Insomnia can be caused by both medical and non-medical conditions. The condition makes it hard for the victim to get quality sleep and may have an impact on their health. The most common causes are worries and stress, poor sleeping patterns, and overdrinking.
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Why You Can't Sleep: 5 Reasons You Never Thought of
The human body needs to lay at rest for at least six hours a day. When you do this consistently, it improves your mental health and gets the body energized for the next day’s activities. Unfortunately, not everyone will get enough sleep to allow the body to rest. Activities such as watching TV, using your best tea kettle to make a cup of coffee in the middle of the night, and drinking alcohol may make it difficult for you to get quality sleep.
Some people struggle to fall asleep while others will fall asleep easily. If you’re in the category that can’t catch sleep easily when you go to sleep, you could be having some form of insomnia. Thus, at this point, we need to explain the question: what is insomnia?
Insomnia refers to the inability to fall asleep because of a variety of reasons. There are many types of insomnia. They range from pregnancy insomnia to Covid insomnia. Each type of insomnia has a cause.
Here are 5 reasons you may never imagine that cause insomnia.
1. Worry and Stress
This is a common cause of non-medical insomnia. When your mind gets filled with stress and worries, it becomes difficult for one to fall asleep when you go to bed. Also, stress caused by activities of life can distract you when you go to bed. It makes the mind roam about and focus on the negatives of life. It makes it difficult for one to get quality sleep. To sort out this problem, there are some things you can do which can help you learn how to cure insomnia. They include engaging in meditation during the day.
If it is caused by worries, get out of bed and go and spend some minutes in a dark room to break the cycle of worries. You can return to your bed once you calm down.
Write down some of the things you are grateful for and those that worry you before you go to bed.
2. Exercising Before You Go To Bed
Engaging in heart-pumping activities such as cardio before you go to bed may stimulate the nervous system and the body. It makes it difficult for you to sleep when you go to bed. Aside, it makes it difficult for the heart rate and the temperature to drop so that you can sleep comfortably. Rigorous exercises will make it difficult for the body to snooze and fall asleep. Thus the best time to exercise or hit the gym is in the morning or at lunch hour.
3. Irregular Bedtime Routine
The human body follows its clock referred to as circadian rhythm. The system follows a day and night pattern that it is accustomed to. So, having a sleep routine makes the body adjust. It should be possible for the body to adjust to going to sleep and when to wake up. You should try to be as consistent as possible. But if your system does not permit consistency, try to go through similar steps each night before you retire to bed.
Note that the body’s internal check will follow a scheduled pattern. So any activity that makes it get misaligned such as working in a shift or jet lag is likely to disturb the sleep schedule and result in insomnia.
4. Checking the Mobile Devices
Some people have a habit of checking their phone to catch up with social media before they go to sleep. This may result in serious problems that may keep them awake for longer hours. Typically, mobile devices emit light that makes the brain work more vigorously. It disrupts the circadian rhythm and makes it difficult for you to sleep when you finally retire to bed. The rule of thumb is that if you must check the phone at night, do it 30 minutes before going to bed. It gives the mind an opportunity to calm down as you prepare to get some rest.
5. Taking Alcohol Before Bedtime
Taking a single glass of wine could help you become romantic. Satiating romance is a prelude to sleep. However, some people misinterpret this and engage in excessive drinking before bedtime. It makes the nerves extremely sensitive and is likely to impair your sleep. Also, alcohol may interfere with your REM sleep and your ability to dream. It results in fragmented rest and lowers the quality of sleep.
Conclusion
Of course, there are many other reasons that may inhibit sleep and make you exhibit insomnia symptoms.
Feel free to leave your comments or make additions that could help the reader get quality sleep.
Written by Alisa Weaver
About the Author
Hey everyone, it’s Coach Alisa Weaver. Teaching and coaching is my passion and career choice. I find great satisfaction to see others achieve their goals, whether it is recovery from injury or surgery, strengthening the body for competition, or just becoming fit.
I think that anyone can improve their fitness level no matter what their physical condition may be. By pushing yourself, discipline, not giving up together, we can make your goals happen.
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