Insomnia

Understanding more about disrupted sleep

Sleep problems are surprisingly common; whilst they are not life-threatening, sleep disorders may be very distressing, exhausting, depressing and deeply frustrating.

Because this website focuses on anxiety, OCD and depression, this information assumes that those conditions (or other life issues that need addressing) are the underlying causes and that the insomnia (or disrupted sleep) is the symptom.

Common causes of insomnia and disrupted sleep

• Life problems
• Fear, stress, anxiety, depression, emotional upheaval
• Financial concerns, unhappy working environment
• Loneliness, unsatisfactory relationships
• Raising young families
• Pain
• Drinking alcohol and use of stimulants like nicotine or recreational drugs.
• Environmental factors such as noise, light, temperature (I can’t help with these)
• Effects of medication (I can’t help with this)
• Snoring or restless partner (I can’t help with this – sleep in another room, it’s OK)

tips for better sleep

• Stop drinking caffeine by early afternoon – Tea, coffee, energy and fizzy drinks.
• Don’t take any naps during the day.
• Try not to eat big meals prior to sleeping.
• Take some time to relax before bed, take a bath or listen to some calming music.
• Meditation and yoga relax you and will help getting to sleep sooner.
• Taking exercise during the day.
• Don’t watch TV directly before sleeping or in your bedroom.
• Don’t smoke before you go to bed as nicotine is a stimulant.
• Drink alcohol in moderation.

More things you can to for insomnia treatment, is to, write down things the issues that may be worrying you and make an agreement with yourself to think about them in more detail the following day.

General information about sleep

None really knows why we sleep, although it is thought to rest and repair the body. When you can’t sleep the body’s immune system is weakened and this effects the way we think, so for emotional wellbeing, good sleep is essential.

Your attitude to sleep can also play an important role in alleviating sleep insomnia; if you are saying in your mind “I can’t sleep” – it can be hard to look forward to going to bed. So, just like healthy eating and fitness, sleep help should be embraced and taken seriously as a wonderful part of your life and essential to your wellness.

Generally speaking, we sleep in 5 roughly 90 minute long cycles, from a light slumber, down to deep sleep and back and interestingly, many people who feel that they get no sleep or have been ‘awake all night’ or think they can’t sleep, have slept through one of these cycles without realising it – check it out yourself, if you are having a bad night, just look at the clock from time to time and you might be quite surprised that it is about 90 minutes later than the last time you looked.

3 in every 10 people experiencing lack of sleep have an obvious underlying cause; these are often things like pre-sleep activities, changed sleep patterns or environmental conditions such as noise. 5 in 10 people experience sleep problems due to psychological problems such as depression, stress, grief and dementia. 1 in 10 are affected by physical or medical issues, such as arthritis, diabetes and pain. 1 in 10 are affected by misuse of medicines, alcohol or illegal drugs.

Interestingly, if you were to ask individuals who sleep easily and don’t require insomnia treatment what thoughts go through their minds just before they nod off, they typically say nothing at all, ask the same of someone who has difficulty sleeping and they say absolutely everything!

Larks – who go to bed early and rise early

Larks usually sleep very well and have done so most of their life. They enjoy going to bed at a reasonable time in the evening and find it easy to awaken early and rise from bed in the morning. Typically, they have no difficulty falling asleep and enjoy 6 – 8 hours sleep per night. If they awaken during the night, generally they easily get back to sleep.

When Larks experience disrupted sleep patterns or insomnia it is usually externally driven by events or worries in their life and these play on their mind. Once these have been unconsciously resolved the old sleep patterns are usually restored quite quickly.

Owls – who go to bed late and (would like to) rise late

Owls usually have more difficulty falling asleep, and as such, have always had a bit of a love / hate relationship with sleep. They can tolerate a lack of sleep more effectively than Larks and often feel that going to bed is a chore rather than an experience to be relished and enjoyed like the Larks do. If they awaken during the night it can be hard for them to get back to sleep again.

External worries anxieties about work/families / relationships – all compound to further disrupt an already less-than-perfect relationship with sleep. They know they are not getting enough sleep yet feel there is nothing they can do (but there is).

If you feel that this profile fits your experience – then, after working with me,  you can expect to get back to a more normal (for you) sleep routine and will have an improved relationship with sleep; however, you will never be able to sleep like the Larks do, let’s just be honest about this.