Used to describe a state of inability to fall asleep, stay asleep or waking up early. A question that comes to mind is if I sleep around 9 pm and wake by 3 am without being able to sleep again, can I be suffering from insomnia?

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. And over the years it has caused chaos between employers and employees but of its effect on the working population. And more reason you need to know more about it.
An average person needs about 6-8hours of sleep, so that can answer your question concerning this.

Anytime you wake up, the normal thing is to be refreshed. But when you sleep and on waking up, you don’t feel refreshed. You can begin to suspect Insomnia.

Other things to look out for are;
1) difficulty falling asleep
2) waking too early
3) tiredness and feeling of sleep during the day consistently
4) depression
5) Anxiety
6) loss of concentration

Possible causes of Insomnia

1.)Poor sleeping habit
2.)Heavy food at night before going to bed
3) medications
4.) Conditions eliciting pain like cancer
5.) Smoking, alcohol
6.) Jet lag
7.) Stress

… etc.

People who suffer from insomnia are at risk of what and what???
Heart diseases like

• Congestive heart failure
• Cardiac arrest
• High blood pressure

Which might ultimately lead to stroke before death

Mental health conditions like

• Confusion
• Depression
• Anxiety(d person will be restless)
• Forgetfulness

In dealing with Insomnia

If you’ve been having a normal sleep pattern but you notice a change.

The first thing to do is to identify the changes that have happened.
Let me give an instance for common cases of insomnia

If ordinarily you don’t work into the night but you were conditioned to do so for up to 3weeks. The likely result of that is you losing ur sleep/wake cycle due to the changes.

And the above is a case of acute Insomnia.

Two types of Insomnia;
Acute and Chronic Insomnia
Which are determined by the time

Food Modification

Melatonin rich fruits like bananas, pineapples, oranges have been said to improve sleep. Remember I said runaway from heavy food right? Apart from the psychology behind it.
Melatonin is responsible for the sleep/wakefulness cycle.
Don’t be surprised, rice has melatonin too
A mood controlling substance called serotonin has a close link with melatonin. Increase serotonin production can increase melatonin.

And depressive people have reduced serotonin and that is why they also suffer from Insomnia too.

So you can see the link between insomnia and depression.

Effect of exercise on Insomnia

It has been proved that exercises increase heart rate can help deal with insomnia. Like running, swimming, cycling.
Peradventure you’ve been to the gym. After you are done for the day, you came back home, shower and slept. Please can you compare that sleep with not doing anything and sleeping?
Another question that comes to mind is; I can’t have access to the gym at home when I want to sleep, so how can I help myself?
I will advise as a health coach… The exercise that increases HR are not limited to outdoor alone.
Indoor exercises like sit up, press up, squat or even dancing can be done prior to sleep.

In all the above, you don’t need to leave your house to achieve them. By the time you are done with that, just go for bathing and hit the bed

Relaxation techniques to is another way to deal with Insomnia

Here I will be talking about the power of breathing exercises, music, etc.
By the time you go to bed and you ain’t pressing the phone or on any of your gadgets. And yet you can’t fall asleep in 20minutes.

The best is to leave your bed at that moment and go do something else. Things you like doing or even things boring to you.
Things reading books, listening to music, etc.

The aim is to concentrate your mind and take it off things bothering you.
The very good breathing exercises done is the normal breathing out and in several times. All of them are to concentrate your mind and make you relax.

And don’t delay your sleep when it shows up.

Written and compiled by Sogbesan Olawale(Waleunique)