After suffering from insomnia for years, I recently did
some Googling and read articles and books on the subject,
improving my understanding and knowledge of how to tackle
the problem.
In my own case it generally lasts from a few nights to a
few weeks - Transient (a few days) or Short Term (up to
about three weeks) and is Primary Insomnia (no underlying
medical cause, versus Secondary which does have an
underlying medical cause). Mine seems to be caused either
by some temporary worry or by my behavior including my
sleep environment as well as stimulants, medication and
actual behavior such as late nights.
30-40% of people report insomnia each year; 10-15% of
people reporting insomnia say they have chronic insomnia
(i.e. lasting more than three week or a month).
Statistics about Insomnia causes: 50% Psychological, 40%
Behavioral: sleep environment (30%) stimulants or
medication (10%), 10% Physical (pain, illness etc.) So my
own case is not at all unusual, which is reassuring!
One factor which affected me was my mistaken belief that I
needed to get seven or eight hours of sleep each night, and
if I missed some then I should try and make it up the next
night! The amount of sleep needed by people varies: Babies
need about 17 hours sleep a day, a child nine to ten hours
per night, and an adult seven to eight hours each night,
though that typically decreases as you get older.
Many adults are happy with five or six hours, or even less.
I have discovered that I can manage well on about five
hours of sleep a night.
If you don't need much sleep then get up early - spending
too long in bed can help trigger insomnia. People can also
mistake the amount of sleep they are actually getting,
because they tend to remember waking up as a longer period
than it actually was. Getting up earlier can cause you to
sleep better while you are in bed.
After failing to sleep for a few nights, I became anxious
that I wouldn't sleep - This is called Fear or Anxiety
Insomnia. A major step towards anxiety insomnia treatment
can be to accept that you can cope with its effects, thus
reducing the fear of not sleeping.
I eventually accepted that I might not sleep and could cope
with the tiredness and poor concentration, so I stopped
worrying
The sleep environment should be a quiet, dark bedroom with
the right temperature etc. - so I fitted a roller blind to
my bedroom window!
For sleep conditioning I began to follow a routine, going
to bed and getting up at the same time. I still find that
going to bed early (before midnight) is not productive, but
I do get up earlier than I used to.
I also improved my sleep discipline (using your bed only
for sleeping and sex) - but still usually read for a few
minutes before turning off the light, which seems to work
for me.
I have previously had a problem with drinking too much
coffee, so I usually drink decaffeinated coffee now except
on special occasions and this has helped. I do drink
socially, which usually includes late night drinking, so I
now try and stay up for a while after getting home and
before going to bed, and this also helps with reducing the
instance of acid stomach, which used to wake me up anyway!
I have also cut down on spicy food, though it's still a
temptation after a few drinks!
I have found that writing down any ideas going around in
your head usually helps to relax my mind - and they are
there for the next morning if I need them!
Regular physical exercise helps control stress physically
and psychologically by breaking up the day after work to
distance you from work problems. The best time for exercise
to aid sleep is the early evening. I took up kickboxing
twice a week, with an additional exercise session between,
which all occur in the evening, and this also seems to help
with getting to sleep.
Remember that the results of behavioral therapy may take
effect slowly but are long term - the creation of good
habits which make you less prone to insomnia. They are
slower than chemical solutions, but healthier, less
dangerous and a lot cheaper!
----------------------------------------------------
Andrew Jones is an insomnia sufferer who has assembled
information on the disorder and behavioral treatments.
Check the insomnia category on his blog at:
http://www.andrew-p-jones.com
or his eBook at http://www.SimplyInsomnia.com
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