Insomnia can be a very difficult problem to solve, especially if you prefer to avoid the use of ad hoc drugs. But there are some very useful tricks that you may not have known and that you can put into practice.
People with chronic insomnia have difficulty falling asleep and often wake up even in the middle of the night compromising the quality of sleep. Symptoms cause distress, fatigue, mood disturbances, anxiety, irritability and reduced quality of life, as well as difficulty concentrating.
Experts have often conflicting ideas regarding the amount of time considered “too long” to fall asleep. Some say 30 minutes, others say more than 40-60 minutes deserves clinical attention. Most, though, generally agree that “healthy” sleepers fall asleep within 10-20 minutes. But how to solve this age-old problem if you have already tried everything?
Insomnia, some ideas to beat it
There are several small steps you can take if you just can’t sleep well at night. Read these valuable tips below:
- worry (before): People with chronic insomnia have a tendency to worry, about their sleep or otherwise, especially before bedtime. Worrying is antithetical to sleeping; activates the body’s sympathetic nervous system and initiates a psychophysiological cascade of stress responses, including rapid heartbeat and frantic thinking, keeping the body awake. Schedule a block of a few hours in the morning or afternoon where you write down all the worries that come to mind, big or small, in a notebook. You may feel better, because simply objectifying worries can make them feel smaller.
- Don’t go to bed when you feel tired: Go to bed only when you feel sleepy, not tired. They are two very different things but are often used interchangeably. Learning to differentiate sleepiness from fatigue plays a vital role in maintaining overall health.
- Get out of bed if you can’t sleep: People with insomnia tend to spend more time awake in bed, worrying, ruminating and trying to sleep. Over time, the bed turns into a signal of wakefulness, anxiety and frustration – a phenomenon known as conditioned arousal. Better to get up and go to another room, to do something (essentially) relaxing that induces sleepiness.
- Keep warm: The thermal environment plays an important role in governing human sleep. Like light, core body temperature plays an important role in synchronizing our circadian rhythm and biological clock.
- Try to non fall asleep: What comes to your mind when asked not to think about an elephant? Probably an elephant. This demonstrates that active thought suppression usually increases the frequency of unwanted thoughts or behaviors. Likewise, the common concern about trying to fall asleep for people with chronic insomnia can further stave off sleepiness.
