Sleep is a physiological process, that helps us to re-energize, stay healthy & process new information. Periods of sleep & wakefulness are part of how our body functions. Although you are resting while you sleep, the brain remains very active. The repairing of body as a whole occurs in various stages of sleep. Sleep is thus very much a requirement by our body & to highlight this issue World Sleep Day is celebrated on March 15 every year.
Although there are various issues related to sleep, Insomnia is an issue which has become very prominent in today’s world. Insomnia means problem in falling & staying asleep. You may get up early in the morning also, so that you may not be able to get your average 7-8 hrs. of sleep. Your sleep maybe fragmented & you may get up many times at night, so you don’t get the full hours of uninterrupted sleep. You may not go into deep sleep & thus not feel refreshed on getting up. One sleep, so many problems! The problem of sleep can be acute or chronic. Beyond 3 weeks, Insomnia becomes chronic. 1 in 3 people suffer from bouts of insomnia & 1 in 10 people have chronic insomnia.
What happens when we do not get sleep properly, is that we feel sleepy in the day time. We can’t concentrate properly, so that there are errors in our work & increased risk of accidents. Due to concentration issues, memory disturbances also develop. It also increases the risk of metabolic problems e.g.; DM, HT, obesity, heart diseases & makes you look older.
The problem of insomnia is so common, that more than 10 million cases suffer from it per year in our country. At any time approx. 20% of the world’s population experiences insomnia. Its more common in elderly, females & people with chronic medical & mental health illness.
However, we can do things at our end, by changing our lifestyle to overcome our sleeping problems. These changes are called SLEEP HYGIENE (Recommended by World Sleep Organization)
⦁ Go to bed at fixed time & get up at fixed time, even on weekends
⦁ Use bed only for sleep & sex. Not for eating or watching TV, or seeing internet. Mind gets conditioned that bed is only for sleeping.
⦁ If you want to sleep in afternoon, the day time nap should not be more than 45 minutes.
⦁ Avoid caffeine use (Tea/ coffee / Red bull energy drink) 6 hours before sleep.
⦁ Better not to consume alcohol. However, if you do, not to take it 4 hours before sleep. It’s a myth that alcohol makes you sleep. Infact it’s a non-refreshing sleep due to change in sleep architecture. You may wake up latter and not go back to sleep with hangover in morning depending on amount of alcohol taken.
⦁ Have light meals at night. Complete your meals at least 2 hours before sleeping. This consumed food gets digested & you don’t get the hunger pangs. Some foods which promote sleeping are almonds, walnuts, kiwi, avocado, spinach’
⦁ Exercise regularly, but no vigorous exercise at least 2-3 hours before sleep, as core body temperature would not be cool before sleeping. You can do mindfulness meditation, progressive muscular relaxation with guided imagery for half an hour just prior to sleep, which enhances the quality of sleep.
⦁ Your bed & bed room should be comfortable. Room temperature and ventilation should also be focused on. Your room temperature should be between 18-20 degree Celsius. So, remember we are designed for cooler body temperature during sleeping than at daytime.
⦁ Block out all distracting noise & eliminate as much light as you can. Stop use of digital media at least 1 hour prior to sleeping, as blue light disturbs sleep by decreasing the production of melatonin.
⦁ Don’t force yourself to sleep. If you can’t sleep between 15-30 minutes of lying down, get up and go to another area of your house. Read some book, which is not a thriller or here some soothing music at low volume for some time. When you feel sleepy, then return to bed to go to sleep. Regardless of the time, so that your body gets tuned to your circadian rhythm. You will feel difficult for some days, but eventually you will master your sleep.
If these methods don’t help you, do go to see a psychiatrist, as many mental illnesses, medical illnesses & medications can cause insomnia.
“No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a good nap” – Cattle straw.
Dr HK Bedi
MD Psychiatry
M-8054088993. Email- [email protected]
