Insomnia

If you suffer from insomnia, you could be well on your way to a new vigorous life. It will take you less than 5 minutes to read this article to the bottom. You will learn about the new first-line treatment approach for insomnia in the USA. The information will benefit you, even if you don't live in the US.

What is Insomnia - a definition

You must check 3 boxes to get diagnosed clinically with insomnia. Your sleep problem should such that you:

at least 3 times a week over a period of at least 3 months
experience a severe negative impact on your daily life
don't have any other mental disorders or medical conditions, that could cause sleeplessness.

The sleep problem itself could be any combination of one or more of these options, in which you:

have problems falling asleep
are awake a lot during the night or
wake up way too early, and can't fall asleep again

If you suffer from insomnia, you fail to produce enough sleep quantity and/or quality. This is true, even though you leave enough time for sleep in your schedule. As a result, you'll feel tired all the time.

If this definition resonate with you, please consult a sleep medicine specialist. Read to the and for more advice on this.

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How many and who suffer from insomnia?

Insomnia is the second most common mental disorder in the US today. Only anxiety is more common. Scientific studies suggests that roughly 5 - 10% of all adults suffer from insomnia.

The sleep disorder is nearly twice as common in women than in men. This may partly be due to hormonal changes during pregnancy. It's very common for women, to experience sleep problems while pregnant.

Shorter periods with sleeplessness is not insomnia

Shorter periods with bad sleep, however unpleasant they may be, aren't insomnia.

It's perfectly normal, to experience sleep problems, if you're in a troubled period of your life. Most experience sleep problems e.g. during divorce, or a similar life changing event.

Being tired every day, because you only leave room for 6 hours of sleep per night, isn't insomnia either. That's simply sleep deprivation. It is still extremely bad for you, but it isn't insomnia or any other sleep disorder.

What causes insomnia?

There is some evidence, that insomnia is inherited from your parents. The transmission rates are estimated to app. 30 - 45%.

Even so, the majority of insomnia is not genetically caused. The two most stated causes for insomnia are both in the emotional spectrum. The popular terms for them are worry and anxiety.

Your brain is a result of evolution. In prehistoric times, it was a huge advantage to you, if 'unfinished business' kept you awake. That's meant in the broadest sense. Anything from hunger, cold feet or quarrels with another tribe member, would keep you awake.

An example. A Prehistoric you had an argument with another tribe member during the day. You now worry that the other caveman will beat your head in with his club, while you sleep. You'd improve your chances of survival, by getting on friendly terms with him, before you went to sleep.

Fast forward to today's environment. The same psychological mechanism still keeps you from falling asleep. You can't fall asleep thinking about something you said to someone or something your forgot to do.

An Active mind

We live busy lives, hardly have enough breaks during the day. That leaves little time to reflect on e.g. interpersonal issues. When we do have short breaks, we check our phones or social media for messages and updates.

Often it isn't until we lie down to sleep, we have the time to think about our day. That's the worst time for it. By then, you wish to empty your head from thoughts - not fill it up.

In one study, scientists measured the brain activity for insomnia patients falling asleep. They then compared the results to those of healthy sleepers.

The EEG scans showed a decreased brain activity when the healthy sleepers turned in. For the insomnia patients, this didn't happen. It was like their brain stayed in awake state. When they finally did fall asleep, their sleep quality was worse than the healthy group. They had a more fragmented REM sleep and lower quality NREM sleep.

Keep notes to get rid of racing thoughts.

One way to get the racing thoughts out of your head, is to write them down in a paper notebook (not an electrical). Build a habit of having a notebook within reach of your bed, for this exact purpose. If you wake up at night, write down thoughts that keep you awake.

Another similar mental offloading tip. Spend the last 5 - 10 minutes of your day writing. Write what you succeeded today and what you expect to do the next few days. That's one way to free your mind for sound sleep.

Sleeping pills should be your very last resort.

All who periodically suffer from insomnia or bad sleep, can get desperate for sleep from time to time. There are times, when I'd do anything to get a few hours of sleep.

One tempting solution you should avoid is sleeping pills. Sleeping pills may end up making matters worse. Admittedly, they may knock you out and give you a break from being awake.

The problem is, they don't have the same positive effect on your brain and well-being, that proper sleep has. The pills sedate your brain. That prevents it from performing all the processes a healthy brain should do, when asleep.

If you've decided to seek help for your insomnia, you should look for a specialist on sleep, not a generalist. While your GP may be very skilled, it is very unlikely the GP is an expert on sleep issues.

Remember the GP is an abbreviation of General Practitioner. He is a generalist, and you need a specialist. It is all to common, that they will prescribe sleeping pills, to help you out.

Insomnia treatment

There is reason for optimism to be found in the new way to treat Insomnia. The method is called CBTi. That's an abbreviation of Cognitive Behavorial Therapy for Insomnia.

You work with a therapist, who provides techniques that help you break bad sleep habits. You also learn to with anxiety, that has stopped you from falling asleep.

The methods are individualized for each patient. One radical method also used in CBTi, is to break down your sleep to an absolute minimum. And then build it up again, this time hopefully in a healthier state.

You should not try to practice CBTi on yourself. You have much higher chances of success, if you consult a specialist in the field.

I wish you luck with your attempt.

May the sleep be with you.