Fight Your Insomnia With These 9 Tips for Shutting off Your Brain

From twistedsifter.com

You know the feeling – anxiety is creeping in from all sides and the moment you turn off the light, all of your worries and your endless to-do list and the reality that you’ll never really be caught up all come crashing in.

It doesn’t matter how tired you were when you laid down or how early you need to get up in the morning. Your brain just refuses to shut down for the night and get ready to do battle again tomorrow.

This happens to everyone sometimes, I think, so wouldn’t it be great to have some tips on how to force your brain into shut-down mode? I think so, and so does Dr. Abhinay Singh, the medical director for the Indiana Sleep Center.

“Sleep is a rhythm. It’s about quantity as well as quality as well as alignment. Think of it as a set of wheels or tires for a car. They have to be of good quality, they have to be the right size, and they have to be aligned right as well for it to work.”

Below are some of his best ideas on how to turn those anxiety-ridden nights around so you can ride, safely alert, into the next morning.

#1. Try to enjoy some natural light before noon.

This goes back to the importance of the circadian rhythm, the internal clock that controls our sleep-wake patterns. It’s governed by sunlight, which tells our brain to stop with the melatonin and start with the energy for the day.

More light first thing – up to two hours, if possible – will keep it operating at a high level.

“Light is one of the most important cues for calibrating our sleep-wake system. It’s about 70-percent of the equation,” says Dr. Singh.

#2. Limit light in the evenings, including those from screens.

Lack of light helps us power down as surely as bright light helps us power up. Low light triggers melatonin release in our brains, so as early as 6 or 7pm it’s smart to start limiting your exposure to harsh lights.

“Staring at bright screens in darkness with dilated pupils allows more quantities of light to enter the eyes,” explains Dr. Singh. “If it’s dark, and you’re looking at something that produces light, that light has an opportunity to get in and suppress your melatonin.”

#3. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

From the time we’re born, our bodies naturally thrive on a routine. While there are times in our lives when a routine is hard or impossible, setting a standard bedtime and wake time (between 7 and 9 hours of sleep), will help your body in the fight to make both going to sleep and waking up easier.

“Try not to sway more than 10-15 minutes,” recommends Dr. Singh.

And naps? Avoid them if you can. “…you’re going to hurt your drive at night and throw the system off.”

#4. Make exercise a priority, but not too close to bedtime.

It helps reduce stress and also increases the body’s natural appetite for sleep. Try to get a minimum of 30-45 minutes every day.

It does increase your heart rate and hormone levels, though, so try to get your exercise in at least four hours before your scheduled bedtime.

#5. Pay attention to your diet.

So many things in life come down to diet, but Dr. Singh recommends not eating when it’s dark – eating too late will rev up your blood sugar levels. If you’re stressed and need a snack, try to gravitate toward something sweet but healthy, like an orange.

#6. Don’t use you bed for things other than sleep (but sex is okay!)

Your brain should connect your bed to the idea of sleep, not of work or watching televisions or checking your email.

You should only go there when you’re ready to wind down and sleep – or to have sex, which is a great way to reduce stress and get ready to knock out some zzz’s.

#7. Check your thermostat.

An optimal temperature for sleep is 70 degrees. People who are too hot don’t sleep well.

#8. Stop reading the news, and while you’re at it, rethink that afternoon coffee.

Media burnout is real, and with 50,000-80,000 thoughts a day swirling through our minds, spending too many of them on whatever the current sh*tshow is isn’t good.

You don’t have to ignore the news, but don’t read it first thing in the morning or last thing before you go to bed.

And that afternoon coffee that helps you limp over the finish line of your workday? It might be making it hard to fall asleep, too – caffeine stays in the bloodstream for 6-8 hours.

#9. Have a routine.

Let your body know what happens before you go to bed – you let the dog out, you wash your face and brush your teeth, maybe read a few pages of your novel, go to the bathroom and take your pills.

