Most people know the feeling of waking up and having to get going on their day’s activities after a poor or restless night’s sleep. Not only does a bad night make you feel tired and unable to cope with things all the next day, it can cause serious problems with your life and your health.
For instance, being tired prevents you from concentrating and focusing on the activities you need to do. Driving the kids to school? They are at risk when you can’t concentrate properly on the traffic, or when your decisions to act come more slowly than they should for safety. If you work at certain jobs driving machinery or operating equipment the same applies. If you are too tired to concentrate, things can go wrong too easily. The results can be costly at best and dangerous to your health are worst.
However, constant insomnia can also cause less noticeable health problems that sneak up on you unawares until they become too big to ignore. These can negatively impact your life and the lives of your loved ones if they are not dealt with. Health experts agree that these problems include risks of –
- Asthma
- Stroke
- Inflammation
- A weakened immune system
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Diabetes mellitus
Not to mention the mental health problems of depression, frustration, confusion and anxiety that people often feel when they are constantly overtired.
So how can you beat insomnia?
- Try taking herbal supplements that relax you – but make sure anything you take is not addictive.
- Make sure your bed is comfortable, the room is dark and you are not too hot or too cold.
- Use ear plugs if there is too much noise from traffic or the neighbours.
- A cup of warm milk and honey is the time honoured way of relaxing before bedtime. If that doesn’t appeal, try chamomile or lemon grass tea.
- Get enough exercise through the day to make you physically tired.
- Deal with other stressors or worries that may keep you awake.
- Turn off the computer or other electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime. The blue light your body absorbs from them keeps you awake.
- Try to go to bed and get up at the same time each night to establish a routine.
- In the morning, go outside and spend some time with the sun on your eyelids. This will cause a reaction in your body that allows you to sleep in about 12 hours time.
If all else fails, go to a doctor to have tests. This will define the cause of the insomnia. It could be coming from sleep Apnoea or some other problem that can be treated.