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How To Fix Your Insomnia

Definition

Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder in which the person has trouble in one of the following areas of sleep: falling asleep, staying asleep throughout the night, or not being able to fall back asleep after a disturbance/awakening.

Origins

Insomnia normally is caused by the pressure of work or life; bad sleeping schedule; not enough exercise, etc.

In many cases, people experience insomnia because they develop a pattern of behavior that interferes with good sleep habits. Sleeping difficulties are often connected to underlying problems such as stress, depression or anxiety.

Understanding Insomnia

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that occurs in 30 million Americans, according to the Institute of Medicine. A person with insomnia has trouble falling or staying asleep. When sleepless nights persist for longer than a month, the problem is considered chronic. Often, people with chronic insomnia see the problem come and go, experiencing several days of good sleep followed by a stretch of poor sleep.

Studies show that people with insomnia who learned to recognize and change stressful thoughts slept better than those who took sleeping pills to treat their insomnia.

Whatever the cause, you’re more likely to rest if you adopt healthy sleep behaviors. Much like diet and exercise, sleep is a basic building block to health.

Steps to Better Sleep

Consider the following steps that can be helpful in changing unhealthy habits and improving your sleep.

  • Create a relaxing sleep environment.Keep your bedroom dark, cool and as quiet as possible and keep electronics such as a computer, TV and phones out of the bedroom. Exposure to stimulating objects and lights from computer and TV screens can affect levels of melatonin, a hormone that regulates your body’s internal clock.
  • Don’t discuss or deal with stressful or anxiety-inducing situations right before bedtime. Just as exercise can increase energy levels and body temperature, discussing difficult topics will increase tension and may provoke a racing heartbeat. Protect the quality of your sleep by dealing with any stressful topics long before bedtime.
  • Set a sleep schedule.Maintain a regular sleep routine. Go to bed and get up at the same times each day, even on the weekends. Don’t go to bed too early. If you hit the sack before you’re sleepy, you may lie in bed awake and start to feel anxious. That will only make it more difficult to drift off.
  • Limit naps.Late afternoon naps can interfere with nighttime slumber.
  • Maintain a regular exercise routine.Research shows that exercise increases total sleep time, particularly the slow-wave sleep that’s important for body repair and maintenance. However, don’t exercise too late in the day. Working out close to bedtime can boost energy levels and body temperature, making it harder to fall asleep.
  • Avoid late night meals and alcohol consumption.Skip heavy meals before bed, and limit alcohol. Even if a cocktail seems to help you fall asleep, it can interfere with sleep quality and disrupt sleep later in the night.
  • Curb nicotine and caffeine use. These stimulants can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep, especially if consumed late in the day.
  • Schedule down time before bed.Setting aside time to unwind and quiet your mind will help you get into a sleepy state of mind. Meditating, breathing exercises, taking a bath and listening to relaxing music are great ways to calm down at night.
  • Don’t check the clock.Tallying how much sleep you’re losing can create anxiety and make it harder to fall asleep.
  • Take notes.If you can’t stop the stream of thoughts, get up and write them down. Tell yourself you can check the list in the morning, so there’s no need to keep worrying tonight.

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