Why Do You Have Sleepless Nights ?

Finding yourself staring at the ceiling in the middle of night; tossing from one corner of the bed to another or getting up in early morning hours even if it’s still dark outside may seems common scenarios for many people. 

Yes, sleeplessness or medically termed as insomnia, is a common disorder of initiation and/or maintenance of sleep. People experiencing sleeplessness may have difficulty in falling asleep, frequent awakening during the night, inability to go back to sleep or wake up at early morning hours. 

Sleepless nights disturb sleep quality leading to physical and mental exhaustion. In fact, it is a very common clinical problem that causes either marked distress or interferes with social and occupational functioning.  An inadequate sleep is a prime reason for irritability, day time drowsiness, lack of concentration and fatigue.

Understanding causes for sleepless nights

If you are one who is unable to get fruitful sleep throughout the whole night, let’s know about reasons behind it.

According to National Sleep Foundation, all kinds of stress can harm sleep quality and sleep deprivation further fuel stress and irritability. Difficult life circumstances made it hard to get to sleep or stay asleep. 

When you are unable to navigate through stressful situation, you experience tremendous emotional pain. A stressful life situation is usually associated with fear of uncertainty, where you are not sure about outcome and expects worst-case scenarios for future. Such kinds of negative thoughts make an individual’s mind restless and trigger anxiety. 

You find yourself as helpless and life seems miserable without purpose. A vicious cycle of negative thoughts significantly affects sleep quality.

Overthinking…yes your thoughts may keep you awake in the night.

Overthinking is characterized by rumination about situations over which you have no control. This consumes mental energy, enhances confusion and creates mental fogginess. 

Overanalyzing future related bad scenario leads to anxiety and even panic attacks. A feeling of sense of impending doom or unrealistic fears leads to great distress. 

When repetitive anxiety provoking thoughts pop up in your brain, it’s impossible to catch sound sleep. A continuous mind’s chatter impair quality of sleep leading to physical and mood-related problems.

According to research studies, depression could be another reason for sleepless nights. It is due to chemical imbalance in certain areas of the brain that are involved in regulation of mood, thoughts and motivation. 

When you are clinically depressed, you experience sadness for prolonged time. The emotional state of mind is more than just feeling of “blue”. This sadness is accompanied with overwhelming feeling of guilt, regret, anger and irritation. 

A sense of hopelessness and worthlessness can disturb your normal sleep pattern. Waking up too early in the morning is the crucial sign of depression. 

Likewise, disturb sleep is a prominent feature of various medical illnesses. Painful or uncomfortable medical conditions such as headache, rheumatic arthritis, heartburn, diabetes, kidney problems and breathing problems are often associated with disturb sleep.

A regurgitation of stomach acid into the esophagus, night sweat, frequent need to urinate at night, painful joints, shortness of breath and coughing are common issues in people with various medical illnesses. Such kinds of health problems significantly ruins nighttime sleep quality.

Disturb sleep is a common side-effect of medications like fluoxetine, steroids, theophylline and propranolol. 

If you suspects that your medication is impairing your sleep quality, consulting to doctor would be beneficial. Changing or reducing the dosages of medications can help to restore normal sleep pattern.

Improving sleep quality

Normal sleep is a restorative state, that allows your body and mind to recharge and become alert when you wake up. An adequate amount of sleep is necessary to improve day time concentration, clear thinking and process memories. 

As mentioned above, the problem of sleeplessness may be the development related to particular happenings. So, the first step in overcoming problem of sleeplessness is finding out the root cause. Once you identified a root cause, try to find out the solution. 

If you are stressed, practice stress management techniques. When you are experiencing psychological issues, it would be better to consult mental health professionals. Be proactive in your approach and take action towards changing things which lie under your control.

Bottling-up negative emotions for a prolong period enhances your stress level. You need to get rid of these negative emotions on a regular basis. 

Writing your thoughts on a piece of paper helps to give away to bottled-up emotions.  Journaling is a healthy way to deal with negative feelings and get rid of fear and worries. Pursuing hobby is another great way to express your emotions in a creative way. Drawing, painting, poetry and writing are some of the best ways to express your innermost feelings. Share your feelings with family and friends. Talking about your fear and worries will give you significant relief. 

Additionally, a structured lifestyle has a great impact on quality of sleep. Leading a good lifestyle allows your body to sleep well. And good sleep permits you to maintain healthy lifestyle.

Regular physical exercise such as walking, yoga, jogging and dancing boosts the release of endorphin, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel better. Eating healthy nutritious food may help to support brain function. Leading a structured lifestyle enables you to establish healthy boundaries in different domains.

If you are facing problem of sleeplessness, give a thought for above mentioned causes and ways to improve sleep. 

Disclaimer : The purpose of this blog is to create emotional health awareness. This information is not a replacement for medical treatment or counseling therapy.