Habits to Combat Insomnia

What is insomnia?

Authorities say it is a person’s difficulty sleeping or a disorder characterized by continuing difficulty to fall asleep or to stay asleep. It is common among older persons or the elderly but can also occur at any age of an individual. Insomnia can be either short term that can last three weeks, or long term that lasts more than four weeks. Persons with long term insomnia stand to have memory problems, depression, irritability or an increased risk of a heart disease. The common patterns of insomnia that are encountered by some people are sleep-onset insomnia, nocturnal awakenings, middle-of-the-night insomnia, and terminal insomnia. The sleep-onset insomnia makes it difficult for a person to fall asleep in the early hours of the night usually because of anxiety disorder. You have this nocturnal awakenings insomnia if you find it hard to return to sleep once you have awakened in the middle of the night. Middle-of-the-night insomnia and terminal insomnia have symptoms of pain disorder or clinical depression, respectively. They can be classified as transient if they last for only about a week, acute if they have duration of one month, and chronic if the symptoms continue for more than a month.

The causes of insomnia vary according to its classifications. Transient insomnia may be caused by jet lag, changes in shift work, unpleasant or excessive noise, uncomfortable temperature, and stressful situations like loss of a loved one and unemployment, among others. The presence of an acute illness may also cause transient insomnia as may the uncontrolled physical symptoms of fever, pain, breathing problems, nasal congestion, diarrhea and cough, or withdrawal from drugs, alcohol or medicinal stimulants. The causes of long term and chronic insomnias include the following: (a) Anxiety, (b) Depression, (c) Mental, emotional and situational stress, (d) Schizophrenia or psychotic disorder, (e) Chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome, (f) Congestive heart failure, (g) Chest pain, (h) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), (i) Nocturnal asthma, (j) Brain tumor and stroke, (k) Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, and (l) Disruptive periodic leg movements and loud snoring of a bed partner.

There are various ways to combat insomnia. These ways may be your own habits similar to those when you want to cure simple health problems like colds and influenza yourself. Among the most common ways to fight off insomnia is meditation, which is an effective therapy for calming one’s mind. Relaxation is another, with which one can indulge in worthwhile activities like reading good materials or listening to relaxing music. You should also make it habitual to consume meals in the right amount and proportion or take adequate exercise that can help induce sleep. Your early dinner habit, with the exclusion of oily and heavy foods will help for proper digestion and eventual sound sleep. When you prepare for sleep, see to it that your bedroom is cool, quiet and dim-lighted, and with open windows, if possible. Avoid the habit, if it is, of placing a clock that directly faces you in bed but keep your sleeping and waking times consistent. It may interest you to know that a blue lamp beside your bed and switched on as you go to sleep produces a blue light that helps induce a good sleep for you. Fore more details click here.