Whatever works for you, but doing the same thing in the same order will trigger sleepiness once you do it often enough.

https://twistedsifter.com/2022/11/fight-your-insomnia-with-these-9-tips-for-shutting-off-your-brain/

Take a look at 3 risks of drinking too much coffee

From businessupturn.com

A cup of coffee is all we really want on a cosy winter day. Aside from that, coffee fits each mood for coffee lowers. Individuals consume coffee first thing in the morning religiously. It is known to have a stimulating impact that gives an ideal start to one’s day.

However, the fact that overconsumption of coffee can truly harm to the human body can be difficult to digest for coffee lovers. Sadly! The facts really confirm that overconsumption of coffee causes diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, including liver cancer, seizures, increased blood acid levels, abdominal pain, irregular or fast heartbeat, Restlessness and shakiness, Dehydration, Insomnia, Headaches, Dizziness, osteoarthritis, arthropathy and obesity and much more. It is advised to consume not more than 400 milligrams every day, around 4 or 5 cups of coffee, as it is safe and wouldn’t lead to any negative side effects.

Take a look at the 3 elaborated risks of drinking too much coffee that everyone needs to know.

1. It can increase blood sugar levels

The healthy and normal fasting blood glucose is between 70 to 100 mg/dl. Blood glucose is way higher or lower than this, considered hurtful. It is vital to have normal blood sugar levels, as high glucose levels can prompt Diabetes.  Consuming coffee on an empty stomach can lead to an increase in blood sugar levels as caffeine brings down insulin sensitivity. Due to this, cells don’t work normally and don’t respond to the hormone however as much as they once did. Accordingly, cells don’t absorb as much sugar from your blood which promotes the production of insulin, ultimately leading to Diabetes in the event that we consume coffee too much.

2. It causes anxiety

Anxiety is known as the feeling of fear and apprehension, which could cause a person to feel restless, tense, and have a

rapid heartbeat.  Having too much coffee can prompt anxiety as caffeine blocks the impact of the chemical known as adenosine which makes one sleepy and promotes alertness by promoting the arrival of adrenaline which is otherwise called the fight or flight hormone. By doing so, caffeine, when in high demand, keeps an individual continually active, which at last leads to anxiety

3. It causes insomnia

Insomnia is known as the most common sleep disorder in which a person feels tough falling asleep or finds it difficult to stay asleep. Overconsumption of coffee can lead to sleeping disorders, as caffeine is known to keep a person awake. Caffeine blocks the sleep-promoting adenosine receptors in the brain, which keeps a person active. Caffeine stays in the body for somewhere around 5 hours. Therefore, coffee, whenever consumed in a higher amount, can lead to Insomnia.

https://www.businessupturn.com/health/take-a-look-at-risks-of-drinking-too-much-coffee/

 

"I quit a stressful marketing job that was giving me insomnia and took a warehouse job."

From africa.businessinsider.com 

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dainis Gzibovskis, a 32-year-old marketing specialist from Latvia about why he went to work stacking shelves. It has been edited for length and clarity

Dainis Gzibovskis.Annija Pumpure

• Dainis Gzibovskis, 32, left his exhausting marketing job to work in a warehouse.
• He's happy with the lower pay and less stress but warns it isn't for everyone.
• This is his advice to people considering a drastic career change, as told to writer Krista Krumina.

I remember the first time I had the chance to pack orders at a warehouse. It was then I realized I wanted to do it for a living.

I was the head of marketing of one of the country's largest supplement-and-vitamin suppliers, Pro Supply. One day, the power went out and I found myself in the warehouse packing orders. The few hours I spent there felt like meditation to me, and I thought, "I could do this every day."

Three months later, I left Pro Supply and my team of 10 that I had built from scratch to become an order picker at the local grocery store. It's been five months since I started my new job, and I still look forward to every shift.

Before becoming an order picker, I had spent 9 years building my career in marketing without a single vacation

As a perfectionist, I didn't trust others to do my job and never took any time off. My job was my everything and my mind was always on. Sometimes, I would wake up at night having remembered something I had left undone, so I would turn on the computer to do it.

The company's sales went up, but I suffered from insomnia, mental overload, and burnout. On that day in the warehouse, for the first time in years, I completely switched off.

