Insomnia

When you have insomnia it means that you struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep at night.

You may wake up several times in the night and find yourself lying awake staring at the ceiling wondering why you can’t just get some sleep.

When you’re suffering from insomnia it can make you feel tired and irritated, and you may find it more difficult to concentrate on your work or other things you may be doing during the day.

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Lots of people suffer from insomnia at some point in their lives, and it can happen for lots of different reasons.

Some of the most common reasons why people struggle to fall asleep at night include:

• Stress, worry, anxiety, or depression
• Poor sleep hygiene, e.g. an inconsistent sleep schedule
• Sleeping in a noisy room
• Your room is too bright
• Your room is too hot or too cold
• Shift work
• Jet lag
• Caffeinated drinks, such as coffee or energy drinks
• Alcohol
• Nicotine
• Taking recreational drugs, e.g. cocaine, ecstasy

It can be frustrating when you can’t sleep - tossing, turning, and becoming stressed about how much sleep you can get before that dreaded alarm clock sound.

Sleeping medication can come in the form of herbal remedies and over-the-counter medicines.

Herbal treatments include valerian root, hops, and passionflower, which work by providing a natural sedative by relieving feelings of anxiety and restlessness.

Over-the-counter treatments may include the active ingredients diphenhydramine and promethazine, found in Phenergan, Nytol, and Sominex.

There are also a range of prescription-strength sleeping pills such as Z-drugs and benzodiazepines if other remedies haven’t relieved your insomnia. 

Magnesium helps your body to produce the sleep hormone melatonin and it may also relieve tense muscles to promote restful sleep.

Some studies suggest that people with low levels of vitamins C and D had an increase in sleep problems, and were prone to waking up during the night.

Having the odd night of inadequate sleep can make you feel tired and a little cranky, but it won’t have a serious impact on your overall health.

However, regularly not achieving a decent amount of sleep can have a huge effect on your health and put you at risk of developing severe medical conditions, as well as having a negative influence on your body, thoughts, emotions and behaviour.

For most people, it is recommended to achieve at least eight hours of good quality sleep to allow us to function at our best, with the importance placed more on the quality rather than the hours of sleep.

If you are waking up tired and spending the day feeling sleepy, chances are you’re not getting the correct amount or a decent quality of sleep which, over time, can have serious implications including:

• Increased risk of serious medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes – it can even take time off our life expectancy
• Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression
• Weight gain due to lower levels of leptin (the chemical that makes us feel full) and higher levels of ghrelin (the hormone that stimulates hunger).

Just goes to show, waking up on the wrong side of the bed can cause more issues than a grumpy mood!