Insomnia is one of the most popular issues that people are discussing from time to time. Among those who suffer from insomnia, lots of people are used to taking sleeping pills to help sleep. However, how many people have really thought about it. Is it really insomnia? Apart from drugs, are there other ways to make us sleep better? If you are not sure, just keep reading!
First of all, what is the real "insomnia"? Roughly the following three benchmarks are used as criteria. Basically, the more benchmarks you match, the more likely you are to get true insomnia:
1. There are several practical situations of insomnia, includingDifficulty in falling asleep, Interrupted sleep, Waking up too earlycan be calculated.
2. Even if it is dimly lit and comfortable in the sleeping environment , the above-mentioned situations of insomnia still occur.
3. The functions of daily life are obviously affected (e.g., tiredness in the morning, poor temper, lack of concentration).
If you still can’t sleep well even if you have a good sleeping environment and opportunities.Frequency of occurrence > 3 times per week, symptoms lasting > 3 monthsIt would be called 【Chronic insomnia】, which shows greater harm to health.
There are some common reasons that may cause chronic insomnia, such as:Anxiety, Depression, Sleep Apnea (common symptoms are snoring, pauses in breathing), or Drug effects.If you have the aforementioned conditions, dealing with these reasons would be the first priority. After these conditions are well resolved, you can reassess whether you still have insomnia.
If there is no other external cause or underlying disease that may cause insomnia, then it is recommended to gradually clarify your insomnia in a professional clinic! Generally speaking, doctors will use the sleep quality scale to get an in-depth understanding of individual’s sleep details, as shown in the figure below:
In addition, it will be necessary to adjust and improve poor sleep hygiene habits. The following lists the common points that should be improved:
【Good sleep hygiene】
1. The sleeping environment should be maintained:Quiet, dim, at comfortable temperature.
2. Maintain regular exercise habitswith at least moderate intensity.
3. It is not advisable to engage in intense activities, take a bath, or use 3C products (avoid looking directly at the light source) within 2 hours before going to bed.
4. Before going to bed,Don’t be hungry, eat too much, or drink too much water.
5. Avoid tea, coffeeor other drinks rich in caffeine.
6. Do not drink alcohol to help sleep.
7. Do not take a nap for more than 30 minutes during the day.
8. Try some relaxing activities before going to bed,such as stretching, meditation.
9. AvoidSocial jet lag.
10. Do not engage in anything other than sleep or intimate behavior in bed.
In addition to the establishment of the above-mentioned sleep hygiene habits, there are advanced non-pharmaceutical treatments such asCognitive Behavior Therapy, which needsregular follow-up visits, health education, and adjustments, to gradually achieve the goal of reducing or even not using sleep aids.
Finally, we would like to remind all of you who have been troubled by insomnia for a long time that take sleeping medicine only when you really need it. That is, try to get yourself out of sleep aids temporarily when there is less stress. Also, please gradually change your living habits according to the health education content in this article, and go to the doctor for advanced discussion if necessary. Perhaps in the near future, you can truly have a perfect sleep without medication!
〈The author is former Attending Physician in National Taiwan University Hospital, and Master of Science from National Taiwan University〉