After resigning, I took a week off, then started looking for warehousing jobs. At first, I was worried that being overqualified might deter employers from hiring me, but it wasn't an issue. I was hired by the first company I sent my CV to — Barbora, the local grocery e-store.

When I told my family and friends about my new job, their reactions varied. Some, especially people from the creative industry, congratulated me and said they had considered a similar move themselves. Others felt sorry for me, assuming Pro Supply had fired me and the warehousing job was the only one I could get.

In reality, it was the only job I wanted. 

I had to accept a 30% pay cut, but I don't regret my decision.

On the first day assembling orders, I kept thinking to myself — what am I doing here? What if someone I know walks in? What will they think of me?

But then, after a 12-hour shift, I went home and forgot about my job. I had time for my hobbies and private life — a luxury I hadn't had in nine years. I realized that others' opinions don't matter. What matters is whether you are happy with your decision, and I was.

I think that monotonous physical work can be a remedy for burnout, but such a major career break isn't a good idea for everyone.

Here are three things to consider.

You'll feel the pay cut

I had to accept a significant pay cut, and I wouldn't have managed it without my family's help. I'm lucky my parents own a number of real-estate properties in Riga and I live in one of them rent-free.

If I lived in a rented apartment, the pay cut would be too significant for me.

It can be exhausting

It's one thing to work in a warehouse for a single shift, but it's totally different when you work 12-hour shifts three days in a row. Warehousing jobs can be boring and exhausting, and many people leave after a month or even a few shifts. Know what you sign up for. 

You may fall out of the job market

If you plan to return to your previous career, be aware that it might be difficult and your current knowledge might not be relevant in a few years or even a few months.

I'm certain that I'll be able to return when I'm ready to go back to marketing again. But if you specialize in Facebook or Google ads — whose algorithms and rules are always changing, for example — a yearlong break in your career might push you out of the job market.

For now, I'm planning to do my order-picking job for at least a year. My current employer has offered me promotions several times but I've turned them all down.

For now, I really want to do monotonous work with my only worry being my weekend plans.

https://africa.businessinsider.com/careers/i-quit-a-stressful-marketing-job-that-was-giving-me-insomnia-and-took-a-warehouse-job/rjeb66f

Is Insomnia Genetic Or Environmental?

From healthline.com

As you can probably guess, the answer is complicated.

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Danil Nevsky/Stocksy United

What's the short answer?

Insomnia is a complicated condition.

While things like stressful events can trigger it, there is evidence to suggest that genetics can make a person more likelyTrusted Source to have it.

According to various studies, the heritability of insomnia ranges from 22% to 59%Trusted Source in adults. The average figure is 39%.

Heritability simply measures how much the differences in people’s genes account for differences in various traits. The higher the heritability, the more likely the variation in the population comes down to genetics.

So, if your genes can only increase your risk of insomnia but can’t cause it, is there anything you can do to reduce that risk?

Read on to find out more about insomnia genes, risk factors, and treatment.

Which genes are associated with insomnia?

Sleep is complex, so finding specific genes with links to insomnia is tricky. Still, some scientists have attempted to find answers.

A 2019 study —one of the biggest to focus on the topic so far — showed that 57 Trusted Sourcegene regions linked to symptoms of insomnia.

Interestingly, these areas weren’t involved in sleep regulation but linked with a process called ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, which destroys certain proteins.

But some genes of interest that experts identified in other research related to neuronal excitabilityTrusted Source in the body implied that overactivating areas promoting awakeningTrusted Source might contribute to or even cause insomnia.

Can environmental factors affect your genes?

Just having genes with a link to insomnia doesn’t mean you will get the condition.

The environment can affect which genes your body expresses —this is known as epigenetics.

For example, stress, diet, temperature, and even the social life you lead may affect the way certain genes function, and therefore affect your sleep. 

As you can probably guess, it’s complicated.

What else can cause insomnia?

Of course, genetics aren’t the only factor that may contribute to insomnia.

You can think of certain genes as things that might make you more likely to get insomnia.

Your sex assigned at birth may also fall into this category —people assigned female at birth can be more likelyTrusted Source to have insomnia than people assigned male at birth.

