Insomnia is a sleep disorder that makes it difficult for a person to fall or stay asleep.

The condition can be either short-term (acute) or long-term ( chronic).

Acute insomnia can be one or two nights within a period of three weeks. Chronic insomnia can show up three nights within a period of three months.

Insomnia is divided into two types; primary and secondary.

Primary insomnia is when your inability to sleep isn’t linked to any other health conditions while secondary means it’s caused by other health conditions like arthritis, heartburn, migraines, asthma, depression, cancer or substance ( drugs, alcohol) abuse.

They’re several ways to combat insomnia including behavioural and lifestyle changes. Here are some tips that can help.

Eliminate bedtime activities

If you’re the type to take work to bed then that needs to go. Keep the bed for strictly for having s*x and sleeping.  Don’t listen to the radio before you sleep and turn off all screens; cell phones, tablets, TVs, and other gadgets. They can impede the production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, disrupting the circadian rhythms and also increasing alertness.

Stick to a wakeup time pattern

Another way to stop incessant waking up during nighttime is to wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This way, your body is trained to wake up at the same time each day.

Limit alcohol and caffeine intake

Caffeine can cause nervousness, restlessness and inability; effects which can last 24hrs in the body. It may also cause frequent awakenings during the night, the same with alcohol. While alcohol may knock you out after consumption, it can cause nausea, and inability to sleep through the night. If you already suffer from insomnia, it would greatly benefit you to cut out alcohol and caffeine.

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Limit naps

Taking naps can impact your quality of sleep at night especially if you already suffer from insomnia. Limit your nap time to only 30 minutes per day if you’ve to and also, do not take naps when it’s past 3 pm.

Avoid eating before sleep

Having meals before bed can keep your digestive system working and prevent you from sleeping off. A light snack is fine but heavy meals should be taken at least three hours before bedtime. Also, avoid drinking lots of water before bed so you don’t have to wake up frequently to urinate.

Invest in your sleep area

Make your bedroom and bed as comfortable as possible. Invest in sweet scents, diffusers or incense if that’s your thing. Fill the room with warm, plush colours and fit in soft light. Also, the temperature should be regulated and cool so much that when you step into the room, the only thing you should be thinking of is sleep.

Empty your mind before bed

Before you get to bed, you must be done with worrying about the things you normally worry about. If you normally stay up thinking about these things then you may want to schedule another time for them, maybe during dinner or when taking a bath. You can also tick some actionable points off in your head so that when you lay down to sleep, you’d take comfort in the fact that you’ve solved some of it. The goal is not to carry these thoughts to bed because they’ll keep you up.

Try cognitive therapy

Cognitive therapy, a type of psychotherapy helps a person identify and eliminate the negative thoughts, emotions and other elements that keep them up at night. It is one of the first treatments for insomnia and almost twice as effective as pills.

This therapy also gives proper information about sleep norms, age-related sleep changes, and helps you set up reasonable sleep goals.

 

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