5 Causes of insomnia you should know about

Insomnia can feel like an awful burden. The constant tossing and turning before you finally drift off to sleep. The hours and hours spent staring at the ceiling can be so frustrating. I’ve heard people say “My dad had insomnia, so I have it too.” That type of thinking makes one give up- as if it is hereditary. The good news I have for you is that insomnia does not have to be a lifelong curse. You can indeed find a cure for your insomnia. But before we get into insomnia treatments, let’s focus on 5 things that might be preventing you from getting the quality sleep you deserve:

1) Alcohol use: I’ve heard a lot of people use the term “Night cap” to refer to a nightly drink of alcohol. We even see it in the movies. You sit back, pour a glass of wine and use it as a relaxation tool after a long day of work. While a glass of wine in itself isn’t bad for you, the quantity of alcohol you drink as well as the time you drink it could be affecting your sleep. Now I’m well aware that many people feel relaxed after a glass of wine and might even drift off to a cozy sleep. But for others, alcohol actually affects their sleep quality.

Alcohol can actually shorten the length of your deep sleep and also create fragmented sleep. So in a bid to cure your sleep problems with alcohol, you actually end up with shorter sleep and your sleep becomes disturbed throughout the night. This could lead to more night time awakenings and more tiredness in the morning. So to be on the safe side, either avoid alcohol a few hours before bed, or don’t drink it at all.

2) Screen time: We live in a digital world. We are glued to our electronic devices more than ever before. While technology can be very helpful with daily tasks, our devices can actually prevent us from getting the sleep we crave. Cell phones and tablets emit a blue light that send a signal to the brain, preventing it from producing melatonin. And we need melatonin for sleep. So to be safe, put aside your devices an hour before bedtime. Give your body time to produce the melatonin it needs to relax for the night.

3) Exercise: You’ve heard that 30 minutes of exercise a day is recommended for a healthy body. Exercise is also great for your heart, your lungs, and many other organs. However if you exercise at the wrong time, you might actually be preventing sleep and triggering insomnia. When you work out, your body temperature increases, and signals to your brain that you should wake up. After a few hours, your body temperature will naturally fall, signaling to your brain that you should get ready to sleep. But if you exercise too close to bed time, your body temperature will rise, and your body might not know that you should be getting ready to sleep. If you struggle with insomnia, limit exercise to no less than 4 hours before your bedtime, so you can give your body a chance to reduce its temperature and produce melatonin for sleep.

4) Irregular bedtime: We all know that bedtimes are great for kids, but the problem is that some adults completely do away with the idea of a bedtime due to busy work schedules, irregular traveling schedules, or personal commitments. The thing is your body works like a well oiled machine. When you sleep at odd times, your body becomes unsure of when it is expected to rest. The solution? If you struggle with insomnia or some other sleep disorder, go to bed within the same hour each day. Create a good routine for yourself so that your body knows when to shut down and when to wake up each day.

5) Uncomfortable surroundings: Your bedroom should feel like a sanctuary. But for many, the bedroom doubles as a work room or an office. While this might be practical, it could confuse your body into thinking that nighttime is work time, rather than sleep time. If your bedroom is filled with clutter, your sheets are dirty and rough, or your bedroom smells old and stale, all these factors could prevent your body from feeling relaxed enough to shut down. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t feel relaxed in an uncomfortable environment either. If you can, take your computer out of your bedroom. Wash your sheets regularly and air out your room regularly so that fresh air can come in. You’ll notice the difference in your sleep quality.

If you are struggling with insomnia and your unsure of how to treat it, I provide insomnia treatment in Murrieta and online. Call 951-905-3181 to schedule a free consultation to see if CBT for insomnia treatment will help you get the sleep you’ve been yearning for. You an also email me here.

ready to finally sleep?

Find out the 5 myths about insomnia that are keeping you awake- and how YOU can finally sleep.

Ge your free download now

5 habits that keep your insomnia going strong

Your least favorite time of the day is night time. While the world is fast asleep, you spend your time tossing and turning. Perhaps you just lay in bed and try to count sheep, but after doing this for months- or maybe even years- it's aggravating.

Or perhaps you actually fall asleep like a baby each night, but the moment you wake up to sip some water or go to the bathroom, you lose the urge to sleep. You've done several Google searches to help you curb your insomnia, but nothing has worked. You've tried downloading every app, but it only works for a short while.