But other things can trigger insomnia and maintain it. For example, these conditions link to insomnia:

• restless legs syndromeTrusted Source
• anxiety
• cardiovascular diseaseTrusted Source

Stress —both emotional and physical — can also make it hard to sleep.

And simple environmental factors could be behind it, such as the temperature or noise levels in your bedroom, working patterns, and caffeine or drug intake.

Is it possible to reduce your risk of insomnia?

If you are genetically more likely to get to insomnia, you may need to be more aware of things like good sleep hygiene.

So, try to get into a stable routine that involves going to sleep and waking up at roughly the same time each day.

And when it’s time for bed, try to relax beforehand by dimming the lights and turning off devices.

You can also avoid consuming a lot of caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco —particularly in the latter part of the day.

Finally, embarking on a generally healthy lifestyle that involves adequate physical exercise and stress reduction techniques may help.

Even if you do all of the above and more, it may not be possible to prevent insomnia.

How is insomnia treated?

Practicing good sleep hygiene is a treatment method for insomnia and a prevention technique.

You can try:

• turning your bedroom into a calming space by optimizing the lighting and temperature and turning off electronic devices
• going to sleep and waking up at the same time, even on weekends or if you’ve had a bad night’s sleep
• avoiding stimulants, like caffeine, 6 hours before bedtime 
• exercising during the daytime to tire both your body and mind

Some people may need medication to help them sleep. But sleeping pills can become less effective the more people take them, and they have a whole host of potential side effects.

Speak with a doctor or another healthcare professional before buying over-the-counter sleeping aids.

A special form of therapy called cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is also an option and has been effectiveTrusted Source in multiple studiesTrusted Source.

While there is currently a limited number of practitioners offering CBT-I, it can help you swap unhelpful thoughts and actions that impact your sleep for more helpful ones that promote a restful night.

Is insomnia curable?

It can take time and may involve many approaches.

But insomnia is curable in some cases.

In other, more complex cases, you can try to improve it by treating underlying conditions and making certain lifestyle changes.

The longer it goes on, the harder it is to treat. So, it’s always best to contact a doctor as soon as possible if you’re having a tough time with sleep.

The bottom line

Genes do appear to have some effect on your chance of getting insomnia. But it’s a complicated area to study, with lots left to uncover.

Even if you are genetically more likely to get insomnia, it doesn’t mean you will develop the condition. But it does mean that you may want to pay extra attention to practicing good sleep hygiene to reduce your risk.

https://www.healthline.com/health/is-insomnia-genetic#genes 

Daytime music could help you sleep at night

From irishnews.com

LYING down twice a day and listening to music can be a successful way to treat insomnia.

In a new trial at Woosong University in South Korea, around 100 people with insomnia were given music therapy or no treatment, and had their symptoms measured before and after the study.

Treatment involved lying down two to three times a day, for around 30 minutes per session. Results showed the music group went to sleep in half the time it took the others to nod off, and one in four was 'cured' of their insomnia.

Music is thought to help sleep by lowering the heart rate and relaxing the body. The overall success rate was 96 per cent, according to the Journal of Healthcare Engineering.

https://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/health/2022/11/03/news/daytime_music_could_help_you_sleep_at_night-2873320/ 

Three ways to fix sleep issues when nothing else works

From washingtonpost.com

Some well-known interventions are not a great fit for everyone. Instead, try these tips

“You’re not going to make me get out of bed when I can’t sleep, are you?” asked my patient, a mother and researcher who had been suffering from insomnia for about a year. As a psychologist who treats insomnia, I have heard some version of this refrain many times.

She had tried some of the standard interventions — including this one to get out of bed. Unfortunately, it increased her anxiety and did not quell her racing thoughts at night. By the time she came to see me, she had begun using sleeping pills a few times per week.

The behavioural strategies typically prescribed for insomnia have a strong evidence base but are not a great fit for everyone. They can leave people frustrated, desperate, sceptical and anxious.

The problem is not necessarily with the techniques. Some people may need to implement them differently — perhaps in a more relaxed, less goal-oriented way, or in combination rather than as singular interventions.

