Nothing
will keep you
up at night like insomnia
By
Courtney Thomas
The Collegiate Times
BLACKSBURG, Va. (U-Wire)—One-sheep, two-sheep, three-sheep, four. No
matter how hard you try, you simply can’t fall asleep.
Whether it lasts days, weeks or months, insomnia is the inability to fall asleep
or stay asleep.
This includes the “wide awake” feeling at bedtime, waking periodically
throughout the night or waking up very early in the morning.
Most people who experience insomnia have short-lived cases that are the result
of some temporary problem, such as stress, illness or pain. The insomnia typically
subsides with the problem. Others wrestle with this problem nearly every night.
Those who suffer from it know it can be very frustrating and have probably
tried everything.
What students may not know is their attempts to conquer insomnia may actually
be causing it or making it worse.
For example, cigarettes and alcohol in small amounts are commonly thought to
have a calming effect, but smoking or drinking before bed can actually disrupt
sleep patterns.
Similarly, drinking hot tea before bedtime can seem soothing, but is also disruptive
to sleep because it contains caffeine. Cigarettes and caffeine are stimulants
and will keep you awake.
According to the FDA, alcohol has a tendency to make you tired, then disrupt
sleep several hours later.
Common activities like watching television or using a computer before bedtime
may also be to blame.
Bright screens and lights disrupt your body’s circadian rhythms, making
it harder for you to fall asleep, according to WebMD.
If students find themselves waking up in the middle of the night to use the
restroom they should invest in a nightlight for their bathroom to avoid turning
on the bathroom light. The bright light may make it difficult to fall back
asleep.
People who experience insomnia may also find they can fall asleep anywhere
but the bedroom, often while watching television or reading in the living room,
or even while driving.
By restricting yourself to sleeping only while in bed, students may find they
can sleep more easily when in bed. Likewise, activities other than sleep should
always take place outside the bedroom.
This helps people mentally associate their bedroom only with sleeping. Try
watching TV or doing homework in the living room instead of the bedroom whenever
possible, or even go to the library if a quiet workplace is needed.
According to the FDA, one should never lie awake in bed for more than 20 minutes.
Lying awake in bed creates anxiety about not being able to sleep. When you
mentally associate your bed with anxiety it becomes harder and harder to sleep.
If students can’t sleep, they should get out of bed. Don’t turn
on the TV or the computer, but try to do something quiet like reading.
Try to normalize your sleep schedule. The FDA recommends going to sleep and
waking up at similar times every day, even on weekends. Also, eliminate naps
from your schedule. Sleeping less during the day will make you more tired at
night, when you want to sleep. If you have to nap, sleep for less than 30 minutes
in the early afternoon.
Your body will respond to the pattern, making it easier to sleep.
You should also assess your bedroom. Make sure you don’t have any illuminated
clocks, the room is a comfortable temperature and noise is minimal.
Exercise can also help you sleep, as long as it is not done within four hours
of bedtime.
In addition to these lifestyle changes, there are many techniques, or nightly
rituals that may take the place of prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids.
Many are common and you have probably heard of them or even tried them already.
These include taking a warm bath, listening to calming music, drinking warm
milk and eating a bedtime snack. |
