It is a fact that the cause of insomnia amongst many of us is due to improper habits and behavior. Most of us either sleep very late or take food and drinks that are not compatible with our sleep patterns. We thus slowly condition our body to refuse sleep and to counter that we end up taking sleeping pills, which cause more harm than good in the long run and in fact leads to addiction. If we have to solve this problem of sleeplessness, we need to look at some of the underlying reasons and the fundamental causes in order to be able to address them satisfactorily.
Given below are some of the most common errors that we commit and the possible solutions:
Misconception #1 - Erratic sleep schedule
It is a misconception amongst most of us that we can compensate lost sleep by hitting the bed earlier than usual the next day. However, this does not quite work out as the body clock can make the necessary change only if you are consistent in your habits and resorting to sudden changes in sleep timings by staying up late over the weekend and trying to make it up through the week will not be effective as this practice disturbs the body rhythm.
Solution: Develop a fixed schedule and maintain it.
This can be done by hitting the bed and waking up at a consistent time every day and you need to do that even on weekends so that the body gets used to this regularity and that helps reinforce and sets right the body clock. It induces the brain to release the right sleep hormones at the right time and also the wake up hormone at the appropriate time.
Misconception #2 - Sleeping long hours to compensate sleep loss
It is best not to sleep long hours especially post four o’clock in the afternoon or snatch some winks while enjoying television as this can spoil the night sleep and keep you awake.
Solution: Take a power nap for half an hour
If you are tired and need to sleep, then ensure you only take a power nap for about half an hour much before 4 pm. This is an afternoon siesta that is good for the system and does not disrupt the regular body rhythm.
Misconception #3 - Inadequate sleep preparation
It is futile to expect the body to respond such that it comes to rest immediately without any prior conditioning and preparation. You need to give the body enough time to help it release the necessary sleep chemicals through the neurotransmitters so that the brain recognizes the sleep command and wills the body to sleep.
Solution: Ease yourself into sleep
a) Do not spend time in front of the television or computer beyond ten at night as they keep the brain active and do not allow it to release the necessary sleep hormones. This will make you stay awake and slowly lead to insomnia.
b) Create the right atmosphere by dimming the lights, taking a warm bath, reading a book or listening to soft music or other sounds that are soothing. You can also do some yoga and relaxation exercises. Make sure you get rid of any distractions – either mental or physical that might prevent you from a good sleep.
Misconception #4 - Denying the body the appropriate sleep signals
Our physical body needs signals to inform it that when it is night time and darkness descends, it is time to sleep and when it is morning, it is time to wake up. However, unfortunately, we now live in a world that is dependent on a lot of artificial lighting and the body hardly gets access to natural light or sunshine. We have also ended confusing our body and brain with erratic hours of sleep with the result it is now struggling to identify what is natural darkness and what is artificial lighting.
The body requires total darkness for the production and release of the hormone melatonin and if the bedroom is not totally dark, the brain is not going to release this hormone which would enable you to sleep. The confusion caused and created over years makes the brain ill equipped to do the right thing at the right time and that also leads to people getting sleep during day time and being awake at night time.
Solution: Ensure the room is absolutely dark during night time.
It is necessary to snuff out anything that radiates light in the bedroom at night –be it your mobile phone, alarm clock, the monitor of your PC or even the battery indicator of any electronic item as even the slightest hint of light can cause the pineal gland to interpret it as bright light and disrupt the release of the sleep hormone.
You can do so by either hiding the item or moving it such that it is not visible to you. Utilise thick curtains that can prevent even moonlight entering the room. If nothing is possible, wear an eye mask. If you need to get up often at night, use a small night light to make your way without any disturbance.
Misconception #5 - Inappropriate snacking at bedtime
Snacking on grains or sugars can disturb the body metabolism such that the blood sugar level is raised and leads to irregularity in the manner in which the hormones are controlled and monitored. This in turn leads to insomnia as this up and down changing hormonal levels does not allow the body and the brain to focus on releasing the right sleep hormone.
Solution: The only right snack is a protein rich one.
Ideally you should not be having anything before retiring to bed, but if you do wish to have something, ensure it is a snack rich in protein so that you are able to prevent the disturbance in the hormone levels. Moreover, proteins also provide L -tryptophan, which is an amino acid that helps produce melatonin, which is the useful sleep hormone.
Misconception #6 - Making use of sleeping pills on a regular basis
Regular use of sleeping pills only serves to mask the primary problem of insomnia and hardly does anything to resolve it. Many doctors have concluded through studies done over the years that such sleeping pills can become very addictive if taken for a protracted period of time. While they may help in the short term, they are definitely not recommended as a long term solution and in fact can worsen the problem of insomnia. It is therefore better to take the doctor’s assistance to slowly withdraw from this habit of taking sleeping pills and look at other methods to induce sleep.
