleeplessness can be detrimental to your health.

Sleep issues may be fatal

A protein generated as a result of a genetic anomaly causes a rare genetic condition called fatal familial insomnia. This illness makes it difficult to fall asleep, which increases the risk of sleep deprivation-related death. Additionally, it impairs brain activity, results in memory loss, impairs motor skills, and induces hallucinations.

Sheep counting is a calming activity

The fear of not falling asleep is claimed to be lessened by engaging in this distracting activity. However, there is little solid proof that this works; in fact, for some people, it can make them worry more, while for others, it might make their brains more alert and prevent them from falling asleep. For the majority of people, counting sleep might even make it harder to fall asleep. Our bodies can go to sleep if we can relax our minds.

Breathing exercises like the “body scan” can promote sleep by relaxing the body and calming the mind. If it doesn’t help, get out of bed and relax for 30 minutes by reading a book or completing a word search. Then try to fall asleep again.

Alcohol can facilitate sleep

The majority of insomniacs believe that drinking alcohol before going to bed can aid in falling asleep. Alcohol can undoubtedly help with sleep. However, when it circulates through the body, this can cause insomnia or cause you to wake up sooner.

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