Back to the ability I was developing, my level of awareness at night, had started increasing as any sound doesn't elude me. A door jammed or the sound of insects especially that of cricket can keep me awake all night.
Though I enjoyed my new ability for a while but I started feeling its side effects as the issue of day time sleepiness has really been disturbing and my performance at work has seriously gone beyond average.
I thought to myself, this is just for the main time, probably I did some activities which had triggered such an occurrence. But these symptoms are now becoming persistent, so I knew something isn't right and did some research on it. Then I realized I had no super power but was suffering from a sleeping disorder known as insomnia.
Though there are different types of sleep disorder but i will be focusing on insonmia only. On this post, I would like to share with you some of the causes, types, effects and ways in which one can overcome this sleep wahala (troubles).
Insomnia Image source: Wikimedia under CC BY-SA 3.0
The word Insomnia is derived from a Latin word insomnis meaning sleepless. It is a commonly known sleeping disorder experienced by humans which can either occur as having difficult in closing one's eye to sleep or staying asleep if eventually one closes the eyes. Almost everyone has had an encounter with insomnia without being aware of it, but only when it keeps persisting, that is when it becomes obvious. I am sure you all are aware that sleep is among one of the major activities the body engage in.
Have you ever asked yourself why do you always feel refreshed in the morning when you wake up or have you ever heard from someone saying the best time to assimilate is when you wake up?
The answer to these questions is sleep
Sleep is a process that helps to restore and regenerate the body systems likewise the state of the mind. It helps the body systems and organs to undergo sufficient rest time and repair themself by slowing the blood pressure, heart rates and brain waves.
According to national sleep foundation, the average least hours of sleep recommended for any person from the age 6 and above is 7-9 hours, so if the duration of ones sleeping period fall below this range, one is suffering from insomnia. To learn more about what happens within the body if we dont sleep, read this post by @akiripromise
Does insomnia affects the state of mind?
Yes it does. Sleeplessness can induces psychological conditions like confusion, frustration, depression or anxiety. Spending too much lonely times makes one to ruminate over mistakes or failures of the past which usually has a negative effect on the state of mine as one tends to get stuck in past thought refusing to see the brighter side.
Health experts were able to establish the link between a quality sleep and improved mental health. This was discovered in a study comparing the normal sleepers with those suffering from insomnia using an MRI (Magnetic Resonant Imaging) machine to determine the effect of insomnia on the brain. Result of the study has shown that the people suffering from the disorder have a weak connections within the thalamus (the part of the brain responsible for sleep). Although these experts were unable to detect if the weakened connection within the thalamus is the cause of the sleeplessness or the sleeplessness causes the weak connection, however it was establish that the level of weakened connection determines the duration of the insomnia.
Based on the duration and their cause, this disorder can be classified into two groups namely; acute insomnia and chronic insomnia.
Acute insomnia is a short-term insomnia that usually lasts for days. What causes this type of disorder are not medically related but as a result of change in daily activities or life circumstances such as receiving a bad news about the demise of ones beloved.
Chronic insomnia can last for few weeks or months. Its causes ranges from medical conditions like asthma, unheathy eating and sleeping habit, frequent taking of substances like alcohol, caffiene and many more.
What are the signs
- Day time sleepiness
- Inability to stay asleep at night
- Waking up very early in the morning
- General tiredness after a night rest
- Inability to concentrate in school or at work
Causes
Before the cure or treatment for any ailments can be produced or known, its cause must first be identified and understood. As understanding its underlying cause can help resolve the ailment. Major causes of insomnia can be grouped into four sections namely; medical cause, psychiatric cause, lifestyle and poor food intake.
Medical causes
The use of some certain medications or having health issues can trigger insomnia. Health problem like nasal and cold allergies, severe back pain, asthma produces discomfort that can cause sleeplessness and also taking the medication used for curing them can sometimes add to the pain. I remembered there was a time I had ear problem, i was unable to sleep through out the night because of the pains.Psychistric cause
Psychiatric conditions like depression or anxiety can lead to insomnia. Anxiety affect adults majorly as with this stage in life comes a lot of responsibility. They tend to become worry and of course fearful of the possible future outcome. Did i just said "they"? I meant "we" as nearly everyone will reach this stage in life. Responsibility can keep us up all night and if not properly dealt with, it can also lead to depression (being unable to visualize a happy future) which adds more to the sleeplessness.Lifestyle
Our style of living can cause insomnia as a sudden change in the pattern can affect the body clock (this regulates the timing periods of sleepiness and wakefulness). Let say for instance, a shift worker works day time for like 3 weeks, had his work period changed to night time. Working at this irregular hour can confuse his body clock. Also lack of exercises, use of electronic devices like mobile phone or laptop in bed or travelling between countries with different time zone (jet lag) can contribute greatly to sleeplessness.Poor food intake
Consumption of heavy or spiced meal before bed time can cause discomfort (indigestion or hearburn) that can disrupt one's sleep. Also taking substances like caffeine, coffee or alcohol can be of good benefits to the body but when consumed in excess or at the inappropriate time can cause sleeplessness.
How it affects us
- Medical problems: The risk of having medical problems increases as not sleeping denies the body of proper regeneration and rest. Some of these medical problems includes stroke, heart diseases, high blood pressure, weak immune system, diabetes and so many more.
- Accidents: Daytime sleepiness which is one of the symptoms of insomnia can cause accidents when operating machineries or driving a vehicle.
- Insomnia can reduces one's productivity for the day as suffering from this disorder can cause one to get confused, frustrated or depressed as a result of not feeling well-rested after the night.
- Several studies like the one here have shown that the effect of persistent insomnia on the body system increases the rate of mortality and in short, shorten one's life expectancy.
How to beat insomnia
As I have said earlier, understanding the cause of any disorder or ailment will make treatment easily. Treatment starts with taking care of or avoiding the immediate cause, be it either medical related or unhealthy behaviour adapted. Listed below are some of the good sleeping habits that can help to promote a quality sleep and prevent insomnia.
Cultivate a good sleeping habit by sleeping and waking up exactly the same time everyday.
Endeavour to make research on any medication you are taking as this could contribute to insomnia.
Avoid or limit napping during the day as this can affect a good night sleep.
Avoid the use of substances like alcohol, caffeine, coffee or codeine especially before going to bed.
A quality exercising time can improve the one's sleeping duration.
Eliminate the use of mobile phones or laptops when in bed as the devices increases one's alertness and prevent sleep.
Avoid taking heavy or spiced meal before going to bed
Factors like temperature, light or noise must be controlled or kept to a required standard to ensure a conducive environment for sleeping.
Try some relaxation therapies or stress reduction methods like meditation or massage before going to bed as this helps to relax the body and mind.
To wrap it up, if none of the sleeping habit stated above has no positive effect on your sleeplessness, consult your doctor. I need not consult any doctor because I realize that some of my activities contributes to my sleeplessness or should I say my abilities "smiles". I am used to operate my phone for hours on bed when am suppose to sleep and also I do consume heavy meals like bread and beans at night which I shouldn't. Now am free from insomnia.
If you are experiencing sleeplessness, you need to go through this article one more time as the things you will be needing to overcome this inconvenient and lonely state is in it.
Thank you for reading
REFERENCES
Incredible things your body does when you are asleep
Effect of insomnia on the body
Symptoms and causes of insomnia
Effect of insomnia on the brain
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