Eliminating Insomnia Finale

Eliminating Insomnia Part 3

Managing Stress and Anxiety

Why Do We Sleep

Before we go over 'Managing Stress and Anxiety,' Let's talk about why we sleep. A failure to get the recommended eight hours of sleep can have devastating consequences. Many in the industrialized world no longer value sleep, despite the fact that sleep serves vital functions. This has created a sleep-depravation epidemic. 

Consistently failing to get at least six or seven hours of sleep can lead to a drastic weakening of your immune system. It doubles the risk of cancer, interferes with blood sugar regulation, causes blockage of coronary arteries, and contributes to anxiety and depression. Lack of enough sleep also triggers the release of the hunger hormone, thus causing you to eat more and gain weight. 

The World Health Organization now regards sleep loss as an epidemic, and in most Western nations, the preferred solution is sleeping pills. However, sleeping pills are not the best way to cause someone to fall asleep.

Lack of Sleep Can Kill You

There are two ways in which it is possible to die from lack of sleep. The first is a rare genetic disease that begins as insomnia. After a few months of struggling to fall asleep, a person stops sleeping completely. They soon lose basic body and brain functions, and since there are no drugs that can reverse the trend, the person dies within 18 months. 

The second way that insufficient sleep causes death is through drowsy driving. There is one fatality per hour in the US due to traffic accidents caused by fatigue. This is more than car accidents caused by drug and alcohol combined. 

Sleep Serves More Than One Function

Throughout the years, there has been an assumption that sleep only serves a single function, for example, conservation of energy or fulfilling of repressed desires. However, sleep has numerous benefits for every major organ in the body. Sleep optimizes your learnings capacity, memory, and emotional composure. It boosts your immunity, inspires creativity, prevents infection, controls appetite, lowers blood pressure, and strengthens your gut bacteria. 

A single night of poor sleep is worse than starvation or lack of exercise. Ultimately, sleep s the one activity that has the greatest impact on the daily health of your body and brain. 

Human beings are designed to sleep at night and also 30-60 minute nap in the afternoon. This biphasic pattern can be witnessed in cultures that still don't have electricity. Modernity has contorted this natural pattern and replaced it with a long monophasic pattern. Eliminating the afternoon nap has lead to an increase in cardiovascular disease and a shortening of the human lifespan. 

Benefits of Sleep

People are ignorant of the massive health benefits of sleep due to a failure in public education. This is why many take pride in the fact that they get on very little sleep. Yet the truth is that lack of sleep leads to brain impairment, which especially affects your memory. Walker contends that sleep is essential for all forms of learning, memorizing, and creativity. Also, one commonly ignored function of sleep is to help you forget specific memories. 

As long as you are awake, your brain is learning, and your hippocampus acts as a short-term memory reservoir. However, it has limited storage capacity, which means that you cannot add more information or you may have to overwrite old information. 

Sleep gives your brain the ability to transfer old memories from the hippocampus to the cortex, which is the long-term storage area. This transfer creates more room for learning new memories. Therefore, taking a nap before learning gives you a learning advantage over those who choose to stay awake. 

Storing information that you have just learned is one of the primary functions of sleep. When you sleep, your brain strengthens your memory by up to 40 percent, regardless of the type of information you have just learned. However, it is deep NREM not REM, which provides the greatest memory benefits. Sleep can even salvage lost memories. 

Lack of sleep can devastate your brain and body, leading to a variety of health disorders. Since every single facet of human existence imaginable depends on sleep, regular naps may help you recover to some extent. Sleep loss is so harmful that even the Guinness Book of World Records has refused to recognize any more attempts at sleep-deprivation.

Microsleep has a major impact on loss of concentration

When sleep deprived, you quickly lose brain function, with the most deadly consequence being drowsy driving. Traffic accidents occur when a driver either completely falls asleep or engages in what is known as "microsleep." This is where you close your eyes for a few seconds and lose all motor functions. This is enough time to drift into the wrong lane and cause a deadly crash. Studies show that microsleep is caused by consistently getting less than seven hours of sleep. Accidents resulting from drowsy driving "exceed those caused by alcohol and drugs combined"

You Likely Cannot Diagnose Your Own Sleep Deprivation

Most People consistently underestimate their level of sleep deprivation. When you are chronically deprived of sleep for months or years, you gradually accept the consequences as being normal. Pretty soon, you become accustomed to reduced energy levels, lowered alertness, and poor physical performance. You trick yourself into believing that this is how your life should be, yet the truth is that you are sleep deprived. 

