Last updated on January 14, 2023
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All of us have had a hard time falling asleep. Sometimes these are one-time cases; other times, sleep problems last for a week, two weeks, and even a month.
If these problems persist for too long, it adversely affects our lifestyle, work and relationships with friends and relatives. Sometimes, even the most manageable tasks can be challenging.
If you find falling asleep difficult and experience sleep problems, you may have insomnia. It, unfortunately, can last for months or even years.
Fortunately, it can be fixed as long as you change your habits and make efforts to improve the quality of your sleep. However, before we get into the tips, let’s look at the main symptoms of sleep problems and insomnia and what causes them.
Symptoms of sleep problems
Sleep problems and insomnia symptoms vary, with some people experiencing severe symptoms while others do not. However, there are some clear signs of it:
- Difficult to fall asleep
- Lying for a long time without being able to fall asleep at night
- You wake up at night
- You wake up very early and can’t get back to sleep
- Experience difficulty concentrating
- You feel faint
- You’re in a bad mood, and you’re irritable
- Feel tired when you wake up in the morning
In the long run, all of that has a significant impact on your whole life: constantly feeling tired, constantly feeling hungry and needing to eat more than you used to, finding it difficult to carry out your daily tasks, having difficulty communicating with people, a deterioration in the quality of your social life and a deterioration in relationships with your family, friends, and colleagues.
Causes of sleep problems
The factors that affect sleep are many:
- Stress – we live in a highly hectic society today, significantly impacting our personal and professional lives. Worries about work, school, health, finances, family, and children cause stress, inevitably affecting health and sleep quality.
- Frequent travel – especially over long distances can lead to severe fatigue and interfere with normal sleep. Additionally, if you travel across multiple time zones, you are sure to experience jet lag. It is a temporary sleep problem that can disrupt your sleep.
- Shift work – if your working hours include day and night shifts, sleep problems are a natural consequence. When the body’s circadian rhythms are disrupted, it will lead to insomnia.
- Lack of healthy sleep habits – getting to bed at a different time every night, using the computer, and watching TV are among the main bad habits. In addition, if you don’t keep the room you sleep in clean and tidy, that can also affect your sleep.
- Eating – a heavy dinner just before getting to bed, as well as eating before bed, is not recommended.
There are other causes of sleep problems:
- Medications – side effects of some types of medications are associated with sleep disturbance.
- Diseases and health problems – cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and other medical conditions can cause sleep problems.
- Mental health disorders – Post-traumatic stress is one of the most common disorders that leads to sleep problems and insomnia.
- Caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol – they are bad for your health and cause sleep problems.
How to deal with sleep problems?
As we said, there are many ways to deal with this condition. Establishing a bedtime routine is the key to quality sleep:
- Create a bedtime schedule – try to go to bed and get up at the same time. It will help improve your quality of sleep.
- Create a calm and pleasant environment for falling asleep – a clean, quiet, and dark environment helps you fall asleep quickly.
- Read or do something relaxing – if you can’t fall asleep right away, it’s helpful to do something that relaxes you, so you fall asleep more easily.
- Exercise regularly – it is good not only for your physical health but also for your mind.
- Keep a diary – write down essential upcoming tasks and events, and write down anything that worries you. It will help calm your mind.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine consumption – that will prevent deep sleep.
The Bottom Line
By following these few simple rules, you will be able to build much better habits and improve the quality of your sleep. You can also take supplements with natural ingredients to help you relax and fall asleep quickly. Keep in mind that they are short-term solutions.
