Do you struggle to fall asleep even after a busy day? Do you roll around in bed wondering why sleeping is hard now?
. . .
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder where people have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting good quality sleep. This can be very irritating since our body lacks a rest from our labors of the day. When does it become clinical? When it causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, educational, academic, behavioral, or other important areas of functioning. Lack of concentration, inability to focus on tasks, and decreased performance in school and career areas. Emotional effects are an irritable mood and an anxious and depressed mood. Mental health experts call this Insomnia which is characterized by problems of initiating sleep or maintaining sleep otherwise awakening and being unable to return to sleep.
What causes insomnia?
Insomnia is often associated with stress and other related mental disorders. However, stress isn’t only caused by stress. Medical conditions such as arthritis and asthma are known to interfere with sleep. Substance usage such as caffeine, and alcohol, and environmental factors such as lights and noise also impact our sleep quality. However, the most common cause for a bad quality of sleep is poor sleep hygiene.
What is Sleep Hygiene?
Sleep Hygiene is a term used to describe healthy habits that can help you sleep well. It’s a gradual process that leads you to build habits for a night of better sleep. If you experience daytime sleepiness, an irregular sleep schedule, or have a hard time falling asleep, then you probably have poor sleep hygiene. And you must do something about it. Having proper sleep hygiene is important as its implications manifest in our day-to-day lives. Those who struggle with Insomnia or a bad quality of sleep could benefit from practicing sleep hygiene habits. Some of them are:
● Make sure your bed environment is dark, silent, and at a comfortable temperature.
● Avoiding caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, or chocolate for 6 hrs. before bedtime
● Avoiding drinking 2 hrs. before bedtime
● Avoiding screen time at least 1 hr. before bed
● Having a consistent bedtime and waking time
● Going to bed only when you feel sleepy, hence avoid working or reading on your bed to train your mind to sleep
● Doing breathing exercises to relax
These are some tips mental health experts recommend, if nevertheless the problem persists seek professional help from Psychologists or Psychiatrists is advice. Depending on the cause and severity Psychotherapy (counseling) and medications will be provided.
