Pt Health Life – Insomnia is a disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep. People with insomnia often feel tired when they wake up. Insomnia not only reduces energy and emotions, but also harms health, work and quality of life.
1. Types of insomnia
There are two types of insomnia : primary insomnia and secondary insomnia.
- Primary insomnia: Means a person has sleep problems that are not directly related to any other health condition or problem.
- Secondary insomnia: Means a person has sleep problems due to other things, such as health conditions (e.g. asthma, depression, arthritis, cancer, heartburn, etc.) ), pain, medications used, or stimulants they use (such as alcohol, beer, coffee…).
2. Causes of insomnia
2.1 Causes of acute insomnia
- Stress in life (eg, loss or change of job, death of a loved one, divorce, moving…)
- Diseases.
- Easily emotional or physically uncomfortable.
- Environmental factors such as noise, light or outside temperature (hot or cold) interfere with sleep.
- Some medications (for example, those used to treat colds, allergies, depression, high blood pressure , asthma) can also interfere with sleep.
- Interference with normal sleep (eg, feeling tired due to the circadian rhythm or the change from day to night).
2.2 Causes of chronic insomnia
- Depression or anxiety.
- Chronic stress.
- Pain or discomfort at night.
3. Symptoms of insomnia
- Couldn’t sleep for a whole day.
- Full body fatigue .
- Jittery.
- Have problems with concentration or memory.
Insomnia often differs in its duration and frequency of occurrence. It can be of short duration (i.e., acute insomnia) or it can last for a long period of time (i.e., chronic insomnia). Acute insomnia can last from one night to several weeks. Insomnia is called chronic if a person has insomnia at least 3 nights a week for a month or longer.
4. How to treat insomnia?
Acute insomnia may not require treatment. Mild insomnia can often be prevented or cured by practicing good sleep habits.
If insomnia is making it difficult to function during the day because you are tired and sleepy, your consultant may prescribe sleeping pills for a limited time.
Short-acting medications can help you avoid the effects of drowsiness during the day. Do not overdose on sleeping pills to treat insomnia, because they can cause side effects and tend to lose their effectiveness.
Treatment of chronic insomnia involves initially treating the underlying condition or health problem that is causing the insomnia. If insomnia continues, your counselor may recommend behavioral therapy.
Behavioral approaches help you change behaviors that can make insomnia worse, and implementing new behavioral therapies helps you sleep better. Measures such as relaxation exercises, sleep restriction and restorative therapy may help.
5. Good habits to treat insomnia
Good sleep habits, often called sleep hygiene, can help you get a good night’s sleep and beat insomnia. Here are a few suggestions:
- Try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. Limit napping during the day, because it can make you sleep less at night.
- Avoid drinking coffee and stimulants such as tobacco and alcohol. Coffee and tobacco are stimulants that can make it difficult to sleep. Alcohol can wake you up at night and interfere with the amount of sleep you get.
- Exercise regularly. Try not to exercise during bedtime, as it can stimulate you and make it difficult to sleep. Experts recommend not exercising at least 3 or 4 hours before bed.
- Don’t eat your main meal late in the day. However, a snack before bed can help us sleep well.
- Keeping your bedroom clean and airy will help you sleep better. Make sure the bedroom is dark, quiet, not too warm or too cold. If it’s too bright, try covering your eyes while sleeping. If it is noise, you must use earplugs to reduce the noise and drown out the sound.
- Practice daily habits to help you relax before bed. For example, read a book, listen to music or take a bath.
- Avoid using your bed for other purposes such as storing food or working on a laptop.
- If we can’t fall asleep or don’t feel sleepy, get up and read or do something non-stimulating until we fall asleep.
- If you wake up worried about something, try to put those worries aside before going to bed. That can help keep you from focusing on your worries throughout the night.
