Everyone, at some point or another, has difficulty sleeping. Usually this is for psychological reasons. Even though the body is tired, the mind becomes overloaded and refuses to "turn off" for the night. Having difficult sleeping is never a fun experience. There is nothing quite as frustrating as tossing and turning for hours on end only to fall asleep a couple of hours before the morning alarm sounds, or not falling asleep and then having to go through another entire day.
Typically people who have difficulty sleeping are said to suffer from insomnia. Insomnia has two types. The first type of insomnia is called primary insomnia and it is its own disorder. Sometimes primary insomnia can last for an entire month (or even longer in extreme cases). Primary insomnia is usually caused by a long period of stress or emotional upset. Sometimes it can also be caused by outside forces disrupting the regular sleeping routine. The second type is known as secondary insomnia. This is far more common than primary insomnia. The reason it is called secondary insomnia is because the insomnia is actually just a symptom of another problem. Sometimes problems that cause secondary insomnia can include illness, anxiety, depression, problems with medication (a lot of popular medications cause sleeplessness as a side effect), the consumption of too much caffeine or other sleep affecting substances or another sleeping disorder like restless leg syndrome.
If you are having difficulty sleeping, you can attempt to remedy the situation by trying the following suggestions:
Avoid any sort of stimulant substance (caffeine, tobacco, etc) before bed. Some of these have effects that can last as long as eight hours, so if you are having trouble sleeping, you need to avoid them as much as possible.
Try to avoid any medicine that lists sleeplessness or difficulty sleeping as a side effect (some antihistamines and cold medicines actually act as stimulants so always make sure to read the fine print).
Stay away from alcohol. Sometimes having a small drink before bed can relax you enough to induce sleep, but that sleep is what is known as a "lighter" sleep and is more easily disturbed than the sleep you need to get.
Stay away from heavy meals too close to "bedtime." The energy you need to digest a heavy meal might keep you up-or your stomach might get upset which will keep you from sleeping.
Nobody likes it when they have difficulty sleeping. Often having difficulty sleeping causes more stress than whatever it is that is keeping you awake. Try to relax. The more stressed out you get about not sleeping, the less likely you are to get any sleep at all. There are a number of remedies you can try to help you if you have difficulty sleeping. The methods mentioned in this article are just some of the basics. A simple web search will yield many more. There are ways to treat it and get the rest that your body needs.
Difficulty Sleeping Tip #1
Caffeine is only your friend during the morning hours. Even though you might not think that caffeine affects you very much, it does play a big part in your body's ability to settle down and rest at the end of the day. If you must have coffee, switch to decaf after lunch. Caffeine can affect your body for up to eight hours. The longer it has to leave your system the less likely it is to affect your sleeping habits. |
Difficulty Sleeping Tip #2
Exercise will not wear you out; it will actually pump you up. Exercise actually gives people energy. While you might feel tired immediately after a workout, your body will not sleep well if you try to do your workout right before bed. It is also bad for your body as a rule to go from lots of motion to staying still. This is why there are warm ups and cool downs before and after exercise workouts. |
Difficulty Sleeping Tip #3
While many of us may fall asleep while watching television, if you are having sleeping problems, you want to give yourself at least an hour before going to bed that is television free. Television is a stimulant for your brain (even if the material is not particularly scholarly in content). Watching it right before bed keeps you awake and it takes a while for your brain to wind down after you turn the television off. |
