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​Insomnia 

What is insomnia?

It is a sleep disorder in which a person experiences poor sleep or has trouble sleeping. Insomnia can present in different form, you may fall asleep easily but wake up too soon, you may not be able to fall asleep easily or you may have trouble with both falling asleep and staying asleep. The end result is the same; you are left feeling tired when you wake up and will affect your health, work performance and quality of life.

What are the symptoms?

Insomnia Insomnia signs and symptoms may include:

  • Sleep problems
  • Difficulty falling asleep at night
  • Waking up during the night
  • Difficulty returning to sleep
  • Waking too early
  • Feeling tired after a night’s sleep
  • Racing mind
  • Daytime tiredness or sleepiness
  • Drowsiness
  • Difficulty paying attention or concentrating
  • Irritability, depression or anxiety
  • Keep making mistakes
  • Headaches caused by tension
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms
  • Ongoing worries about sleep  

What are the causes?

There are many possible causes of insomnia. Sometimes there is one main cause, but often several factors interacting together will cause a sleep disturbance. Common causes of insomnia include:

  • Psychological causes

    • Stress
    • Depression
    • Anxiety 
    • Worrying whether you’re going to sleep or not
  • Physical causes

    • Pain
    • Breathing difficulties
    • Need to urinate frequently
    • Hormonal changes in women
    • Decreased melatonin (the hormone that helps you sleep)
    • Medical conditions e.g. diabetes, allergies, cancer, arthritis, asthma, heart or lung disease, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, stroke, and Parkinson and Alzheimer’s disease. You need to make sure you carefully follow medication instructions.
    • A change in your health
    • Result of another sleep problem e.g. sleep apnea where you temporarily stop breathing
  • Temporary events or factors

    • Overeating at night
    • Over exertion before bedtime
    • A reaction to change or stress
    • Working at night or for long shifts
    • Changes in your daily routine or work schedule
    • Jet lag
    • A side-effect of medications
    • Caffeine
    • Nicotine
    • Alcohol
    • Changes in the sleeping environment e.g. a new place, noise or temperature

Treatment and prevention:

If insomnia is chronic and makes it hard for you to function during the day, see your doctor to determine what might be the cause of your sleep problem and how it can be treated. If your doctor thinks you could have another sleep disorder, you might be referred to a sleep center for special testing.

Generally, insomnia is resolved when the underlying trigger is dealt with. Once a cause is identified, it is important to manage and control the underlying problem, as this alone may eliminate the insomnia. The treatment involves non-medical and medical aspects according to the patient and cause. The combination of both is typically is more successful in treating insomnia and the non-medical treatments have proven to be more successful in the long term with rare side-affects unlike the medical ones. 

  • Non-medical treatments:

    • Stick to a sleep a regular and consistent sleeping schedule (this includes weekends).
    • Avoid daytime naps and stimulating activities just before bedtime.
    • Sleep as much as you need to feel rested, don’t oversleep.
    • If you can’t sleep, don’t force yourself. The harder you try, the more awake you’ll get. Get out of bed after 15 minutes and do something relaxing.
    • The sleeping area should only be for sleeping i.e. don’t work or eat in bed, etc.
    • Try to relax before bedtime e.g. reading, warm bath, massage.
    • Exercise during the day (at least five to six hours before bedtime).
    • Create a sleeping environment to your comfort e.g. minimizing light and sound, setting the right temperature.
    • Avoid stimulates e.g. caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and nicotine.
    • Avoid heavy meals before bed.
    • Drink less before bedtime to avoid waking up to pee.
    • Make sure to check your medications in case they are a cause.
    • If you are in pain and can’t sleep, deal with the pain in the proper manner so it won’t keep you awake.
    • Don’t think about the time passing while you can’t sleep, the less you know what time it is, the better.

Moreover, a psychologist may provide you with some behavioral techniques and therapies that can be very helpful in treating insomnia e.g. sleep restriction and relaxation techniques.

  • Medical treatment:

Discuss with your doctor the appropriate medical treatment as well as the side-affects that result from the medications.