Why can’t I sleep at night? Do I have insomnia?

As someone who has suffered from a disturbed sleeping pattern for many years but never taken it too seriously, I find myself in a place that’s worse than ever before. It’s been around 3 weeks since i had any sleep.Unfortunately I don’t feel I can count the few hours here and there that have been completely non-restorative. I decided it was time to do something about it and learn about causes and treatments.

Since I have an interest in health and wellness that I am trying to nurture I decided to start a podcast to talk about my experiences, what I learn and share this with whoever needs or wants this information, so the first question to ask was what is sleeplessness? I asked myself this question and decided to start a podcast to investigate. If you want to check that podcast out you can here:

https://radiopublic.com/sleepwakers-Wk3Z1x/ep/s1!8f8ec

Alternatively you can find it by searching for Sleepwakers podcast wherever you listen to them.

It’s probably important to note that I have no medical training, any advice I offer is purely as a result of my research or my experiences, you should always contact your doctor before starting new treatments.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that can develop in any person at any age. This means that you may have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. It’s thought that 1 in 3 people have suffered from at least mild insomnia. Sleeplessness can be a symptom of a medical condition such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer or caused by things like stress, depression or anxiety, as well as, travel or work schedules affecting your circadian rhythms (including jet lag) and poor sleep habits and sleep hygiene.

When I looked at this list of causes it became clear to me that my problem was probably linked to stress or anxiety. I have always been very susceptible to stress, something that runs in the family and I’m a natural worrier as well. It’s possible that my work schedule is playing a part in this as well as I work long hours into the night. However, the first thing to do was to speak with my doctor. In the initial visit we discussed possible causes and I participated in a blood test to check for diabetes or coeliac disease (gluten intolerance). Both can affect your sleep pattern, and both would explain why I have had trouble sleeping on and off for years.

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact date for when the struggle with sleep started but I don’t recall having a problem when I was a child or even as a teenager. The issue seems to have started some point during my time at university, so after the age of 19 but has progressively gotten worse as I have gotten older. The bouts of sleeplessness have gotten more frequent and longer, which has had its impact on my quality of life.

Insomnia can be broken down into two categories, acute, which means it lasts for a few days or maybe a few weeks — but a relatively short amount of time or it can be chronic, which means ongoing, considered from a month onward. Acute insomnia is triggered by things like stress at work, family issues or a traumatic event. Chronic insomnia can often be a symptom or side effect of something else.

Insomnia can lead to fatigue and daytime sleepiness. With this lack of energy it can become hard to focus on tasks, to pay attention, to learn or even to remember things. These sorts of problems can have a serious effect on your ability to perform at school or work. It’s important to remember self care as well and you should not be ashamed if you need to take some time off to rest. There symptoms are serious and you can put yourself and others at risk if you cannot perform your tasks adequately. As well you might consider avoid driving as it can lead to serious accidents and loss of life.

You are more at risk of developing insomnia if you are woman. This can often be due to hormonal shifts in the menstrual cycle. It can also be down to pregnancy. However, as I said before any one at any age can develop insomnia, anyone is at risk if they have a lot of stress or are depressed or are suffering from emotional distress.

Emotional distress could be brought on by things like divorce or death in the family, however happy occasions can contribute to such insomnia as well such as a home move. Money troubles can also contribute to problems with sleep and studies reflect this, more often insomnia is found in people with lower incomes.

Working nights or significant changes in your working hours can lead to sleep problems as well. This affects your circadian rhythms, which is the psychological clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle that exists in all living beings, animals and plants. Since the circadian rhythms are created within our bodies, they help dictate when we should wake up and go to sleep. They can be affected by outside sources such as sunlight or temperature. This is why it is recommended that you do not use screens before bed as the artificial light can affect them.

Adults need roughly 7–8 hours of sleep, every person is different but this is the generally accepted standard. The main symptom of insomnia is falling or staying asleep. So if you have insomnia you might find that you;

Will lie awake for a long time,

When you do fall asleep it will only be for a short amount of time,

You might wake up too early,

Feel like you haven’t slept all night,

Or be awake for most of the night.

If you think you might be suffering from insomnia it is important to see your doctor, there is a chance it could be the symptom of another problem and the sooner you speak with someone the sooner you can be given a treatment plan.