Insomnia
Our lives are becoming increasingly filled with stress and pressure, which in turn hampers our capacity to unwind, relax, and enjoy a restful night’s sleep. Research indicates that the typical adult sleeps for less than seven hours each night.
While averaging six to seven hours of sleep might seem satisfactory, maintaining this pattern over the long term can lead to chronic sleep deprivation, as the recommended duration is eight hours. Furthermore, women are 40% more prone to experiencing insomnia compared to men.
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, known as insomnia, can stem from a range of factors such as stress, anxiety, unhealthy sleep patterns, underlying medical issues, or specific medications.
If you’re experiencing challenges in achieving consistent and restful sleep, consider experimenting with the following strategies to enhance your sleep quality:
Establish a consistent sleep schedule: Go to bed and get up at the same time every night ensuring that you allow for 8 hours sleep.
Create a relaxing bedtime routine: Have a warm bath, listen to soothing music, read, practice meditation or breathing exercises to relax yourself and limit your exposure to all screens for a minimum of one hour before you go to bed. The blue light emitted by screens including Cell phones, Ipads, Laptops, TV’s and LED lights can interfere with your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles
Create a comfortable sleep environment: Ensure that you sleep in a quiet, dark, cool room. Invest in good quality pillows and a mattress and cut out any ambient loud noise.
Watch your diet and caffeine intake: Avoid caffeine for a least 6 hours before you go to bed and steer clear of heavy meals and alcohol just before bed as these can all disrupt sleep.
Manage stress: Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and journaling to help promote relaxation before going to bed.
Exercise: Exercise daily. The recommendation is for thirty minutes of moderate exercise a day. Avoid exercise close to bedtime because exercise acts as a stimulant and therefore effects your ability to relax and unwind.
Lack of sleep significantly impacts the smooth functioning of nearly all bodily systems, playing a crucial role in overall well-being, from body repair to memory consolidation. Sleep deprivation has wide-ranging effects on our physical and mental health, leaving us fatigued, low on energy, restless, and burdened. This exhaustion can lead to feelings of depression, stress, irritability, and anxiety, impairing our ability to focus, concentrate, and learn. Memory suffers, and the risk of accidents increases. Additionally, it induces stress, emotional strain, and alterations in performance and behaviour, even in individuals who are otherwise healthy.
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