Insomnia: Causes and Cures

Insomnia is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty falling asleep or getting enough sleep—and is something you definitely shouldn’t be sleeping on (pun intended). While the effects of insomnia are most evident during the night, insomnia also causes drowsiness during the day, which translates into low energy, sleepiness, and an all-round depressed mood. 

      The root cause of insomnia is unclear. However, it is often associated with stressful life events or poor sleep conditions. For example, insomniacs may find themselves staying up late right before an important exam—not to study, but in an effort to quell the anxiety and stress. However, one can still fall victim to insomnia even without all the stress. In the digital age, the over-usage of devices and technology is becoming increasingly common. Unfortunately, this is another major contributing factor to insomnia, as screen use can shorten sleep durations.

      To cure insomnia, we must first consider the importance of healthy sleep patterns. Multiple phases and multiple cycles occur in just one night’s sleep, with the most beneficial one being REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. As the name suggests, the eyes are quickly moving around during this phase of sleep. Dreams and memory consolidation also occur during REM, which makes it arguably the most important phase. However, we must go through a few other phases of light sleep in order to get to this beneficial deep sleep. While some insomniacs can still fall asleep, they typically don’t sleep for a long enough duration to reach this REM stage. Meanwhile, others struggle with the very first step: falling asleep.

      Taking medication or going to therapy may be too serious for some. Fortunately, there are easy solutions to insomnia. Sleep and stress are opposites; if you do happen to be suffering from elevated levels of stress and suspect that to be the cause of your insomnia, simply lowering your stress levels can also help to cure the insomnia. Meditation, breathing techniques, taking walks outside, and journaling are all simple but useful ways to de-stress. It is also important to create a good sleeping environment. For instance, turning off the light can result in an increase in melatonin—the hormone that regulates your circadian rhythm and the sleep-wake cycle. Another helpful tip is listening to white noise, which tends to make the environment appear calmer.