Difficulty sleeping can affect anyone. This problem is due to several factors, such as psychological disorders and especially bad habits.
A bad diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress and anxiety , for example, are some of the causes of sleep problems, such as simple difficulty or even insomnia.
Sleeping well makes a lot of difference, as it is during this time that the human body performs fundamental functions for well-being.
A bad night ‘s sleep is not pleasant at all, is it? The next day, tiredness, lack of productivity and a bad mood are common.
This is because sleep is essential not only for health, but also for our day-to-day survival.
Adults should sleep between seven and nine hours a night. When trouble sleeping persists for several days, weeks or months, you may be suffering from insomnia.
Therefore, in this article we will explain the causes of insomnia and difficulty sleeping and some alternatives to solve these conditions.
So, follow the text and have a good reading!
What is Insomnia?
Categorized as a sleep disorder, insomnia can occasionally arise or become frequent, impairing people’s sleep quality and health.
It interferes with sleep patterns in three ways:
- causes difficulty falling asleep. It may take more than an hour for the insomniac to fall asleep after lying down;
- it makes it difficult to stay asleep throughout the night, causing the insomniac to wake up several times and not be able to fall asleep again;
- causes the insomniac to wake up many hours before the desired time and not be able to sleep.
When day breaks, the person is still tired and tends to be lethargic for the remainder of the day.
She can also become more irritable and impatient, especially when interacting with other people.
This disorder is mainly associated with periods of stress. When we are too preoccupied with a situation in our lives, such as a presentation or job interview, or emotionally overwhelmed, our ability to sleep well declines.
In severe cases, sleep disorders manifest about three times a week over several weeks, characterizing acute insomnia.
Difficulty getting a good night’s sleep begins to cause insomnia problems at work, school, and relationships. To try to feel better, they may also resort to unhealthy methods of causing sleep or tiredness.
Can every difficulty sleeping be considered insomnia?
The most straightforward answer is: not necessarily.
Difficulty sleeping does not always mean that it is insomnia, as it is common for people who usually have good sleep to experience occasional situations of difficulty, for various reasons.
In the following topic, we will explain more clearly the main causes of insomnia, which are also part of the specific difficulty of sleeping.
In any case, smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, high use of screens and worry are some examples.
The big difference between a simple difficulty sleeping and insomnia is that the second is a sleep disorder that needs a medical diagnosis.
Insomnia is shown as a great difficulty, which is permanent, both to fall asleep and to maintain a good sleep.
It is common for individuals with insomnia who, when and if they can sleep, end up waking up earlier than planned.
There are people who also have only one of the types of insomnia, that is, either just insomnia that manifests itself as difficulty falling asleep (sleep onset insomnia), or that manifests itself in difficulty staying asleep and waking up later. (sleep maintenance insomnia).
The difficulty of sleeping becomes insomnia when it is continuous, to the point of becoming truly worrying.
What often causes insomnia and difficulty sleeping
The most common causes are emotional. Anxiety, depression and stress can easily interfere with the quality of your sleep.
The problem, in these cases, is that sleep deprivation accentuates anxious and depressive symptoms, as well as intensifies stress. Then the situation snowballs.
Other factors can also disturb your sleep routine, such as the use of specific medications, bad habits (such as eating heavy food hours before bed), drinking too much coffee, smoking and drinking excessively, and not sleeping at a regular time.
A very negative habit that is becoming more and more common, especially among children and adolescents, is watching TV or using the cell phone until a few minutes before going to bed or when you are already in bed.
Many got used to falling asleep listening to music, watching videos or surfing social networks.
While you may be able to sleep while doing this, the quality of your sleep is unlikely to be good. The next morning, you may wake up and feel like your morning was too short.
These devices emit bluish light, which decreases the amount of melatonin, the sleep hormone. It helps us sleep peacefully.
As it is only produced at dusk and when the room is dark, electronic lights reduce its production and positive effects.
A similar problem occurs with professionals who work shifts and need to sleep during the day.
As they fall asleep when it is still light, the quality of sleep ends up being altered. Using blackout curtains on the windows is a solution to darken the room.
Additionally, hormonal changes, such as those that occur at menopause, are common causes of insomnia for women.
It is worth remembering that people with heart or lung diseases, as well as with diseases or problems that cause pain and bodily discomfort, may also have difficulty sleeping.
How important is it to sleep well?
Sleeping the required hours for your age group promotes the proper functioning of the body. Cognitive functions such as attention and memory improve after a long rest, as well as willingness to complete tasks and mood.
When you sleep more than necessary, large amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone , are discharged into the body at once. Its excess results in discouragement, indisposition and bad temper.
This discharge happens gradually when we sleep and we always wake up at the right times. In this way, the feeling during the day is of well-being.
Sleep deprivation brings other health damage. Memory, concentration and learning ability suffer considerable damage, affecting professional performance.
Mood swings are more frequent and the immune system is weakened, making people more vulnerable to illness and infection.
Not getting enough sleep also increases your risk of developing depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and other health conditions.
Therefore, sleeping well is essential for you to make the most of your day, be at the peak of productivity, face everyday events with good humor and take care of your mental and physical health.
When the difficulty of sleeping a full night becomes a recurring problem, look for a doctor and psychologist to investigate the causes of the sleep disorder. Do not let the situation persist to prevent it from getting worse.
