Struggling with Insomnia
By Karen Amato Schwartz, for Revive Your Life
Photo by Loving Earth
Insomnia has to be one of the worst conditions inflicted on a person. It’s an unmistakable reminder that the human body is not invincible; it doesn’t always perform as planned, and there are things beyond our control. It’s obvious how much we need sleep, not only to refuel ourselves, but to rest and cushion our weary minds from the onslaught of daily life. We can all relate to the phenomenon of being too awake to sleep but too tired to actually do anything else. At such times, it’s easy to wonder about the dynamics of falling to sleep, equating it to a switch that, when flipped, removes one from consciousness. That’s a bit scary; after all, just how, why and when is the switch flipped? What if it was never flipped back? And who would do the flipping? Even learning about the different stages of sleep is not convincing that it is purely physical or physiological; there seems to be an element of mystique. The inability to sleep like everyone else can make a person feel like an outsider, like they’re missing out on something everyone else is enjoying.
Concerning the human body, there is often no rhyme or reason. The inability to obtain something as basic and natural as sleep is extremely frustrating. On any given night, the insomniac has no idea if sleep will be an accomplishment or an elusive goal. There is usually nothing bothering him or her, and they feel sufficiently fatigued, but they lay there in a state on what could only be termed “animated suspension”. Normally, the sufferer is aware of all going on around them while their mind races along a path, and the nothingness of sleep just doesn’t occur. The poor individual lies there hour after hour, envying others who serenely slumber. On one hand, the insomniac is anxious for the never ending night to be banished by the brightening sky. But on the other, they clutch onto it in hopes of grabbing at least one precious hour inside the peaceful blackness.
Studies have found that as a person ages, their ability to attain ”deep sleep” is diminished by more than 50% by the time they reach age 50. Because of this, it’s now believed that afflictions of the older population can be traced to the greatly reduced amount of deep sleep. Many human aspects suffer -memory, retention, concentration, metabolism, immunity, appetite, and sex drive -yet, ironically, sleep is never considered as important as diet and exercise when it comes to good health.
There are thousands of resources available for tips on getting a good night’s sleep. Insomniacs have probably attempted hot baths, music, reading, meditating, counting, herbal tea, milk, and sleep aids. In all likelihood, they’ve cut back or eliminated caffeine, avoided late exercising, kept on a bedtime schedule, and steered away from stimulating television or books before sleep. The true sufferer may have even re-outfitted their bed or room with the most conducive and color-appropriate décor, purchased ear plugs and blindfolds, and turned the heat off to keep temperatures cool. But for some, the only thing that may work is to accept that their body will eventually make up the sleep that has been missed. With this comforting thought in mind, anxieties may be reduced and sleep may occur. Failing that, a short nap in the afternoon can work wonders and be just enough to take the edge off of overwhelming fatigue. Most importantly, those with sleeping difficulties should take full advantage of times when they can sleep to make the most of these “catch up” periods.
It’s hard to get through a day after a sleepless night, and harder still to not be cranky. But it could be worse. Luckily, most insomniacs don’t suffer every night. It’s easy for one’s heart to go out to those whose lives don’t allow a decent night’s sleep, such as the homeless, or those living with the trauma of war, famine and natural disaster. It’s surprising if they can ever sleep well again. What about those with severe illness in their life, or in the lives of loved ones? They all deserve at least one good night of sleep every few days. Sleep is indeed a comforting balm, and we are wise to treat it with respect.
Click on to submit this post to your favorite social bookmarking sites such as Digg or StumbleUpon!
Subscribe to receive free updates via the Revive Your Life RSS feed!
Related Posts:
Comments
5 Responses to “Struggling with Insomnia”
Share your thoughts with the RYL community!
You can also subscribe to the RYL RSS feed!
Loading ...
[...] nasal congestion. These awakenings (which may occur up to several hundred times per night) have a dramatic impact on sleep cycles and prevent us from obtaining the deep REM sleep that we [...]
[...] low self-esteem, lack of self-worth and excessive guilt, men are more likely to suffer from sleep difficulties, irritability, fatigue and a lack of enjoyment in activities they previously [...]
i truly relate to this post about insomnia… as a person who suffers from it, i really know what it feels…
i usually have low energy every morning and always moody… i don’t know what to do then…
this post really awakens my initiative to conquer insomnia. a good night sleep can be achieve using different methods… i’ll just have to pick which is suitable for me…
thanks and more power to this website!
My mother has this illness for a long time now. All her life, she worked hard and even accumulated huge amount of money from excessive overtime in her job.
Maybe, your lifestyle can trigger you to be prone to have insomnia. Most people who have this are those problematic most of the time and always thinking a lot causing their hormones for sleep decrease.
At present, my mom is taking up herbal teas in which she believes will give her a goodnight sleep.
[...] One last note with regards to stress. According to Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of “The Magnesium Miracle”, “Stress can cause magnesium depletion and lack of magnesium magnifies stress. Magnesium is necessary to support our adrenals, which are overworked by stress. It is very significant if a woman has a magnesium deficiency because of the many vital enzyme systems that require this mineral. They include carbohydrate metabolism, blood sugar control and energy production. A strain on the adrenal glands puts a strain on the magnesium dependent energy system of the body, which further promotes energy depletion and leads to a vicious circle of decreased ability to manage stress. Magnesium is the anti-stress mineral and is known to alleviate stress, cramping from PMS, muscle tension, depression, anxiety and insomnia.” [...]