The media constantly pushes the claim that a 20-minute power nap is enough to make up for insufficient sleep at night. However, this is inaccurate. A power nap may help you boost concentration for a few hours when tired, but it will not salvage your decision making, learning, and reasoning capacity. Once you lose sleep, you cannot reclaim it. 

People who behave irrationally usually excuse themselves by saying that they "just snapped." These episodes of emotional irrationality are caused by sleep deprivation. Infants who don't sleep well tend to scream more than is normal. 

Studies show that when you are sleep deprived, your amygdala becomes reactive and you become unable to balance both your positive and negative emotions. One minute you are ecstatic and the next you become terribly upset. Sleep deprivation also has been linked to aggression, pleasure-seeking, risk-taking, depression, and addictions. 

Sleep is the bedrock of a healthy life and should take precedence over a good diet and exercise. If you focus on your diet and exercise but ignore your sleep you will not achieve the results you desire. Sleep deprivation is so powerful that it can alter your DNA. Inadequate sleep will ruin every major physiological system in your body.

Sleeping shorter hours (fewer than 6 hours) increases your risk of cardiac failure by 45 percent. Even if the other factors such as smoking and body mass are taken into consideration, a lack of sleep is likely to increase your blood pressure, heart rate, and lead to a stroke. 

The effect of short sleep escalates as you approach midlife. Even being physically fit does not protect you. If you don't get more than 7 hours of sleep daily, your sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive, your body releases more cortisol, and your cardiovascular system gets damaged over time.

Now Let's Talk About Managing Stress And Anxiety

• List down all your appointments
• Take A Walk
• Don't Be Afraid
• Do Chores
• Meditate

To Combat insomnia, you need to alter some of your usual practices. It is important to know a way around your worries. Being a responsible adult by maintaining a job and allotting time for relationships is stressful. There is no means of avoiding it. Try as you may but you'll just tire yourself over it. What you can do, however, is to keep everything at bay. Stress and anxiety will inevitably become a part of life. The tact is to figure out a way that you could keep a handle on matters. Perhaps by taking a breather once in a while, you can sort out all your issues and hopefully be able to establish a stable ground.

After exploring and understanding insomnia, its symptoms, causes, how it is diagnosed, and other related subjects on it, you could now venture on some new learning. This time, let it be about methods on eliminating the sleep disorder from your life. As you can tell, having a disturbance can lead to more complications due to sleep deprivation. With additional woes there to occupy your mind only means you lose sleep to the point that your body can't handle it anymore.

An effective technique in battling the disorder is to incorporate a sleeping habit. During the day, avoid taking naps and be stern in imposing a schedule for yourself. If you go to bed only at say 8 every night your body will soon get used to it. Eventually, drowsiness will visit you at the same time on a regular basis. This method works alright but it can be challenging. You need to be dedicated. With tons of inviting stuff there is, it may be tempting to break off your progress. Keep in mind that the new sleep pattern must be made a part of a nightly routine. You're supposed to follow through until you get results. Just remind yourself next time and time again of the goal. 

Acupuncture, an alternative treatment practice, is another method of eliminating sleep disturbance from your life. Usually, the main tools are sets of needles that are inserted into regions of the body. Through this method, health is believed to improve. It's a big question mark as to how. It just makes it happen. There have been countless testimonials that can be found on the internet authored by people all over the world to back up the claim. 

The Chinese were the ones who introduced acupuncture. They are proud of it because it promotes total wellness in individuals and in a way, teaches them to relax. In some cases, the oriental technique terrifies the living daylights out of people. According to them, because there exist other methods of getting rid of the sleeping disorder, it would only be right to pass on this one. The thought of needles pinned on can indeed be frightening. 

Hypnosis

Another proposed cure for insomnia is hypnosis. There are groups who insist that the sleeping disorder will go away if you carry the proper attitude. For them, it's all in the head. Regardless of their opinion being note-worthy or not, there are leading experts who focus on helping sleep-deprived folks with their struggle. The hypnotists load their patients' head with thoughts and strategies. By manipulating the mind and implanting in its instructions on how to cope with the loss of sleep, they can actually succeed. 

Yoga

It's not a surprise that through yoga, you can reward yourself with satisfying rounds of sleep. An hour or two of stretching and maintaining a posture is beneficial. It may be a form of exercise that focuses on the achievement of a sound mind but it also prepares the body for slumber. If you're not a fan of heavy workouts, yoga is your better option. Through it, there is no need to sweat it out in a gymn with all the usual bodybuilding equipment. You could attend a class or purchase a book with instructions on how to do it all on your own.

