From forbes.com
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About 1 in 4 Americans experience difficulty with sleep each year, according to reports from Penn Medicine. For most, this difficulty is short lived, lasting for just days or weeks. However, for 10% of Americans, insomnia, or difficulty falling or staying asleep, can be long-term and occurs at least three days per week for at least three months. The latter condition is known as chronic insomnia, indicating a long-term issue.
Lack of sleep can affect us in many ways. Most people who sleep less than they should experience fatigue, difficulty concentrating, grumpiness and perform tasks at subpar levels.
Millions of Americans report symptoms of insomnia, and inadequate sleep can have a profound effect on their health. Lack of sleep has been associated with an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and depression, according to the National Council on Aging. One of many reasons for this relates to hormone regulation, and sleep is critical for releasing and creating important hormones in the body for proper bodily functions. As an example, less sleep results in decreased production of the hormone insulin, which is critical to lowering blood sugar levels to prevent the onset of diabetes, a chronic condition that causes elevated blood sugar levels.
Causes Of Insomnia
Insomnia can happen without cause, but there are a number of factors that often trigger it.
Insomnia is sometimes common in families, as genetics seem to play a role. For others, lifestyle-related causes can contribute to insomnia. These include irregular work hours and night shifts that can prevent the body’s biologic clock from recognizing the appropriate time to sleep, as well as poor sleep hygiene. Habits that contribute to insomnia include excessive screen time before bed, suboptimal lighting and room temperatures in the bedroom as well as consuming caffeine, alcohol or large portions of food prior to sleep.
Underlying medical conditions can also contribute to the quality and ability to sleep properly. For example, those that have reflux, Parkinson’s disease, sleep apnoea or restless leg syndrome can suffer from insomnia due to their medical ailments.
Psychological causes are also an important trigger for insomnia. High levels of stress and anxiety from work or death of a loved one can keep the mind active, preventing the relaxation necessary to sleep. Mental health ailments like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are also directly related to insomnia.
Tips To Mitigate Insomnia
Implementing healthy sleep hygiene and making lifestyle changes can significantly improve one’s sleep quality. Below are some tips that can help manage insomnia.
Some of the most important strategies to combat insomnia revolve around maintaining strong sleep hygiene practices. These include sleeping and waking up at the same time in order to regulate the body’s internal clock, limiting exposure to screens since the light emitted from phones and tablets can interfere with melatonin (the hormone created in the body that promotes sleep) production, ensuring the bedroom is cool, dark and quiet as well as creating a relaxing bedtime routine.
Additional practical tips include limiting caffeine and alcohol, which can disrupt sleep patterns as well as exercising regularly, which can help reduce stress and improve sleep quality. Finally, practicing relaxation techniques like yoga or mindfulness meditation can relax muscles, decrease stress and ultimately provide better sleep.
Treatments For Insomnia
Although there is no cure for insomnia, treatments that doctors use to combat it include implementing lifestyle changes, over-the-counter drugs and prescription medications as well as some forms of behavioural therapy. An example of over-the-counter drugs are antihistamines that can help with insomnia, while some prescription drugs doctors may use different types of sedatives and hypnotics.
Melatonin, a hormone that the body naturally produces to promote sleep, can also be used in low doses to help one sleep, particularly for those who cannot fall asleep or those who wake up late. Those who are pregnant, breast feeding, have depression or are being treated for seizures should not take melatonin.
Finally, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is considered to be the most effective treatment for those who continually struggle to fall or stay asleep, according to The New York Times. This treatment addresses the thoughts and behaviours contributing to insomnia and uses techniques such as stimulus control.
Given the millions of Americans suffering from insomnia, education and implementation of proper sleep hygiene remains critical to promote restorative sleep. When we sleep better, our physical, emotional and mental health improve.
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