Insomnia: what is it and how does it impact our health?

Let's see how this kind of sleep disturbance affects us.

Sleep is very important for our health. Sleeping the right amount of sleep, together with a restful rest, generates both physical and psychological benefits. However, prolonged sleep deprivation has the opposite effects that soon become evident.

In this article we will see what is insomnia and how we can combat it through healthy habits to apply to the day to day.

What is insomnia?

The problem of the insomnia consists of having difficulty to fall asleep, to continue sleeping or a combination of both.. As a result, the person sleeps little or not at all during the night and is likely to feel tired at dawn, resulting in poor performance in daytime activities by being drowsy, lacking energy and irritable.

Insomnia can be acute or chronic. Acute insomnia is characterized by its short duration (days or weeks), which is generated by daily life problems, whether it is work stress, family or personal conflicts, change of schedule when traveling, etc.

On the other hand, chronic insomnia has a duration of more than one month caused by any disease the person suffers from, side effect of any medication, as well as by other substances: caffeine, nicotine, alcoholic beverages, drugs, etc.

A public health problem

Currently, around 40% of the population in Mexico suffers from insomnia, according to Dr. Marisela Durán Gutiérrez, head of the Sleep Clinic of the Civil Hospital of Guadalajara.

She also stresses the importance of treating this condition, since it can seriously affect the patient, causing road accidents due to drowsiness. road accidents due to drowsiness and slower reaction speed; poor work or school performance due to problems with sleepiness.The patient may suffer from insomnia, low work or school performance due to attention, concentration and memory problems; emotional imbalance: stress, anxiety, depression, irritability.

On the other hand, insomnia is associated with an increase in the probability of suffering from obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and arterial hypertension, among other diseases caused by a decrease in defenses.

It is worth noting that people who sleep less than five hours a night are four times more likely to develop type two diabetes mellitus, and a 45% higher chance of suffering a heart attackaccording to Alejandro Jiménez Genchi, coordinator of the Sleep Clinic of the National Institute of Psychiatry.

How to fight it?

To prevent insomnia from becoming a problem as much as possible, it is useful to follow the recommendations below.

1. Modify your sleeping habits

You can start by going to bed early at a fixed time to get used to it. It is advisable to sleep between seven and eight hours, so it is also important to establish a regular wake-up time.

Keep an eye on weekends and avoid excessive travel because it disrupts your schedule.. Once in bed, try not to be distracted by the television or cell phone, as these can keep you awake and delay sleep.

2. Avoid high consumption of coffee, tobacco and alcohol.

Caffeine is a strong stimulant. that can alter sleep, you can find it in coffee, tea, soft drinks, among others.

As for tobacco, people who smoke take longer to fall asleep and wake up more frequently, compared to those who do not smoke, this due to a small withdrawal syndrome, while, as for alcohol, the presence of alcohol in the Blood alter the sleep cycle and cause an intermittent or too early awakening, according to Melgosa (Melgosa et al.according to Melgosa (2008).

3. Do physical exercise

A sedentary lifestyle, for obvious reasons, provides little physical fatigue. Intense or regular exercise, besides helping to reduce stress, will provide you with well-being and a deep and continuous sleep; it also raises daytime body temperature and lowers nighttime body temperature, which induces sleep.

However, it is advisable to perform the activity hours before going to bed.The use of the product is not recommended, instead of immediately before, since it does not induce sleep immediately.

4. Try to have dinner early

The digestive activity of eating a late dinner can cause difficulty sleeping, so it is advisable to eat a light and early dinner, approximately two hours before going to bed. On the other hand, strong or spicy foods intercept the sleep process. If you find it difficult to choose a suitable low-carbohydrate dinner, you can ask for advice from a health care professional, you can ask for advice from a nutrition professional..

5. Try not to sleep

Yes, you read that right, try not to sleep. Because the more attempts you make to fall asleep, no matter how much effort and perseverance you make, you will hardly succeed.

Sleep is something natural that you cannot catch or generate by yourself. It is similar if you try to make yourself hungry or thirsty, it just doesn't work that way. Sleep has to come naturally, so if you have tried every possible way to fall asleep without successyou better do the opposite, try not to sleep. For example, read a good book until sleep finally and unexpectedly catches you.

6. Seek professional help

Finally, if insomnia persists due to a particular situation you are going through, it is always an option to ask for help. The psychologist will evaluate your difficulty and will be able to tell you if it will be enough to solve it with psychotherapy, or if you will need support from a psychologist.or if medical support will be needed.

Conclusion

Sleep is not a luxury, there is even a correlation between good sleep and longevity, according to a report published in Psychosomatic Medicine (Dew et al., 2003), so it is very important to address that need that generates insomnia, modify our sleep habits and lifestyle. Because sleep is the cheapest way to take a step forward to a full and healthy life..

Bibliographical references:

• Dew, M. A. et al. (2003). Healthy older adults' sleep predicts all-cause mortality at 4 to 19 years of follow-up. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65:63-73.
• Loera, M. (2018). In Mexico, 40 percent of the population suffers from insomnia. Retrieved January 4, 2019, from University of Guadalajara: http://www.udg.mx/es/noticia/mexico-40-por-ciento-poblacion-sufre-insomnio-0.
• Mejía, X. (January 5, 2018). Alert increase in insomnia cases; specialist says it is epidemic. Excelsior. Retrieved from https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/2018/01/05/1211675
• Melgosa, J. (2008). How to have a healthy mind. Madrid: Safeliz.