Solution: Go for some mental and body relaxation techniques.
It is necessary to understand that stress can be a very significant factor that is leading to sleep disorders. Stress in any form is bad for health as it disturbs the circadian rhythm. Moreover it keeps the mind active with worry and is a big obstacle for sleep. The only way out is to practice yoga, meditation and indulge in breathing exercises so that the mind is calm and brought under some control.
Misconception #7 - Taking help of alcohol and other sedatives
People suffering from insomnia often make the mistake of believing that alcohol can solve their problem. Though alcohol initially induces sleep, once it gets split into its constituents in the body, the effect wears off and leads to the person losing sleep during the second half of the night. So overall, the person wakes up with a sleep deficit and this deadly cycle continues day after day leading to more and more sleep deficit.
Solution: Imbibe the right kind of nutrients that can stimulate the mind and body and prepare them for sleep.
Discontinue the habit of taking alcohol or any such sedation inducing drugs and look for nutrients that have amino acids such as L theanine, 5 HTP, GABA and taurine. You could try out herbs such as lemon balm, chamomile, valerian root and even passion flower to get these amino acids. Ingesting the right amount of magnesium and calcium before bedtime has also proved to be useful. Those over the age of fifty can try out dosages of melatonin as well since the natural production of this sleep hormone tends to decrease with age. That is also one of the primary reasons as to why elderly people do not get adequate sleep at night or take long to go to sleep.
Misconception #8 - Depending on the television to get sleep
This is yet another habit that we tend to develop since it is very convenient to doze off while watching TV either in the living or in the bed room. Unfortunately, such sleep is often disturbed and when you wake up after some time, it is not possible to get the same quality of sleep later on at night. This habit again sets off a bad precedent night after night and leads to sleep deficit. Many patients who have developed insomnia have reported that they used to just doze off watching television and used to get up after some time only to find that their sleep had vanished and they had to spend the night waiting in anticipation.
Solution: The TV has no place in the bedroom.
Ensure you move the TV out of the bedroom and use your room to sleep and relax.
Misconception #9 - Just lolling in bed and waiting for sleep
If you are unable to get sleep within the first half an hour, then it is likely that you will not get sleep for the next one hour or sometimes even longer than that. It is a case of missing the “sleep wave” or “sleep gate” that engulfs normal human beings and thrown open as soon as they lie down. Studies have shown that since the brain experiences many sleep cycles every night with each of them lasting between one and a half hours to a couple of hours, the “sleep gate” is thrown open and if you can make use of it at that time, you fall asleep. If you happen to miss it, you will have to wait for the next cycle or the next time the “sleep gate” is opened.
Solution: Do not miss the “sleep wave”.
You need to get out of the bed and try yoga, meditation or read a book if you have missed the first “sleep gate”. There is no point just lying on the bed hoping for sleep to overcome you as the longer you stay on the bed and wait frustratingly for sleep, the more irritated you are likely to become and that is not going to help you get sleep quickly enough. You would have observed at times that despite being extremely tired, you cannot get sleep since you would have missed the first “sleep cycle” when you should have hit the sack and since you did not do it at that time; you have to wait patiently for the next one despite your tiredness.
Misconception #10 – Worrying about sleep continuously
It is a fact that when your mind is constantly occupied with a problem and you cannot get an immediate solution, the problem seems to only get worse. Insomnia is something similar and you can get into the vicious spiral of just thinking about how to overcome this issue and end up worrying much more. So it is necessary not to get obsessed with the insomnia problem you are facing.
Solution: Be your self and learn to relax.
It is better if you can utilise the time you are worrying to actually practise meditation and other breathing techniques that will help you relax and become more composed. You can pay more attention to the kind of food you are eating and try to regulate your habits such that they help you unwind and eventually enable you to be free of insomnia.
In summary...
People who have been heavy snorers and suffering from insomnia can at least rule out the possibility of them suffering from insomnia due to sleep apnea. This condition affects more than a dozen million Americans with several of them yet to be diagnosed.
This is a condition when due to the relaxation of the throat tissues at the rear, the airways enabling breathing become blocked, which in turn leads to the brain sending out alarm signals and the person concerned wakes up. Moreover, since the patient generally wakes up in panic, hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol get released. This definitely leads to sleep disturbance and deprivation and has other fall outs like hypertension, increase in blood sugar levels and can also lead to stroke.
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