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Understanding Insomnia
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Sleep Facts - Your Path to Sound Sleep and Relaxation
Understanding sleep, why we need get sufficient of it, and how to achieve it, goes a long way toward explaining why so often the mechanisms of achieving sleep elude us entirely. Certain criteria must be satisfied for us to have a good nights sleep, and this is what my Sleep Soundly Now! CD is designed to achieve in you.
What is sleep?
Nobody really knows. It is that time beyond wakefulness when you cannot see, feel, hear or preceive things in a logical way. It is a time when you have restricted movement, no direct control over many bodily functions and a reduction in all sensory stimuli.
The brain on the other hand, keeps a watchful eye and many areas remain active during sleep, while at the same time providing the mechanisms for sleep.
So sleep is the absence of wakefulness and perception; but it's more than that. Brain rhythms slow down and we move through several sleep cycles that vary the depth of sleep during the night. I realize you are still none the wiser, and neither am I, but scholars, scientists, philosophers, religious leaders and poets throughout history haven't given us the definitive answer either. Why not
what you think?
Why do we need to sleep?
We all need to rest following a period of activity. Not sleeping leaves you tired, irritable, touchy, unable to think straight and slow to respond. So our default setting is to sleep everyday. We know more about sleep through deprivation studies then we do about sleep studies.
It is clear the body needs to repair and restore its function; the brain seems to require memory consolidation and nerve repair, and whilst we all know sleep is critical to our survival, and for maintaining our physical and mental health, no one really knows why.
How much sleep do I need?
The average sleep requirement for an adult man or woman is 7.5-8 hrs. However, the amount of sleep you need is based on how you feel in the morning. If you feel refreshed, rested, energetic and ready to go, then you've had enough, regardless of how close to 8 hrs you are.
What are some common sleep problems?
Difficulty sleeping at all or staying asleep, waking up inappropriately, thrashing around, leg jerking (poss. restless leg syndrome) and sleep apnea (cessation of breathing during sleep). Other medical disorders such as heart disease, lung disease, fibromyalgia and arthritis, can all cause sleep disturbances, as can Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Am I more at risk of insomnia as I get older?
Yes. There are a number of factors associated with an increasing prevalence of insomnia, or another sleep disorder. Alcohol, drugs, and certain medications, can cause insomnia, as can depression, stress, anxiety and other medical disorders.
Advancing years, divorce, being widowed, forced retirement, either sex, but mostly female, and economic status are all relevant factors in increasing risk of insomnia.
I can usually fall asleep within 30-60 mins, but I repeatedly wake up over and over again until the morning. Why is this?
I can't say for sure, but seeing as you have trouble even getting off to sleep, I suspect you eventually do so through sheer exhaustion. Whatever it is that causes that is probably the reason you wake up again. Depression, anxiety, stress, pain and disease are all possible candidates here. Once you've had minimal sleep, or a compulsory minimum, then the condition is free to wake you and torment you, again and again.
It's a bit like your mobile phone battery. As it nears exhaustion you find you need to make a call. You have two choices; charge it for hours to fully charge the battery and delay the call, or, charge it for 5 minutes and give it a boost, then make the call. Either way, you know eventually the battery will need a full charge of several hours to re-energize properly. You also know, if you just keep charging it for 5 minutes at a time, not only will you reduce the capacity to a low level, but you stand the risk of wrecking the battery altogether. I think your sleep pattern can be a bit like this.
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