Yoga allows your muscles to relax and at the same time, drains it of energy so you will be invited to rest when you are about to wrap up your day. In fact, health advocates have suggested that incorporating a night-time routine of the practice is best. Insomniacs and all people, in general, will likely, get enough sleep after they've had their bouts of both exercise and meditation. 

Journaling

Writing notes can get you sleeping too. If you can't easily teleport to dreamland, spilling your thoughts with ink on a sheet of paper will get you there in a matter of time. This activity tends to exhaust you mentally that your body can't avoid wanting to take a break. In a way, you can say that this is just you spacing out because it is actually effective in combating the sleeping disorder, it is considered as a good option.

Also, unlike seeking treatment such as acupuncture and hypnosis, writing stuff down is not costly. You just need a pen and a paper and you're all set. By scribbling on a journal, not only will you use up time and gradually be worn out, but you also get to have a record of notes that you will soon appreciate. A year or so from the night you wrote things down, you will be grateful that you did. An intriguing truth is that most writers are insomniacs.

Insomnia needs to be driven off in whatever means you can think of. A serious case of sleep deprivation is not good. At the soonest possible moment, do something. Especially if you are burdened which chronic or long-term insomnia, you should do everything that you can to get treatment. Don't wait until your case becomes hopeless. The disorder's effects are not likely to manifest immediately but in time, you may find yourself in deep trouble.

What The Sleep Disorder Can Lead To:

• Poor performance at work
• Mental Retardation
• Unjustifiable fatigue
• Chronic Illnesses

This Concludes The "Eliminating Insomnia" Series. Please Like, Share, Subscribe, Leave A Comment and Check Out More of My Blog Posts and Follow THis Blog For Future Blogs! 

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Eliminating Insomnia Part 2

Eliminating Insomnia Part 2

Eliminating Insomnia & Having A Good Night's Sleep

What Causes Insomnia?

If things entail that you are troubled with insomnia, you have to accept it. Otherwise, you will end up giving yourself a hard time. Before you aim to eliminate it, you have to be briefed with a great deal of information about it first. Having a messed up sleeping pattern may bring about frustration but you have no choice type or if you have decided that you're going to seek treatment for your condition, the best approach is to figure out what's behind it. Be aware of the various factors that can lead to the disorder. This way you can prevent further complications.

The Causes

• Stress People suffer from insomnia due to the kind of lifestyle they choose to sport. For insisting on juggling their careers, relationships, and other activities, they get weary. Having lots of matters occupying their mind, they lose sleep. If you're one of them, be aware that eventually, when the stress problem has been resolved, the body might refuse to go back to its normal sleeping pattern. This is why you have to maintain balance and make it a point to allow enough hours for some much-needed rest. 
• Psychiatric Problems If you have a psychiatric dilemma, it might be the root of the disturbance. Illnesses concerning mental health are a major cause of the sleeping problem. Having mood swing, anxiety, depression, or psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and delusional disorders cause patients to lose sleep. If they are taking medication, more likely, their ability to have a good night's rest is affected.
• Medical Conditions If you happen to be one of those diagnosed with diseases, don't let it be a surprise that you're having a difficult time sleeping. Patients with certain health defects are reported to have cases of insomnia. From minor worries such as rheumatism, migraines, and arthritis to a range of more alarming ones including cancer, heart and lung ailments, and diabetes, certain disorders cause loss of sleep. Even if they are not on any medication, the condition won't allow them a much-needed break.
• Pills Because drugs have side effects, they tend to influence the body's regular behavior. If you take them regularly, don't be caught off guard when you can't easily doze off at night. The pills may treat a condition but more so, they trigger the onset of complications in other areas. 
• Substance Misuse Having too much of a substance will alter the usual bouts of the internal organs and is linked to the sleeping disorder. Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine are examples of substances that must be used moderately. They are quite strong and tend to interfere with normal physiological processes. Especially if you have made a habit out of getting a fix of one, if not all, of them every day, it's easy to develop an addiction. 

Diagnosis

You may wonder about how insomnia is diagnosed. It's typical of some people to label themselves insomniacs without really knowing what they're talking about. For them, so long as they can't seem to easily fall asleep at night, they assume they are suffering from the disturbance. Regardless of their premature prognosis being true or not, things don't work that way. The process of rounding out whether or not you have a sleeping disorder is complex. 

What you need to do is to set an appointment with a physician and relay to him concerns that you might be troubled with insomnia. As his job dictates, he will ask you many questions including those about your sleeping and medical history and daily routines. Provided that he's excellent at his job, from your responses alone, he is able to give you some answers. This is why you have to reply as honestly as you can.

