Sleeplessness, tossing and turning, unable to sleep at night …… These words are hard to hear at first sight – it is too torturous not to be able to sleep! There are even many friends because sleep is always bad, physical and mental fatigue, directly affecting life and work.
So bad sleep is equal to insomnia? In the end, how can we sleep better? Let’s talk about the misconceptions about insomnia and tips to deal with insomnia.
Is insomnia when you can’t sleep?
When it comes to insomnia, the first reaction of many friends may be “that is not can not sleep”! This may be true in daily life, but it is not necessarily insomnia if you can’t sleep a few times every once in a while, and insomnia in the strict sense of the word should contain two elements:
First, the patient is dissatisfied with the quality of their sleep periodically, such as two to three times a week can not sleep and continued for three months. This element varies from person to person. If you experience difficulty sleeping once a month and it does affect you, that could also be an insomnia problem.
Secondly, the patient is too concerned about sleep and is so disturbed by the sleep problem that he or she becomes easily angered and upset. Sometimes a record will show that the patient is sleeping reasonably well, but the patient themselves think that their sleep is terrible.
To summarize briefly, the so-called insomnia does not only refer to the state of people being unable to sleep, but should include the following two major elements:
- The desire to sleep but can not sleep.
- Very concerned about the problem of not being able to sleep.
Why do we need to clarify the definition of insomnia first? This is because there are many people whose sleep problems are caused by their misunderstanding of “insomnia” and their fear and worry about it:
“I’m worried that if I can’t sleep, I’ll have health problems.”
“I’m afraid that if I can’t sleep at night, I’ll feel lonely and uninterested.”
“I worry that I won’t be able to function the next day and that I’ll have trouble staying energized at work.”
“I find that other health problems and physical aches and pains are exacerbated whenever I can’t sleep.”
In fact, some people do have trouble sleeping once in a while, but they don’t think of it as a big deal, and they don’t think of it directly as “insomnia”, which is a good mindset to help avoid insomnia. Simply put, by accepting the fact that you have insomnia, you may sleep faster.
Feeling like you’re not asleep means you’re really not asleep?
Many insomniacs insist that they didn’t sleep all night or only slept for a very short time, but in fact, by observing the records, it can be found that they actually slept for a long time, which is often called “paradoxical insomnia”. In fact, many people who feel that they have had a sleepless night sleep normally, in contrast to many people who think they have slept well, but wake up tired, in fact, they have not slept well.
The reasoning is as simple as asking the question, “What does your snoring sound like?” I don’t think anyone would be able to answer that, which just goes to the heart of the problem of obtaining information about an individual’s sleep – people can’t answer it because they’re asleep.
If you don’t believe me, you can do a little experiment on some occasions where you need to stay up late (but not often), you can record what time a sleeping relative or friend goes to bed, and then record the time he wakes up, calculate how long he slept, and then ask him how long he thinks he slept (don’t let him look at his watch), you’ll be amazed.
In short, our true sleep duration is usually quite different from our perception of how long we sleep. We tend to underestimate how long we really sleep, and some anxious or light sleepers often experience this. If you have the same problem, then you need to believe that you are not alone, as this phenomenon is not uncommon.
It is important to note that this is not to say that these types of insomniacs “lie”, but rather to realize that sometimes our own perception of how much sleep we get is unreliable, and if we can realize this, we will be less anxious and less likely to suffer from insomnia.
Do you have to get eight hours of sleep?
We often hear things like “get 8 hours of sleep at night”, so much so that if we don’t, we are a little worried about the health effects, and for some of us who are short sleepers, this can lead to anxiety that can affect our sleep.
In fact, the so-called “eight hours of sleep” is a very imprecise number, and the need for sleep varies from person to person and tends to decrease with age.
For example, as we all know, in addition to eating, the main activity of small infants is to sleep, and can sleep more than ten hours a day. School-age children, on the other hand, sleep less. Adults, on the other hand, generally need 7 to 9 hours of sleep, while the elderly only need about 8 hours of sleep. However, when it comes to individuals, there is still a great deal of individual variation, so it is not necessary to take 8 hours of sleep as the only standard for sleep quality.
As long as we fall asleep smoothly, do not wake up easily, are not disturbed by dreams, and wake up with a clear mind and full of energy, it means that our sleep quality is good.
So, what are some of the things you can try for those who have trouble falling asleep?
Tips to improve falling asleep
- Black
Although some of you are used to sleeping with a night light, if you have trouble falling asleep, you may want to start by adjusting the light in your bedroom. Simply put, if you want to get a good night’s sleep, block out all sources of light. So just how dark does the room need to be?
There’s an idiom that says “you can’t see a thing”, so roughly that’s good enough. For example, we can use curtains that block out light better, turn off appliances that have LEDs on, and so on. - Comfortable bed and bedding
A cozy bed is just as important as darkness (note that cozy doesn’t mean you have to buy expensive ones). Choose a bed that makes you feel comfortable, bedding fabrics that make you feel safe and comfortable, try several types of pillows and pick the ones that are most comfortable for you. All of these will help you sleep. - Adjust the bedroom environment
Sometimes, just getting into the bedroom can be agonizing due to the difficulty of falling asleep. This is a good time to change your bedding, adjust the layout, etc. This will refresh your bedroom and reduce your anxiety and stress. - Sleep alone if necessary
Sometimes family members, children and even pets can interfere with our sleep, so it’s a good idea to go to bed alone.
There are also things that can interfere with our sleep, don’t do them.
- Smoking
- Drinking alcohol
- Drinking coffee
- Strenuous exercise before bedtime
- Use of electronic devices such as cell phones, pads, etc. before going to bed
To conclude, if we can correctly understand insomnia, reduce anxiety and develop good sleeping habits, we can play a positive role in avoiding and improving insomnia. If it is really difficult to solve the sleep problem through self-adjustment, you can go to the sleep clinic to seek professional medical help.