Popular advice can also be misguided at times. For example, the admonition not to read in bed removes an important bridge to sleep for many people with insomnia — one they may have used successfully for years. The common behavioural approaches also may not target the overthinking at night that insomnia patients often struggle with.

While insomnia is related to anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges, it can also exacerbate and even cause psychiatric symptoms. Treating the insomnia, in many cases, need not depend on treating any underlying psychiatric condition, and can benefit not just sleep but also mental health.

There are several reasons we lie awake — from sleep apnoea to iron deficiency to trauma to circadian issues to the dog’s jumping on the bed. Many of these issues require help from a physician.

For others, I offer these cognitive and behavioural interventions that have helped my patients, including the researcher who was able to reduce her use of sleeping pills substantially:

Think of sleep as a bodily function. If you were about to sneeze and someone said, “Bless you,” too soon, the urge may suddenly have dissipated. Or if you’ve ever had to suppress a sneeze in a hushed setting, you’ve probably been able to do it. But make yourself sneeze? Impossible.

Sexual function is similar: Biological drive and action are important but not enough. You need to put your mind on the right things and take it off performance.

Sleep also is easily derailed by self-consciousness and is impervious to effort because it lends itself to performance anxiety. We pressure ourselves to sleep well because of real or perceived high stakes, and consequently we get in its way.

Once you understand that sleep is a bodily function, it is easier to let go of trying to control it. In the late evenings, many of my patients are tired but determined quality-control engineers who anxiously monitor their environments, behaviours and level of sleepiness. Their in-bed regimens are just as conscientious, and in the mornings, they check their sleep data on apps. It is work, not rest.

Contrast their approach with the comforting rituals we use to help children fall asleep. They feel enveloped in love and safe. Sleep naturally overtakes them when their bodies are ready.

Adults can reclaim this natural relationship to sleep and learn to get out of its way. Recognize that it is not your job but your body’s job to sleep. Approach your sleep habits in a relaxed, flexible and curious manner.

Compress your sleep window. When we adopt an unrealistically lengthy period for sleep (falling asleep at 10 p.m. and waking at 8 a.m., for example), it can lead to interrupted sleep, light sleep and protracted wakeful periods.

Pizza dough provides a useful analogy. Roll it out onto too large a surface and it will be thin and holey. Roll it out over a small area and it will be nice and deep.

People are prone to longer sleep windows when they are on a more relaxed schedule, for instance when they are working from home or are retired. Or they may fall into a self-perpetuating pattern of rising late or falling asleep early to compensate for waking at night. 

Also, our capacity for sleep may diminish with stress, anxiety, late caffeine, lengthy naps, changes in health, medications and so on.

Try to remediate the factors that are stealing your sleep. But even if you can’t, it is important to match your sleep duration to your actual rather than wished-for capacity for good sleep.

When you experiment with compressing your sleep window, try not to feel too anxious. This is not the often-prescribed, stricter and potentially more anxiety-provoking technique known as “sleep restriction,” which initially constrains the time in bed to the average number of hours slept.

Try your new schedule for at least eight nights in a row, then fine-tune with further or less compression, and implement flexibly. For many people, roughly seven hours makes for a nice, thick pizza.

Take mental selfies. If you live with insomnia, you probably know how the mind can be at night. It steers us through our regrets, anxieties, problems and to-do lists. We would do better if we were to face our problems during the day, wind down at night and wait until drowsy to come to bed.

We also could use the selfie setting. Redirect your focus from the subject of your overthinking to the fact that you are overthinking. Exercise this self-awareness gently, nonjudgmentally and repeatedly — as often as you can catch yourself overthinking.

Then try directing your attention to a “soothing distractor” such as a peaceful book, audio book or lecture series (on a generous timer). A good soothing distractor can be better than the familiar techniques people tend to turn to at night, such as muscle relaxation and visualizations. These otherwise excellent approaches may not last long enough on a bad night or may be too goal-oriented or insufficiently distracting. You can still use them as needed once you are already feeling sleepy or for rapid calming.

