It’s fair to say that each of us at least once in our lives has experienced insomnia in its various manifestations. On the one hand, for a person who isn’t directly connected with medicine, this sleep disorder seems to be a temporary phenomenon and doesn’t pose a threat or harm to health, but for a medical professional this condition is an important problem, deserving special attention and correction.
In medical terminology, insomnia is a persistent, long-term sleep disorder and disruption of daily rhythm. It’s important to remember that insomnia isn’t only the difficulty of falling asleep but also frequent awakenings at night, short sleep with poor “quality” sleep.
As a rule, patients suffering from this disorder experience drowsiness during the day, notice a deterioration in short-term memory (for example, you used to easily remember nine-digit numbers, but now you have difficulty remembering seven-digit numbers), and psycho-emotional irritation. They find it hard to concentrate even on some fun activities, for example, they cannot play casino online or read without interruptions.
Undoubtedly, if you have a complicated or hybrid work schedule with a variability of time intervals, or if you watch soap operas until bedtime and then sleep less than usual, it cannot be called insomnia.
Insomnia is worth talking about when you have enough time to sleep, but due to factors unexplained to you, you face the above problems.
The Causes of Insomnia
The causes of insomnia can be both mental and somatic, or a combination of these variants is also possible.
The most common causes that draw attention are:
- Life shocks (unusual situations, phobias and trigger factors, stresses, psycho-emotional overload, difficulties at work and at home).
- Hormonal imbalances in women before the cycle or menopause.
- Disorders of the various organs and systems.
- CNS and brain (increased bioelectrical activity of the brain caused by various diseases).
- Psycho-emotional disorders (anxiety, depression, paranoid and schizophrenic disorders, neuroses, post-traumatic stress, hyperactivity and others).
- Interventions during the period of entering the cycle of falling asleep (coffee, noise, energetic and invigorating drinks, etc.).
- Functional overload (physical overload, often seen in individuals whose activities involve increased physical activity during the day);
- Genetic predisposition to a group of rare diseases (very rare and only thought of when all other causes have been ruled out).
What the Lack of Treatment for Insomnia Leads to
Besides the fact that insomnia is a pathological condition, it acts as a risk factor for various diseases and life-threatening conditions:
- Disorders of food metabolism in the body, as a consequence of gaining excess weight, flowing into obesity.
- Constant impact on the immune system and constant disruption of the body’s immunological resistance to environmental factors.
- Increased risk of cardiovascular system (myocardial infarction, strokes).
- Disorder of the mental apparatus, which flows into mental disorders of various types.
- Development of depressive states and psycho-emotional swings.
- Persistent and prolonged migraines.
- Development of overwork and symptoms of chronic fatigue.
3 Ways to Get Asleep
Darken the Room
Sometimes a person cannot fall asleep because the room is too bright. A night light on, light from street lamps, and light from gadget screens can disrupt the biological clock, so that our brain will persistently think that it’s morning and it’s time to get up. To fall asleep as quickly as possible, it is necessary to darken the room as much as possible – turn off all the lights, garlands, turn off gadgets. If the light comes from the street, draw the curtains tightly.
Air out the Room
If the room is hot, stuffy, dry and stuffy air or some irritating smells bother you, it’s difficult to fall asleep. Therefore, it’s necessary to air the room for at least 10-15 minutes before going to sleep. It’s good if there is a humidifier, which will provide optimal humidity. Cool and fresh air will quickly soothe and relax the overheated brain and body, and it will be easy to fall asleep. If possible the window or window leaf can be left open for the night, and then you will wake up in the morning refreshed and full of energy. The main thing is to make sure that no mosquitoes or other annoying insects can enter the room – otherwise, you won’t be able to sleep.
By the way, strong and pungent smells, such as perfume or annoying fragrance of laundry conditioner, can also be distracting, preventing you from sleeping. If you are used to relaxing before going to bed with aromatherapy, choose as light and unobtrusive scents as possible.
Turn Falling Asleep Into a Ritual
It would be wonderful if you began to go to bed not only at the same time so that the body develops a habit of falling asleep at certain times, but also turn the process of going to bed into a pleasant relaxing ritual.
For example, 30 minutes before going to sleep, put aside the gadgets, and turn off the TV. Put on your favorite soft and cozy robe, take a warm bubble bath, drink warm milk or herbal tea. Turn on soft music for meditation or with sounds of nature. Relax, letting go of all the heavy thoughts and worries of the day.