By Sonam Sawlani
EchoSonam@gmail.com
It is 2am and you are still tossing and turning in bed, reading a novel or listening to your favourite radio DJ who can take you through the night. You have tried various means to fall asleep but simply cannot; and even if by any chance you do, you will probably find yourself awake 20 minutes later thinking of what to do next to get just that little bit of sleep, yet again.
Not being able to fall asleep, waking up repeatedly during the night, having difficulties going back to sleep or even waking up too early in the morning – these are symptoms of insomnia, the most common form of sleeping disorder.
While almost anyone can suffer from insomnia – both the young and old, research shows that it is a persistent condition for many people.
About 75 per cent of those with insomnia experience the condition for at least a year, and almost half experience it for three years.
Causes of insomnia revolve mainly around poor stress management, smoking, lack of regular exercise, fear, medication, excessive caffeine consumption and anxiety.
Evident from a recent study conducted in the United States, almost one third of the American population suffers from insomnia because of financial and health related worries. This resulted in them having inadequate amount of sleep for days, weeks and even months.
Overall, about 10 to 15 per cent of the world’s adult population suffers from chronic insomnia while another 25 to 35 per cent suffers from occasional insomnia.
Studies also reveal that insomnia is more common among females, especially menopausal women, due to hormonal changes. Moreover, those with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis and depression are more prone to insomnia.
46 year-old Ajwinder Singh who suffers from high blood pressure is just one of those who fight the night just to get some sleep after a long day at work. The operations manager and a father of two teenagers, shares with SPRING that he has been having difficulties sleeping ever since he was retrenched early this year.
“I had many tensions. I didn’t know how I was going to manage my family and the household expenses – whether I would get another job and things like that. My worries lasted through the night, barely allowing me even two hours of sleep. My doctor did not prescribe any medication as he said it may lead to addiction.”
Meanwhile, general practitioner Dr Wilson Sim explains that “the treatment for insomnia often begins with changing one’s lifestyle, behaviour and sleeping habits”.
He said: “You got to ensure that you treat your bedroom as a room for sleeping – not a place where you study, eat or watch television.”
In addition to that, Dr Sim shared the importance of doing light exercises in the day, not having a heavy meal just before bedtime and not taking long naps in the day.
So, while most doctors suggest that finding the underlying cause of insomnia is essential to be able to cure the disorder, it is also essential for one to fall asleep ‘the natural way’ than to pop a pill every now and then.
EchoSonam@gmail.com
It is 2am and you are still tossing and turning in bed, reading a novel or listening to your favourite radio DJ who can take you through the night. You have tried various means to fall asleep but simply cannot; and even if by any chance you do, you will probably find yourself awake 20 minutes later thinking of what to do next to get just that little bit of sleep, yet again.
Not being able to fall asleep, waking up repeatedly during the night, having difficulties going back to sleep or even waking up too early in the morning – these are symptoms of insomnia, the most common form of sleeping disorder.
While almost anyone can suffer from insomnia – both the young and old, research shows that it is a persistent condition for many people.
About 75 per cent of those with insomnia experience the condition for at least a year, and almost half experience it for three years.
Causes of insomnia revolve mainly around poor stress management, smoking, lack of regular exercise, fear, medication, excessive caffeine consumption and anxiety.
Evident from a recent study conducted in the United States, almost one third of the American population suffers from insomnia because of financial and health related worries. This resulted in them having inadequate amount of sleep for days, weeks and even months.
Overall, about 10 to 15 per cent of the world’s adult population suffers from chronic insomnia while another 25 to 35 per cent suffers from occasional insomnia.
Studies also reveal that insomnia is more common among females, especially menopausal women, due to hormonal changes. Moreover, those with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis and depression are more prone to insomnia.
46 year-old Ajwinder Singh who suffers from high blood pressure is just one of those who fight the night just to get some sleep after a long day at work. The operations manager and a father of two teenagers, shares with SPRING that he has been having difficulties sleeping ever since he was retrenched early this year.
“I had many tensions. I didn’t know how I was going to manage my family and the household expenses – whether I would get another job and things like that. My worries lasted through the night, barely allowing me even two hours of sleep. My doctor did not prescribe any medication as he said it may lead to addiction.”
Meanwhile, general practitioner Dr Wilson Sim explains that “the treatment for insomnia often begins with changing one’s lifestyle, behaviour and sleeping habits”.
He said: “You got to ensure that you treat your bedroom as a room for sleeping – not a place where you study, eat or watch television.”
In addition to that, Dr Sim shared the importance of doing light exercises in the day, not having a heavy meal just before bedtime and not taking long naps in the day.
So, while most doctors suggest that finding the underlying cause of insomnia is essential to be able to cure the disorder, it is also essential for one to fall asleep ‘the natural way’ than to pop a pill every now and then.
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