What’s up guys, we’re back again to talk about another mental health issue: Insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is often a result of having a mental health disorder such as forms of anxiety, depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Bipolar Disorder, and more. It causes one to lose sleep, which in turn affects their health and wellbeing. Insomnia can affect sleep in different ways, including causing someone to be unable to sleep at night, waking them up in the morning before their body is ready to be awake, and making it difficult to remain asleep once they fall asleep.
Common signs and symptoms that someone has insomnia can include having a hard time falling asleep at night, waking up during the night, waking up too early, not feeling rested after being asleep, difficulty paying attention, increased mistakes and accidents, and more. In addition to resulting from mental health disorders, insomnia can also be a result of stress in daily life and can be temporary. Next, we’ll talk about the different types of insomnia.
There are 3 main types of insomnia- Acute, Transient, and Chronic. Acute insomnia can last up to a month and can be caused by situational stress such as deadlines, a new job, or school. Once the stressor is relieved, sleeping patterns typically go back to normal. This type of insomnia is often found in adults. Transient Insomnia typically lasts for about a week and is often caused by other disorders such as depression or anxiety. It can also be caused by adjusting to a new sleeping environment, such as moving into a new house or a dorm room. Lastly, Chronic Insomnia lasts for over a one-month period and is associated with other medical problems.
Insomnia is treated in a variety of ways, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Stimulus Control Therapy, relaxation techniques, light therapy, medications, and more. In most cases, insomnia can be cured using one or more methods of treatment.
Self-Care tips
Change your bedtime routine: don’t use screens or anything that emits a blue light 30-60 minutes before you go to bed, don’t drink or use stimulants such as caffeine before bedtime
If you can’t sleep in 15-20 minutes, get out of bed and engage in something relaxing until you are sleepy
Go to bed when you are sleepy
Journal before bed (we have journaling prompts on The Dialogue!)
Engage in a guided meditation to fall asleep
Some great apps to use are Calm and Headspace
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