Insomnia Doesn't Need to Affect Everyday Life

Sleep is one of the aspects of life people take as a given. You spend your day awake and then you will go to sleep later. People with insomnia know that things aren’t nearly this simplistic and convenient. 

Insomnia is a common disorder that affects the ability to sleep at night in multiple ways. Insomniacs struggle with falling asleep, staying asleep during the night and sleeping for a full night. Even when they wake up, people with insomnia still often feel tired or exhausted. It’s fairly common for people to experience some acute insomnia throughout their life. Things happens and as you’ll see, there are many causes. However, it’s when insomnia becomes chronic that things become more serious. In some cases, insomnia will often be caused by other medical conditions which will need to be controlled or managed first before the insomnia can be taken care of. 

Causes of Insomnia

As mentioned briefly, there are quite a few causes of insomnia. Rather than list every reason for acute insomnia, this article will focus on the causes of chronic insomnia. They include: 

• Life Scheduling - Specifically this usually refers to a person’s work or travel schedule. Usually our internal clock will handle our sleep-wake cycle. If you’re getting consistently jet lag from jumping around time zones or changing from day to night shifts, you’re more likely to deal with insomnia. 
• Stress - This is one of the biggest causes of insomnia. People with large amounts of stress can’t help but think about the issues causing them when they should be sleeping instead. Huge life events like debt, health problems, loss of a loved one, divorce and work problems can all lead to insomnia. 
• Late Eating - Many people may eat far too late, which causes a lot of discomfort. In addition to insomnia, this can also cause issues with heartburn and acid reflux. 
• Bad Sleep Habits - Sleeping is often all about routine and having a strong sleeping routine can ensure less chance of insomnia. If you have a sleeping environment full of distractions like tv, video games and your phone, it’s much harder to fall asleep easily. Taking extra naps or varying the time you sleep a lot can also lead to insomnia. 
• Health Conditions - There are many health conditions that can cause someone to suffer from insomnia. Many mental health issues like anxiety or PTSD can cause issues. People with diabetes, asthma, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and so many other issues can also have a problem. 

Treatment and Prevention of Insomnia

If you want to prevent insomnia, the best start is to develop those good sleep habits. Exercise regularly as that will help sleep at night. Try to keep a regular schedule for sleep. Make sure that naps are only as necessary rather than to feel good from a nap. Also, try to avoid drinking too much coffee or other beverages full of “zip”. Keep your bedroom inviting and intended for sleep only. In some cases, a good idea is to set up a pre-sleep ritual. Many read or take a bath. 

In the case that a person is already suffering from chronic insomnia, then there are also other things that can be done. One of the first things is cognitive behavioral therapy. This involves working to avoid the sort of negatives that a person dwells on, preventing them from sleep. This can include many aspects including stimulus control, nap restriction, passively staying awake and relaxation techniques. Another aspect is stimulus control. This is all about coaching the patient into having consistency in their sleep options and no outside stimuli. Distractions need to be removed from the bedroom. 

If these techniques don’t work, then there’s medications that can help. Most start as an over the counter level and then increase. Medications for insomnia aren’t given lightly as prescription level versions can certainly have some side effects. Many are habit forming and some may affect daytime alertness levels.