INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS AND CURE

As many as one in three people can have difficulty with sleeping. In any case, there are numerous things you can do to help this issue. . Such as avoiding certain food and drinks at bedtime routine can help with this problem. Here, in this article, we will brief about the insomnia symptoms and cure.

What is insomnia?

 Insomnia means lack of sleep about 1/3 of adults do not get the required sleep that they need.

 Poor sleep can mean:

• Not able to sleep easily.
• Waking up very early.
• Waking multiple times in the night.

Types of insomnia 

1. Initial insomnia: Inability or difficulty falling asleep.It May be caused by neuropathic or musculoskeletal pain, as well as certain medication.
2. Middle insomnia: Working during the night and being unable to fall back asleep. May be due to daytime fatigue muscle spasm.
3. Terminal insomnia: Waking up too early. May be caused due to a lack of exposure to daylight.

If you have poor sleep, particularly over a long period, it can severely affect your life, as it can cause tiredness, poor concentration, depression, irritability, digestive distress and loss of energy in the daytime.

What is a normal amount of sleep?

 Sleep amount differs from person to person. Some people can just work perfectly with 3-4 hours of sleep. Most people need more than that. The average sleep a person should have is 6-9 hours. As people get older it is normal to be sleepless.

But the main thing is u get the appropriate sleep yourself so that u feel refreshed and not sleepy. For promoting sleep in insomnia relaxation techniques, regular exercise and therapies are preferred over sleeping pills. Sleeping pills are not good as these techniques as you can get addicted to them or they stop working.  

Causes of insomnia

Poor sleep can develop for no reason but sometimes several causes are causing these problems. These can be the following:-

Poor sleep is often temporary. This can be due to stress, a different place, work or family problems.

• Stress, anxiety or depression

Stress and anxiety about work and other problems can lead to poor sleep.

Depression can also cause poor sleep and treatment of depression can cure pure sleep also.

• Sleep apnoea

 This occurs in people who are obese or snore. In this condition, the amount of oxygen gets reduced and a person can wake multiple times during sleeping.

• Other illnesses

Various illnesses keep some people awake. For instance, sickness causing torment, leg cramps, windedness, cough, itching, tingle, psychological well-being issues etc.

• Stimulants
  • These can interfere with sleep. There are three common culprits.
    • Alcohol – numerous individuals take alcohol to sleep. Alcohol cause insomnia and early morning alertness.
    • Caffeine – which is in tea, espresso, some soda pops like cola and even chocolate. It is likewise in some painkiller tablets and different medications (check the fixings on the medication parcel). Caffeine is an energizer and may cause helpless rest.
    • Nicotine (from smoking) is an energizer, so it would help not to smoke.

• Street drugs

Drugs like ecstasy, cannabis and cocaine can disrupt the sleeping cycle. 

• Prescribed medicines                                                                    

Some medicines can interfere with sleep such as steroids or antidepressants.

•  Screen time

 This is certain research that looking at electronic screens for a long time can disrupt our natural day and night cycle.

• Sleep paralysis

Sometimes people wake from sleep but for some time they are unable to move or respond

Other diseases such as hyperthyroidism, Parkinson’s disease and arthritis can also be the cause of insomnia.

How can I sleep better?

• Sleep hygiene.
• Relaxation techniques.
• Daytime exercise.
• Psychological treatments called cognitive and behavioural therapies
• Avoid screen time 30 min before sleeping.
• Find a comfortable temperature for bedtime and keep your room ventilated.
• Stay away from caffeine, smoking and liquor, particularly some time before sleep time.
• Stay away from heavy meals or strenuous exercise shortly before going to bed.
• Wake and sleep at exact times to make it a habit.
• Doing exercise regularly helps you feel more relaxed and tired at bedtime.

What about sleeping tablets?

Sleeping tablets are not usually advised .

The sleeping tablets which are mainly prescribed are benzodiazepines and class Z drugs. If a sleeping tablet is generally prescribed, it is just for a specific short time like a week or so.

Side effects of sleeping pills

• Can become tolerant to sleeping pills
• Drowsiness 
• Becoming addicted to sleeping pills and can show withdrawal effects if stopped suddenly.

References

1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12119-insomnia
2. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/insomnia-causes-and-cures.htm
3. https://patient.info/mental-health/insomnia-poor-sleep
4. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia-symptoms-and-causes
5. https://www.webmd.com/women/guide/insomnia-tips
6. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia
7. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9155