In addition to anxiety and mood disorders, those with sleep disorders are at risk for heart disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and obesity.
There are two main types of insomnia: chronic and acute. Chronic insomnia is a sleep disruption that occurs three or more nights in a week for three months or longer, while acute insomnia is short-lived and may occur for several nights per week for a few weeks. But what causes insomnia?
Following are some of the 10 most common causes of insomnia. Insomnia symptoms may include:
• Difficulty falling asleep at night.
• Waking up during the night.
• Waking up too early.
• Not feeling well-rested after a night’s sleep.
• Daytime tiredness or sleepiness.
• Irritability, depression or anxiety.
• Difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks or remembering.
• Increased errors or accidents.
Here are some tips for beating insomnia:
- Wake up at the same time each day.
- Eliminate alcohol and stimulants like nicotine and caffeine.
- Limit naps.
- Exercise regularly.
- Limit activities in bed.
- Do not eat or drink right before going to bed.
- Make your sleeping environment comfortable.
- Avoid binge-watching TV shows, especially before bed
Beyond these common-sense approaches, give yourself permission to not be fully versed on all current events 24/7. Watching the news once a day creates stress for the average person, watching or listening to it all day long is a recipe for sleep time disaster!
Try to avoid checking your social media every few minutes, reading multiple news sources every morning, and endlessly discussing current problems. Try meditating before getting into bed. Begin writing a gratitude journal to help calm yourself and center your thoughts before bedtime.