Some Queries he might address you with:

• How often are you experiencing sleep problems?
• Are you able to make up for the sleep hours that you've lost?
• Do you feel tiresome during waking moments?
• Are you working more than necessary?
• Are you suffering from any medical condition?
• Do you practice a healthy lifestyle?
• Do you usually eat before you go to bed?
• Have there been recent stressors?

The Symptoms

• Spending hours in bed attempting to fall asleep
• Stressed to fall asleep
• Headaches
• Daytime sleepiness
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Poor mental alertness

Making a guess whether or not you're an insomniac then deciding what to do after can lead you to trouble. Don't conclude on your own because the sleeping disorder is associated with more bothersome diseases. At first, you may think that there is nothing to be concerned about. Usually, there is indeed nothing but because there is a chance that your body is hinting an onset of a serious condition, you should take the time to get a check-up. As soon as you can, eliminate the sleeping disturbance with the help of a qualified person. By setting up a meeting with a doctor and allowing him to evaluate you, you will be able to rule out unwanted possibilities and be rewarded with a peace of mind.

Setting the Foundation of a Good Night's Sleep

To be able to get rid of insomnia, knowing a great deal about it can be beneficial. More so, with a doctor there to help you out, you can eliminate the sleeping disturbance and in time, not be burdened by the effects of sleep deprivation. Remember though that the medical professional that is there for you can only assist. It's you who gets to control the outcome. It's up to you to heat out the advice given and make way for necessary lifestyle changes. If you're willing to ward off your sleeping woes, you have to alter some routines and start a balanced life.

Diet

To work for the reward of a good night's sleep, think about all the food and drinks you usually consume. Diet is a major factor that could lead to insomnia. If you aim to always enter dreamland easily and not have to deal with aggravating exhaustion during the morn, you must note down everything you eat. Figure out which of them affects how your body regulates and see if there is anything you can substitute it with. 

What You Need To Lay Off On: 

• Coffee and other caffeinated beverages The drink is loaded with benefits. Coffee is packed with energy-giving ingredients that can empower the mind. If you have had a cup of it before, you would agree that it causes you to be more alert in situations and boosts your liveliness. This is both good and a bad thing because you tend to stay awake after a dose. It alters the state, giving it more energy than necessary and the effects would last for a long time even at night when you have expected them to have already worn off.

• Sweet delights It's easy to not be able to get enough of sugary treats such chocolate bars, cake, ice cream, and pastries. However, you should impose a limit on how much of them you're going to have. It will surely be a delight to munch on as many as you like but because the sweets are brimming with sugar, you should really think about having a boundary. If you can, give them up. Not only will this take care of your problems with sleep, but it will also promote your overall health. 

• Too much protein Eating too much meat is bad for your body. For a fix of protein, indulge in some but keep in mind that having excessive amounts is going to signal for trouble to come. The process of breaking down the meat into nutrients can be tiresome for the digestive system. Because of this, your body functions abnormally and would have delayed responses. When you want to rest, your stomach is at work and this means you won't be getting your way.

• Too much salt For a fulfilling sleep, you need a low blood pressure level. Eating food with excessive bounties of sodium won't do you any good. Salted potato chips, seasoned, seasoned meat, and fast food are some examples of this type of edible. Sure, they're delicious but they're junk. All they do is satisfy your stomach for a bit and make you feel refreshed. As they do it though, they increase your blood pressure level, preventing you from getting a much-needed rest.

• Sugar substitutes Saccharine, Splenda, and Aspartame are some notable products that offer to be substituted for sugar. They allow you to taste sweetness like they are the real thing. With their objective of not supplementing your body with glucose, you would assume that they're great for you. Well, they're not and they actually cause more damage than good. What they lack, they make up for with chemicals that you're absolutely better off without. If you avoid them, you won't just be fighting off the sleeping problem, you'll also be doing your health a favor.

Exercise

You can attest to the fact that when you're exhausted, your body tends to invite you to doze off. A way to guard yourself against the ill effects of sleep deprivation is to exercise. Because running around the block, lifting weights, or dancing your heart out for close to an hour can wear out your muscles, you will be able to get a good night's sleep. It's important to keep a distance from stressors but it's also necessary to distinguish which ones are essential and could be beneficial to your health.

Importance of Body Temperature

You won't be able to get an uninterrupted visit to dreamland if your body is protesting that it's uncomfortable. Heed to its call. If it's drenched in sweat or shivering in extreme coolness, you won't get to have your way too. For your mind to hand you its permission to rest, you must set the environment around you to be as relaxing as necessary. Make sure that it's neither too hot nor too cold for you.

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