What if I told you that you that your habits could be making your sleep disorder worse? Perhaps your insomnia is actually caused by some of your habits. Well today is your lucky day. Here are 5 habits you need to stop to restore your sleep and improve your insomnia.

1) Taking your electronics with you to bed: These days our gadgets are almost an extension of us. We take our phones with us to the gym, to the store, to the bedroom and even to the bathroom (you know you do this). However these laptops, phones and tablets that are so dear to us emit blue light. The blue light actually sends a signal to your brain and tells it to reduce its production of melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that helps you maintain your sleep cycle. With this reduced production of melatonin, your sleep cycle is off and your body will think it needs to sleep less.

The solution: To make your life easier, just turn off your electronics about 1 hour before bedtime. If you feel like you absolutely can't do it, just keep them out of arm's reach.

2) Drinking coffee or caffeine all day long: Most people who struggle with sleep problems or insomnia drink quite a lot of coffee or other caffeinated beverages to help manage the grogginess and sour mood they experience in the morning. However, caffeine has a half life of approximately 5 hours. This means it takes 5 hours for your body to completely get rid of half the amount of caffeine you drank. So if you're drinking more than 1 cup of coffee a day, you're pretty much layering the effects of caffeine in your system.

The solution: To get good quality sleep, limit caffeine intake to no more than 1 or 2 cups in the morning. After noon, stay away from coffee, energy drinks and any other stimulant. This will give your body time to get rid of it completely before night time.

3) Staying in bed when you can't sleep: Many people with insomnia remain in bed for hours when they can't sleep. They'll toss and turn for hours. What this does is it sends a message to your brain that the bedroom is a place of anguish. Your bedroom should really be your vacation spot. When you walk in, you should think "I cannot wait to lay on my comfy bed." Not, "Ugh! My awful bedroom again." When you have negative thoughts about your bedroom, it'll sour your feelings and ruin your sleep pattern.

The solution: If you can't sleep after 30 minutes of laying in bed, get up. Go over to another room, do something relaxing for 30 minutes, then return to bed. Whatever you do, DO NOT pick up any electronics. Remember that blue light is exposure is bad for melatonin production.

4) Working in your room: I'm very guilty of this. I love my room so much that it's my favorite place to think and write. No I'm not writing this post from my bed. When it comes to sleep, it's important to trick your brain. The ideal scenario is to work somewhere else, wind down an hour before bed, then come into your room about 30 minutes before bed time. So the brain automatically knows that it should begin to shut down once you step into the bedroom. But when you work and use your laptop while in your bed, your brain doesn't know that it should shut down. The bedroom becomes a trigger for brain activity, rather than brain rest. You get it?

The solution: Use your bedroom for relaxing activities only. Don't do any writing, intense TV watching, talking on the phone, arguing, or anything upsetting in your bedroom. Use it as your sanctuary.

5) Sleeping in on the weekends: Many people make up for lost sleep over the weekend. They'll go to bed extra late, then get up at noon. The problem is if you sleep in 2 days in a row, that's enough to disrupt your sleep pattern. Your body needs to know when to produce adenosine (the hormone that's responsible for your wake up cycle), and when to start producing melatonin (the sleep hormone). If you aren't being exposed to sunlight, your body won't know to keep you awake, then by Monday you'll end up groggy when you should be alert.

The solution: Don't sleep in for more than an hour on the weekends. If you typically get up at 6am during the week, you should be up and out of bed by 7am. This helps your body maintain a regular sleep-wake pattern.

And if you would like to learn about some other habits to help you sleep, here is a list of habits to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

Read more about how your thoughts could also affect insomnia and sleep here.

Those are your first few steps in beginning to retrain your brain so that your insomnia can be a thing of the past. I am a licensed marriage and family therapist who provides counseling and therapy to women with anxiety. I also provide insomnia treatment in Murrieta using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). For women within California who are too far away from the Murrieta, Temecula or Menifee areas, I provide insomnia treatment online.

CBT-I is a 5 to 8 week treatment for people who struggle with insomnia. It's the first line insomnia treatment in the USA and it is highly recommended by sleep researchers and experts. Click here to schedule your free 15 minute consultation call so that insomnia can be a thing of the past.

ready to finally sleep?

Find out the 5 myths about insomnia that are keeping you awake- and how YOU can FINALLY sleep!

get your free download now