If your chosen distractor keeps you awake, try something else. Make sure any light exposure is very dim and tilted toward the red end of the spectrum. You can start out in bed if you like.

The ideas offered here are not intended as a comprehensive guide to improved sleep. But I hope that they help you to feel optimistic and encouraged, and that they give you a fresh start.

Lisa Strauss, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in the Boston area. She specializes in sleep disorders.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/11/03/insomnia-tips-better-sleep/

5 Tips To Help You Sleep When You’re Stressed

From sbm.org

By Jocelyn E. Remmert, PhD; VA Center for Integrated Healthcare

“Make sure to get some rest!”

“You better get a good night’s sleep before your first day.”

“I really want to be at my best tomorrow, I hope I sleep well tonight.” 

We all hope for good sleep every night, but we especially wish for it during transitions - like when we’re headed back to school, moving, or starting a new role. But that’s also when we’re usually experiencing a lot of anxiety or stress. 

I’ve been there, too. It’s the night before a new job, you’re a mix of excited and nervous, so you go to bed early - only to end up awake between two and five a.m. worrying about how your first day will go. And, sometimes we get stuck in a cycle. During the day we’re tired and worried about sleeping, so we don’t do our best. At night, we’re anxious about our day.

Hopefully this article lends a hand when you’re having difficulty with your sleep and anxiety:

One bad night of sleep (or even one week of bad sleep) does not mean you are doomed or will perform badly.

Everyone has occasionally had a bad night of sleep, especially during stressful times. On the night I referenced above, I was able to zombie walk my way through my first day somehow and not get fired. Ask people in your life how they cope when they have a bad night of sleep.

2.  In the past, how have you coped with one bad night before? Remind yourself - while it’s difficult, you’ve done this before.  

3.  Most important is how you respond to a bad night or a few bad nights of sleep. 

Try to resist the urge to do things that may help you through the day but will make your sleep worse in the long term. For example, try not to pick up a new afternoon coffee or nap habit

Stick to a regular wake-up time as much as you can! This is one of the best ways to get your body on a good rhythm. And yes, this means waking up at the same time even on the weekend - because your body doesn’t know what day it is. Try to stick to the same time through a stressful period, then you can relax this once your sleep has improved.

No matter how hard you try - sleep cannot be forced! It will only unfold as a natural process. Try not to lie in bed for more than 15-20 minutes, forcing yourself to sleep and becoming frustrated. If you’re not sleepy, get out of bed and try a relaxing activity. Only get back in bed when you are sleepy. This may be difficult, especially when our beds are very cozy, so set up a comfortable spot outside of bed beforehand and plan some calming activities to help your mind prepare for sleep.

Often, our first quiet time of the day is when we lay down in bed. This means our brain hasn’t had a chance to process the day and go through worries. Think of it like a hamster on the wheel - the hamster needs to run on the wheel at some point, and if we don’t let our worries and thoughts run on the wheel before we get in bed, they are going to run on the wheel while we’re trying to fall asleep. So, getting good sleep when you’re feeling anxious starts before you go to bed. This means giving the hamster a chance to run on the wheel and get tired earlier in the day or evening.

Try sitting down for 10 minutes when it’s quiet and let your mind run. Maybe that means you journal, or record yourself, just something to let the worries out. You can also make this time productive and plan for tomorrow or address worries that can be addressed. The important part is to do this outside of the bedroom and earlier in the evening

Develop a calming bedtime routine. This will help your body and brain know sleep is coming. Try out incorporating different senses (sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing). My routine is taking a shower, drinking tea, using lavender lotion, and doing sudoku. Everyone is different, so try a couple different calming and relaxing activities before settling on a routine.

 Don’t be afraid to get professional help:

Sleep is an extremely common problem and there are lots of free online resources to help: My two favourites are: Insomnia Coach app and https://www.veterantraining.va.gov/insomnia/

You may also want to consider mental health treatment if your anxiety is impacting you every day for more than several weeks. You can check with your insurance or places like psychologytoday.com for providers.

https://www.sbm.org/healthy-living/5-tips-to-help-you-sleep-when-youre-stressed