Often, we are consumed with information about health issues such as obesity and heart disease,
but not nearly as much attention is given to the struggles we have with sleep.
Insomnia, a health issue plaguing 95% of all Americans in one point of their lives.
Outside of the difficulties of sleeping, insomniacs state problems such as an extreme drop in
quality of life, poor concentration and motivation, and even increased aggression.
At times, the waning productivity or missing work entirely has cost people them livelihoods.
So, what exactly is insomnia?
Insomnia is difficulty with initiating sleep, maintaining sleep, or waking up too early
resulting in poor daytime function.
And there are two types: Short-term insomnia, which usually last about a month and related
to temporal stressors such as losing your job, death of a loved one, or divorce.
Then there’s chronic insomnia, which lasts for more than a month and occurring at least
three nights per week.
It should be noted that insomnia is not the same as circadian rhythm disorders, where
you sleep at irregular times but still sleep enough, such as people working the nightshift
or suffering jetlag.
Along with a dip in quality of life, insomnia can lead to very serious issues such as depression,
alcohol and drug dependence, and even suicide.
One study even found that insomniacs are 34 times more likely to develop new psychiatric
disorders.
And the increase of alcohol and drug use can ultimately worsen the level of your insomnia.
So, what can you do about it?
The first thing you can do is create a sleep history log.
Track all the information of your sleep, such as the time you went to bed, fell asleep,
and woke up.
You should also track activities such as naps and stressful events.
After one to two weeks, evaluate your log and find any patterns that might affect your
sleep.
Eliminating negative patterns can improve your insomnia and might even fix it entirely.
One of the most effective non-pharmacological methods is cognitive behavior therapy.
Studies show that about 80% of people using CBT improved sleep efficiency for up to 24
months – something that medication alone has not been able to replicate.
If you were suffering from short-term insomnia, medication might work, but for long-term problems,
CBT might be your best bet.
CBT incorporates multiple strategies.
One is improving sleep hygiene.
That can mean manipulating your sleep environment, such as buying a mattress or pillow to your
fitting, and keeping your room at a comfortable temperature.
You can also restrict stimulants after lunch such as caffeinated beverages.
In the evening, avoid alcohol since although it can help you fall asleep quicker, it negatively
suppresses REM sleep, and avoid smoking, due to the stimulant effects of nicotine.
Improving sleep hygiene can also mean adding in more exercise, which can improve sleep
quality.
Maintaining a regular sleep schedule can help regulate your circadian rhythm, and make sure
you avoid taking long naps.
Also, resolve any stressful thoughts before going to bed that might keep you up at night.
Don’t eat too much 2 hours before bed to avoid late night heartburn and don’t drink
too much water so you don’t have to get up and urinate.
Outside of sleep hygiene, you can control different stimuli.
Keep the room dark to avoid sleep-disruptive effects caused by bright screens.
That means no more TV in the bedroom, no late-night gaming sessions, and no checking Facebook
right before bedtime.
Use the bed only for sexy time and sleep.
If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed until you feel tired again
and repeat if necessary.
Cognitive and mental therapy is important as well.
Re-train your negative thoughts of insomnia and establish a realistic approach to fixing
it.
You can try talking to a loved one about the matter for extra social support.
Some have seen improvements using paradoxical intention therapy, which is similar to reverse
psychology.
Basically, you’re telling yourself to stay awake to reduce the fear of not falling asleep
in hopes of you ultimately falling asleep.
There are also relaxation therapies.
Since people with insomnia have increased cerebral activity, relaxation therapies are
meant to slow that down.
Such therapies include meditation, deep breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation, where you
tense and relax large muscle groups in the body starting with the feet then moving to
your facial muscles.
And one final CBT strategy is sleep restrictive therapy.
The concept is to limit time in bed in order to increase desire to sleep.
This deprives you of sleep which can promote falling asleep faster and improved sleep quality.
It might sound backwards, but studies do show that there is some merit to it.
Now, you might have heard that antihistamines might help with sleep, such as Benadryl and
Unisom.
However, the effect is only minimal and actually might reduce sleep quality and make you feel
drowsy.
In the same light, you might have seen melatonin and valerian root advertised to improve sleep,
but no sufficient scientific evidence has ever been shown.
Melatonin, however, can be effective if you’re struggling with circadian rhythm sleep disorders,
but not so much for insomnia.
So, with these strategies, hopefully you can improve your sleep as soon as possible.
Sleep better today so you don’t have to let your dreams just be dreams.
Thanks for watching!