Can’t Sleep Well? One of These Techniques May Help You
By: Harish Maddukuri
Tags: Insomnia, Mental Health, Sleep, Self, Lifestyle

Can’t Sleep Well? One of These Techniques May Help You

How to tell if you suffer from insomnia and improve your sleep

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Insomnia is a sleep disorder that affects as many as 35% of adults. It is marked by problems getting to sleep, staying asleep through the night, and sleeping as long as you would like into the morning. It can have serious effects, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness, a higher risk of auto accidents, and widespread health effects from sleep deprivation.

There are many types of insomnia. Acute Insomnia is one of them, characterized by isolated and occasional incidents, often linked to stressful times, which disappear as soon as these have been overcome. Chronic Insomnia is a disorder that occurs with the frequency of at least three nights a week and for a period of three months or more.

Why should we sleep?

Sleeping well is fundamental to our health and quality of life. Sleep has several functions, including consolidating our memory and regenerating the body by slowing down physiological functions (blood pressure, heart rate…).

How to know whether you suffer from Insomnia or not?

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Try answering these four questions:

1) Do you have one or more of the following symptoms?

Difficulty falling asleep

Early morning awakenings

Night-time awakenings

Tiredness and lack of energy during the day

Daytime sleepiness

Irritable mood

Difficulty in maintaining attention and concentration

Poor performance at school or work

2) Are you dissatisfied with how and how much you sleep?

3) Do you experience this at least three times a week?

4) Has this condition been present for at least 3 months?

If the answer to these four questions is YES, then we can assume that you are suffering from Chronic Insomnia and it is advisable that you consult an expert.

What can be the causes of Insomnia?

Presence of medical problems

Stressful events (separation, economic problems) or life changes (relocation, job change)

Unfavorable environmental conditions (the room where you sleep is noisy, too hot …)

Excessive time spent in bed

Uneven sleeping habits

The tendency to take daytime naps

Inappropriate use of sleep-promoting drugs

Evening activities that are incompatible with sleep (for example, staying on a cell phone or a PC, drinking coffee …).

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From this list of causes, it is easy to see that most of the causes that lead us to have sleep problems are due to our bad habits.

How to prevent or reduce sleep problems?

It is possible to promote a series of healthy behaviors that promote sleep through the application of certain rules, the so-called Sleep Hygiene Rules.

These are some of the rules that promote health and sleep quality:

Maintain a regular sleep habit (go to bed and wake up at about the same time)

Do regular physical activity by early afternoon: it promotes deep sleep and facilitates falling asleep

Maintain a regular diet: in the evening eat foods that are not too heavy, but do not go to bed without dinner because the glycemic drop can favor awakenings

The afternoon nap should not exceed 30 minutes (in this way we do not enter deep sleep but remain in the first more restful sleep)

Avoid drinking alcohol especially in the evening: alcohol seems to promote sleep but tends to induce superficial sleep, increasing nighttime awakenings and early awakening in the morning

Avoid smoking and drinking caffeine: these are stimulating substances that promote fragmented sleep

If you cannot sleep, do not stay in bed, but get up and do activities that do not require energy, not very activating (like reading a book) and go back to bed only if you are sleepy

Don’t watch TV or read in bed — it’s important to associate bed only with sleep and sexual activity

Maintain adequate room temperature (not too high and not too low) and make sure the room is dark and quiet.