Ever
wondered why you can't fall asleep at night or sleep through the night
without constantly waking up every half hour? For many, falling asleep
seems to happen with little or no effort. Falling asleep should probably
be the easiest thing to do on the planet whether you're on the bus,
train or classroom, nothing beats the feeling of drifting off to
dreamland. The problem is that not everybody that hopes for a good night
rest achieves it when they hit their beds.
Sleep
is good for the body and it's nature's way of giving our bodies time to
do what it couldn't possibly do when you run around during the day.
Sleep plays an important role in our physical health. Experts say sleep
is involved in healing and repair of the heart and blood vessels. During
the day when we carry out vigorous exercise and do all sorts of running
around, we expend energy, a lot of cells wear-out and die-off, we may
get injured, muscles tire out and our body sources for more energy from
the body reserves constantly converting stored biomolecules such as fats
and glycogen to act as fuel. All these and much more happens to you
during the day so your body needs time to make much-needed repairs and
that happens while you sleep. While chronic inability to sleep (also
known as Insomnia) can contribute to health problems such as weight
gain, high blood pressure, and a decrease in the immune system’s power.
Researchers say sleep improves the memory and can even determine whether
or not one lives to good old age. I could go on forever about the
benefits of sleep but let's save that for another blog post.
Despite
the innumerable benefits that come with good rest, though, not
everybody can really sleep through the night without waking up long
before daybreak, and subsequently finding it difficult to go back to
steady sleep. Many of us are familiar with this trend, hence the need to
know the cause and how to deal with it. Below are possible reasons why
you have trouble falling asleep.
Causes of Insomnia
1. Bright light
The
lighting in your room is a very important factor that affects how much
you sleep or if you'll sleep at all. According to Family Physician, Dr
Morenike Orelaja, many people are so taken up with living in a well-lit
environment that they carry this craze right into the bedroom. She says
bright lights in the bedroom are a sure path to sleeplessness as the
night wears on and is sure to cause you problems falling asleep. While I
blame Horror movies for making me sleep with my lights switched on,
however, many people would turn their bedrooms into a light show, with
the television still on and as they drift to sleep.
Even
if it's just the TV that is on while you sleep off, you can be sure to
wake up in a matter of hours because the light of the TV reflects onto
your eyes. This, in turn, affects the way your brain decodes messages,
as your brain is being made to believe that it’s already day and
therefore it’s time to wake up. During sleep, the pineal gland in the
brain synthesises and secretes a hormone called melatonin, which causes
sleepiness and regulates sleep patterns and the pineal body does this in
the dark; that is when minimal light energy falls on the retina of the
eyes. However, when the TV or any other light-producing electronic
device is on, it mimics sunlight and sends wrong signals to the brain;
and that’s why we always advise people to put off the light as the last
thing when going to bed. That way, your body gets the message that it’s
time to sleep and it does so effortlessly.
2. Psychological issues
If
you've done Number 1 and you still can't sleep effortlessly, then you
may have difficulty falling asleep if you suffer from anxiety,
depression, or chronic stress, experts say. A psychologist, Dr Kunle
Olaosebikan, warns that most people suffering from anxiety disorder or
depression will have trouble sleeping, as they keep thinking about their
challenges. He notes that the sleeplessness could worsen their already
bad symptoms. If you have emotional issues, seek professional help.
3. Smoking
When
health professionals warn that smokers are likely to die young, the
average smoker turns up the nose and wonders why he hasn’t died yet even
when he smokes up to a pack per day. But then, the effects of nicotine,
a confirmed stimulant, cannot be ignored. On the average, most smokers
undergo
nicotine withdrawal as they sleep.
It
is a simple process. Just as you can’t eat, drink or do anything while
you are sleeping, in the same way, you can’t smoke while asleep (except
you have serious issues). As such, it’s as if you are depriving your
body of its regular supply of nicotine. Consequently, your body craves
this stimulant; and since the brain regulates the sleep process, it is
not unusual for your brain to wake up about 15 or 20 times in the night
as a result of the unconscious craving.
And
that’s why you see addicted smokers waking up in the night to get a
fix. It's not just because they love to smoke under the moon, they have
trouble falling asleep because their bodies crave for a smoke and they
erroneously believe that the smoking will calm them. Of course, it does,
but that is temporary, as the nicotine effect soon runs its course.
That’s why it is important to quit smoking; and if you’ve not been
smoking, don’t start.
4. Eating protein too close to bedtime.