Online advice for dealing with insomnia
Sleep is as essential to your wellbeing as food and water and sleep disorders such as insomnia can therefore be extremely disruptive.
Insomnia sufferers find it hard to fall and stay asleep even when they have the opportunity to do so. A large number of the population has suffered from a bout of insomnia at one point or another, but the severity of the disorder can vary widely.
There are two broad categories for defining the condition. Transient insomnia typically lasts only a few nights and can often be traced back to a stressful life event, while chronic insomnia lasts anywhere from several weeks to years.
Getting to grips with insomnia
Often people who’ve never had significant trouble with sleeping before experience their first real bouts of insomnia as they reach retirement age. Insomnia is commonly suffered by older people as during the aging process, the body clock or circadian rhythm moves forward, making deep non-REM sleep less common.
While there’s nothing life threatening about the condition, it can have a significant impact on your quality of life. Get a better understanding of the disorder with some guidance from the NHS’s Introduction to Insomnia page, which includes a useful video. The symptoms of insomnia vary but the disorder is typically characterised by an inability to fall asleep, an inability to stay asleep and the feeling of sleeping lightly and fitfully. Sufferers tend to find it difficult to function normally during the day and can be irritable and distracted. Patient.co.uk offers some more information about the conditions and its symptoms.
Tips for a better night’s sleep
Bupa has collated some interesting facts about the sleep condition as well as a very useful list of insomnia self help tips. These include everything from avoiding caffeine for up to six hours before bed to finding a way to mentally deal with the day’s unfinished business before lying down to sleep. You’ll also find some helpful advice from The Guardian, thanks to its how to beat insomnia article which includes tips for getting into the right frame of mind to go to sleep.
Your doctor may also recommend specific drugs to help you get a good night’s rest and it’s a good idea to talk through your options thoroughly before deciding on a course of action. There are a number of different treatments available for insomnia, including alternative therapies such as hypnotherapy or acupuncture.
As insomnia can become isolating for sufferers, it can also be a good idea to make contact with other people who’ve experienced the condition. It is difficult to be awake when the people around you are fast asleep and websites such as the Daily Strength insomnia forum can offer a valuable opportunity to share stories and find comfort from other people who are experiencing similar issues.
If a short bout of insomnia begins to stretch into a more significant problem, be sure to investigate potential treatments and solutions.
Disclaimer
All content on Silversufers.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated at all as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Silversurfers.com will not be responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content on www.silversurfers.com and we are also not liable for the content of any external websites or links from or to Silversurfers to any other websites. Please always consult your own doctor if you’re in any way concerned about any aspect of your health.
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