Insomnia is a severe sleep disorder that directly impacts your sleep cycle and causes other difficulties. According to a research survey, in the United States, 1 out of 10 people get diagnosed with Insomnia. There are lots of individuals suffering from occasional sleeplessness. And they often end up thinking they have Insomnia.
However, Insomnia is beyond occasional sleeplessness. It’s a severe condition that affects your regular sleep cycle and gradually impacts your cognitive abilities. In this article, we will discuss everything you must know about Insomnia, including symptoms, causes, and cures.
What is Insomnia?
The word Insomnia originated in Latin culture. Here, the word “In” refers to not. And “Somnus” refers to sleep. A person with Insomnia stays awake for an entire night. Despite feeling excessively sleepy and tired, they experience difficulty falling asleep. Also, they often fail to enter the stage of deep sleep (REM sleep), which impacts their sleeping satisfaction and makes them feel tired and sleepy for an entire day. Such disturbed or poor sleeping pattern often affects their ability to perform regular activities.
Insomnia Symptoms
Although insomnia symptoms often differ from person to person, some symptoms are common and persistent in most Insomnia patients. Here are some commonly diagnosed symptoms.
Trouble in sleeping
People suffering from Insomnia always struggle to fall asleep. They find it difficult to initiate uninterrupted quality sleep. They often stay awake for an entire night, which impacts their ability to perform well at their workplace and causes excessive sleepiness in the daytime.
Interrupted sleep
Awakening up numerous times throughout the night is a persistent behavior that directly impacts the regular sleep cycle and gradually leads to a disrupted sleep routine. Such an interrupted and dysfunctional sleep routine often affects a person’s cognitive abilities. They usually fail to concentrate due to such a poor sleep routine.
Daytime sleepiness
People with severe Insomnia often feel excessively sleepy during the daytime, which harms their ability to concentrate and perform regular tasks. Such daytime sleepiness usually disturbs the everyday routine and makes people unable to perform their necessary functions at the office, school, or business.
What are the causes of Insomnia?
A lot of people don’t consider Insomnia to be a severe health problem, which keeps them unaware of the root causes of Insomnia. However, you must address the root causes to treat such a severe issue. There are several root causes of Insomnia, such as
Excessive Stress
Stress is one of the permanent causes of Insomnia. Excessive stress at work and in personal life often hampers sleep cycles and leads to severe Insomnia. According to research, there is a positive statistical correlation between stress and Insomnia. More than 47% of people diagnosed with chronic stress also get diagnosed with Insomnia. Such excessive stress often activates the sympathetic nervous system and prevents the body from achieving the calmness needed to fall asleep.
Severe medical illnesses
Few medical conditions contribute to the development of some common symptoms of Insomnia, such as uninterrupted sleep. People with persistent back or joint pain often have trouble getting proper sleep. Also, chronic arthritis often causes intense muscle pain at night, interrupts sleeping, and keeps people awake for the entire night.
Bad lifestyle choices
Certain lifestyle choices often trigger severe Insomnia. Excessive caffeine consumption is a common triggering factor that keeps your nerves active throughout the night. At the same time, lack of physical activities often causes sleeping difficulties. According to mental health professionals, improvement in sleep routine requires some healthy environmental changes. Therefore, a noisy or disturbing environment is a triggering factor of Insomnia.
Medicines
Medicines with strong stimulating properties often interrupt sleep cycles and make it difficult to sleep at night. People with severe health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and liver problems require certain medicines on a daily basis. Such medicines might improve these underlying conditions, but they often interrupt their sleep routine. Consumption of such medicines for a longer time can contribute to severe Insomnia.
How to cure Insomnia?
Although battling these insomnia symptoms might feel challenging, with the proper treatments and therapies, you can aim for some improvements. Here are some effective treatments for Insomnia.
Therapy & Counseling
Specific therapeutic approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Talk therapy, group therapy and Psychotherapy can address the root causes of Insomnia. You can erase the stress factors With regular sessions of such effective therapies. These therapies have been designed to calm your brain and gradually improve your sleep quality. However, one has to remain consistent in this journey and attend all the therapy sessions. Also, some practical counseling sessions might help improve your sleep quality at the early stage of Insomnia.
Muscle Relaxation Techniques
Practicing muscle relaxation techniques like Jacobson, stretching, and breathing exercises before entering the bed can help you fall asleep faster. Such healthy practices often reduce the risk of sleep interference. Therefore, you must cultivate the habit of practicing muscle relaxation daily.
Guided Meditation
Listening to a guided meditation every night helps to improve your sleep routine. Also, offer some environmental improvements to yourself. Make sure to eliminate noises and loud lights. Try to create a peaceful ambiance by opting for dim lights, soothing music, and the right room temperature. Optimizing your environment through guided meditation can help you achieve quality sleep without further interference.
Lifestyle changes
Specific lifestyle changes produce desirable results. The most significant are reducing caffeine intake, engaging in intense workout sessions, and reducing screen time before entering the bed. Such wise lifestyle changes can effectively improve one’s sleep cycle.
Medicines
In severe stages of Insomnia, doctors often prescribe few sleeping pills. However, such sleeping pills shouldn’t be used on a long-term basis as long-term usage can trigger dependency and side effects. Also, do not ever take any random sleeping pills. Make sure to consult a doctor to achieve a speedy recovery.
Final Take
Insomnia is a common yet severe sleep problem that requires proper treatment. However, gaining more insights into Insomnia’s symptoms, causes, and cures is essential. Remember, on-time diagnosis and adequate treatment can help you to get rid of this stubborn sleep disorder. From simple lifestyle changes to completing your therapy sessions, every step counts here. With such practical treatment approaches, one can find their lost rhythm and return to their healthy sleep routine.