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To all Insomniacs Out There – The Trigger Lies Within You

You’re exhausted, just waiting to get into the sheets; but when you do, all that you end up doing is staring at the ceiling or fighting the frustration of not falling asleep. If that sounds like you on most nights, dear friend, you’re suffering from insomnia.

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Pexels | A lot of people suffer from insomnia, and it’s important to know about it in order to not get frustrated by it

We know what you’re thinking – I know I’m an insomniac, but I can’t help it. Something or the other always triggers my inability to sleep. To be fair, all people going through this issue keep looking for the trigger that might be causing it. In fact, they’ll blame it on anything – hormonal imbalance, stress, heartbreak, illness, or even major surgery. While it’s true that these reasons can result in a short-term sleeping disorder, in reality, they shouldn’t be affecting us for several months, or in some cases, several years.

Read – Can insomnia be fatal?

It’s an alarm!

A survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation in 2011 found that as many as 36% of the participants had chronic insomnia; among them, a whopping 79% had been struggling with it for more than 2 years!

While those numbers are alarming in themselves, it’s important to note that such prolonged lack of sleep can result in a range of after-effects including lack of motivation and energy, mood swings, poor concentration, disruption of the immune system, decreased appetite, and fertility, anxiety, depression, and even an increase in the risk of diabetes and heart diseases.

People who’ve struggled with insomnia can over time become so anguished by it that they can resort to all sorts of tricks like hot baths, changing sleep schedules, or even medical treatments. While it’s natural to seek help in such circumstances, it’s important to realize that medication might help you with sleep deprivation, but that is completely different from insomnia.

Read – How does Sleep Deprivation differ from Insomnia?

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Pexels | People who’ve struggled with insomnia can over time become extremely anguished

Is beating insomnia possible?

If you’re seeking medical help for it, we’d like to assure you, you won’t find a cure there. But that doesn’t mean insomnia is untreatable. Through a technique called “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” (CBT), you can overcome insomnia gradually. Here’s a peek into what all you’d need to do to practice it:

  • Deprive yourself of sleep

You need to forcefully deprive yourself of sleep for some time. Try to stay awake for several hours before you hit the bed. Form a routine by waking up at the same time every day and then don’t take a nap during the day. That way, when you go to bed when you’re completely tired, you won’t realize when you’ve fallen asleep.

  • Make a move

You need to get out of your comfort zone and make your bodywork. We know it might be tough in the beginning, but you’ve got to stick to it. Sometimes, feeling rough is a good thing; it makes your brain think that there’s an issue in the body that needs to be fixed, and sleep might come as a natural response to such brain function.

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Pexels | If you make your body move and get some physical exercise, you’ll start getting tired enough to get good sleep

Wrapping up

It’s absolutely fine to have sleep problems after going through a traumatizing experience, but it isn’t normal if it lasts for a month or longer than that. Don’t ignore insomnia for long; even though it might not be fatal, you may experience several side effects related to it over time. Consult sleep therapy specialists for help.

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