Insomnia-A guide to sleeplessness

Sleeplessness or Insomnia, as we may call it is defined by an individual’s report of difficulty with sleep. It is a positive response to the question” Do you experience difficulty sleeping?” Thus, lacking a peaceful sleep despite of adequate opportunity and circumstances to sleep, frequent awakenings or prolonged periods of wakefulness during the sleep period are considered to be the evidence of this medical disorder. Most people encounter sleep difficulties from time to time, often related to stress or pain. Many of these get better without treatment. Unfortunately, in a significant proportion of population, sleep problems turn into Insomnia.

The percentage of people suffering from insomnia is quite large. Especially the young generation can be seen as a prey to it. The causes can be many, as explained by Dr. Ramesh Arora, a private practitioner. According to him, insomnia symptoms may occur in teenagers in conjunction with any number of physical, psychological or environmental behavior. This can be anything like

• ·         Poor Habits
• ·         Poor Diet
• ·         Significant life stress
• ·         Emotional or physical discomfort
• ·         Depression
• ·         Anxiety
• ·         Excessive use of cell phones and laptops at the time of sleep

This all hampers a good night sleep. Not only this, frequent sleepless nights may typically be followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy levels, irritability, aggressiveness, severe moodiness, lack of concentration, clumsiness and even loss of appetite. An evaluation including a physical exam, a medical history and a sleep history is suggested to people who think they are suffering from insomnia. It is not a non curable disorder. In fact, insomnia can be cured with simple changes in your day to day lifestyle, if it’s not chronic. Prolonged insomnia or chronic, as you may call it includes first treating any underlying health problems that are acting as a root cause. It is important therefore, to undertake a full investigation of what could be contributing to insomnia before suggesting or undertaking a specific treatment. Techniques for chronic insomnia may involve relaxation exercises, sleep restriction therapy and reconditioning.

CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE AND GET RID OF SLEEPLESSNESS.

“Yoga and physical exercises are the best to have a good night sleep” says Dr. S.D Singh, Assistant Professor at State National Homeopathic Medical Centre. According to him, a healthy routine can bring a lot changes in people suffering from sleeplessness. Insomniacs can be helped by practicing good ‘sleep hygiene’ which includes paying attention to the effects on sleep of environmental factors such as noise, light and temperature. The other suggestive measures may include:

• Setting up fixed times for going to bed and waking up. This helps the body to get used to falling asleep at fixed hours.Don’t take your worries to bed as anxiety and stress are considered to be the major factors guiding insomnia.
• Avoid napping during the day. If your drowsiness is caused by insufficient sleep, brief naps of 10 minutes or so will most likely be refreshing, but longer siestas may impair your night time sleep.
• Cut down on your intake of caffeinated beverages, nicotine and alcohol.
• Avoid eating heavy, spicy or sugary meals at night. Instead, go for light food. Not only this, keep a check on the quality and quantity of food that you intake during the entire day. Poor dietary habits may also result into insomnia.
• Avoid watching or checking the clock throughout the night.
• Engage yourself in some physical exercise daily. But not too close to bedtime. According to a study, exercising daily can reduce the time to fall asleep and increase the length of sleep of people suffering with insomnia.
• Use comfortable bedding. Uncomfortable bedding may prevent a good sleep.
• Block out all the distracting noises while you sleep and eliminate as much light as possible.
• Remove television from your room. Most people tend to fall asleep with the television on in their room which is rather a bad idea.
• Cut short the use of cell phones and laptops during the night hours. Those who regularly use their smart phone or computer late at night are particularly susceptible to mental health problems that often result into sleep deprivation, researchers claim.

Remember: Even minimal sleep loss can have profound effects on all aspects of our lives and Insomnia is a problem that is affecting the masses today, irrespective of their age, at some point in their lives.  As our concentration diminishes and our ability to perform tasks declines, our true productivity shrinks. When we lose sleep, we also put ourselves and those around us at high risks for accidents. Insomnia is curable if diagnosed and treated properly. All you need is to take note of your body changes and symptoms to live a healthy, sleeplessness free life!