^{Photo by Ivan Oboleninov}

Nothing’s more upsetting than not having a good night’s rest, especially when someone’s been through a long day. When you can’t sleep, a lot of things can happen. Let’s find out what goes on inside an insomniac’s head. 

‘Sleep is for the weak,’ or so they say. In reality, having no sleep at all makes one at their weakest. It is the only time the body repairs itself and replenishes all the energy depleted throughout the day. You might have remembered your parents insisting on bedtime and naps and you not wanting to as a kid.

And now that you’re grown, you look back and laugh at the thought of sleep as punishment. And now, you barely have any as an adult. In this situation, we cannot take insomnia lightly. It’s, in fact, a sleep disorder that makes a person struggle with falling or staying asleep. The body clock is severely disrupted, and the primary functions are negatively altered due to insufficient rest.

Sleep disorders are detrimental to our health, so we need to find ways to combat them. If you have insomnia caused by life stressors, identifying the specific causes can help. And once you successfully pinpoint the root cause of insomnia, it’s time for you to adjust your lifestyle to cope. Sleep has become a luxury nowadays, and people are doing what they can to make ends meet, even if it means sacrificing their bodies’ much-needed sleep.

The problem with an insomniac

A person who experiences insomnia starts with the chronic struggle of sleeping, even with the optimal conditions for rest. Anyone with the best room temperature, mattress, pillow, and ambient lighting can still be vulnerable to insomnia due to the life stressors that allow the sleep disorder to manifest.

And to make things worse, insomnia can still make people sleepy during the day. Other symptoms include excessive fatigue, irritability, and impaired standard bodily functions. Your body heavily relies on sleep to recover from the tiredness of everyday life. Sadly, many adults have insomnia, resulting in fragmented sleep patterns.

You can get a better glimpse of what an insomniac is like through the book Insomnia by Hawn. The author Jack Hawn tells the story of a man caught up in his mind in disarray. He treks down memory lane, scurrying through every nook and cranny to find answers to his bugging questions.

Factors that determine insomnia

A person who can’t sleep experiences many factors. They all build up, eventually destroying the body and leading to dire consequences. It often leads to behavioral pattern changes that affect your body and others.

Here are some of the factors that might help you understand:

Stress and anxiety

Constant worry impacts the way your mind works. It’s often shown by how your mind is active whenever you feel anxious at night. Because of that, you struggle with sleeping for the rest of the time. Stress and anxiety are also caused by traumatic events such as death, separation, betrayal, or loss.

Depression

Insomnia is often associated with depression. The chemical imbalance in the brain alters your sleep patterns significantly. You end up weary due to the weight of your thoughts and fears. Depression is just one of the long list of disorders resulting from insomnia.

Stimulant intake

A cup of coffee is always good to give you an energy boost for the day. However, when overused, it overrides your body’s need to sleep at suitable hours. Drinking coffee in excess worsens sleep deprivation and makes you groggy the next day. And continuing this lifestyle will cause a recurring cycle of insomnia, especially when you consume caffeine during the day.

Important habits to practice for better sleep

When your body is suffering from the effects of not having enough rest, it calls for a significant lifestyle change. And because you can’t sleep, you don’t feel the energy flowing in your body. As a result, you feel restless, irritable, and weak.

It’s time for you to change that. You deserve to live a healthy life and not be bound to various stressors.

• Avoid daytime naps.
• Forgo the idea of drinking caffeine after noon.
• Sleep at the same time nightly.
• Do not adjust the time you sleep and wake up.
• Prepare for bedtime by relaxing activities (reading, bathing, etc.).
• Don’t eat heavy meals before sleeping.
• Put your phones/tablets down when it’s time to sleep.
• Include regular exercise, but don’t do it before bedtime.
• Reduce your alcohol intake.

Remember these well and ensure you always get the right amount of sleep. Your body is an asset only you can take care of, and you must do what you can to maintain good health for a long time. When you can’t sleep, you won’t be able to perform well in terms of daily activities. Plus, you won’t be in your best mood, so you need to reflect on your sleeping habits and make changes accordingly.