Beating insomnia: causes, symptoms and treatment
Insomnia is a problem for a great many people. The causes run from everyday stress all the way to chronic health conditions. There are treatments that clear it up or at least take the edge off, but it helps to understand that beating insomnia is not a one-week job. It takes new habits, a comfortable bed and fresh pillows, some work on your anxiety levels, and a bit of order in your head.
What causes insomnia and how to spot it
Sleep is a basic human need. Cut it short, or go without it, and health problems follow. The causes of insomnia include:
- background anxiety;
- constant stress;
- outside noise;
- bright light;
- constant vibration;
- working night shifts;
- frequent time zone changes;
- use of psychoactive substances;
- pregnancy;
- psychosomatic factors.
It is worth visiting a mattress store and picking up new bedding suited to what your body actually needs.
Insomnia is officially classed as a disorder, which means it gets treated as one. Age-related changes cause sleep trouble too, incidentally. They feed into dementia, Parkinson's disease and neurological conditions, which make it hard to sleep a normal night, so people end up dropping off closer to morning. Here it helps to buy a mattress and take the medication that keeps the underlying condition in check.
Symptoms of insomnia
Light, shallow sleep is one of the main symptoms. On the face of it you are resting, but you wake up exhausted, irritable and with a headache.
The recognised signs of insomnia include:
- daytime drowsiness;
- poor concentration;
- memory problems;
- heavy fatigue;
- not sleeping long enough;
- waking at the smallest disturbance;
- anxiety;
- nervousness.
If you are dealing with insomnia, orthopaedic mattresses are worth using. They let the body let go, and in comfortable conditions your odds of falling asleep quickly go up several times over.
How do you fall asleep fast?
Most ways of fighting insomnia come down to simple reflexes. Get rid of the phone, the laptop and anything else keeping you awake. Air the room out before you climb into bed, and leave a glass of water or herbal tea within reach. If the air feels dry, switch on a humidifier.
Reading helps as well. The key is to keep it light, nothing that gets you thinking, and drowsiness usually turns up within five to ten minutes.