Living Touch

Sleep is essential for our body and mind to function normally. Sleep deprivation can seriously affect our physical and mental health. In our modern, hectic time, the consequences of sleep deprivation are getting to be a serious problem. As many people are not aware of the fact that they actually suffer from chronic insomnia, the first step is to become aware of it.

Do I Suffer From Chronic Insomnia?

Do you have trouble falling asleep? Do you often wake up too early in the morning? Or do you often wake up in the middle of the night and find it hard to go back to sleep again? Insomnia is then called chronic when you have been sleeping less than your body needs for a month or more, and when this lack of sleep has begun to affect your daily life.

What Kind of Problems Can Chronic Insomnia Cause?

Lack of sleep can have serious consequences. It may lead to fatal mistakes and can be responsible for road and workplace accidents. Chronic insomnia can also seriously affect your health. Studies have shown that it may be responsible for weight gain, diabetes, mental depression, and a decrease in the immune system’s ability to fight off diseases.

What Causes Chronic Insomnia?

There are many things that may cause chronic insomnia. Alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine can keep you awake. Stress, anxiety, pain, and emotional disorders can also cause insomnia. Illness as well as some of the medication to treat illness can cause sleeplessness. Noise or your partner’s sleeping habits can keep you from falling asleep. And sometimes chronic insomnia is caused by your own bad sleep habits.

What Can I Do Against My Chronic Insomnia?

Try to go to sleep at a regular time each night and get up at a regular time each morning, even on weekends.

Do not take naps during the day as they may make you less sleepy at night.

Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, especially close to bedtime. Try to avoid coffee and tea or other drinks containing caffeine after noon.

Get regular exercise during the day but not close to bedtime. It may stimulate you and make it hard for you to fall asleep.

Eat your meals regularly and avoid large meals late in the day.

Use your bed only for sleeping or sex. Do not eat, read, or watch TV in bed.

Try to make your sleeping place comfortable. It should be dark, quiet and should neither be too warm nor too cold.

What’s good for your children is good for you. Follow a routine to help you relax before sleep, such as listening to music, reading a book, or taking a bath.

If you don’t feel sleepy enough, get up and do something that doesn’t stimulate you too much. Don’t go to bed again until you feel sleepy enough.

Should you often lie awake worrying about things, make a list with things to do before you go to bed. This will help you not to have to focus on your worries overnight.

Learn a relaxation technique like progressive muscle relaxation or some other relaxation and stress reduction exercise and practice it before you go to sleep.

Can I Take Sleeping Pills Against Insomnia?

Sleeping pills may be a big help if you suffer from chronic insomnia. On the other hand, sleeping pills can be part of the whole sleep problem as one of their side effects is daytime sleepiness. Daytime sleepiness may want you take a nap during the day which again may make it difficult for you to fall asleep at night.