Top Causes of Sleepless Nights and How to Overcome Them

Sleepless nights can be one of the most frustrating things you can have as an adult. Imagine slogging through the day at work. Then you come home beat and tired, only to stare at the ceiling trying to manifest sleep. Even a day of disturbed or no sleep can leave you strained and grumpy for the entire day. Even one sleepless night can have a negative effect on your health and mood. So just imagine what it would feel dealing with that every single night. If your natural sleep cycle is repeatedly disturbed, it can have long term effects on your overall health and wellbeing.

Top Causes for Sleepless Nights

Anxiety and stress: If something is bothering you in particular or you battle with anxiousness, this can lead to sleepless nights too. Similarly,  can be a stressful week at work or trouble in a relationship or monetary fields. Both can lead to difficulty in falling asleep.

Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine: All the aforementioned elements are powerful stimulants. Intake of them at a higher quantity can keep one awake for a longer period of time. Indulging on them at a later hour, especially around afternoon can disrupt your sleeping patterns. This can mess your sleep cycle by preventing the deep stages of sleep.

Sleep schedule changes: Working in a workplace with erratic shift timings can disbalance the body's natural sleep cycle. This makes it difficult for it to fall asleep on demand. The body's internal clock helps regulate the sleep and wake cycle. External factors like these can leave it confused and unable to cope.

Solutions to help you get more restful sleep

Exercise: Physical activity is great for a number of things. Helping one avoid sleepless nights just happens to be one of them. Most of the time, our minds are exhausted, but the body, not so much. Getting in at least 3 exercise sessions a week can help you excerpt enough energy to fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night.

Lights out: Nature meant us to wake up at the crack of dawn and sleep when the sun falls. This means that the sunlight has a lot to do with our sleep routines. So it is no surprise that putting out the lights can help induce sleep. Nowadays, phones and tablets can keep you up late hours with phone calls and constant notifications. Declare a lights-out for yourself and your smartphone and stick to it, and watch sleep follow suit.

Have a Routine: Sticking to a pre-bedtime routine is a great idea as it lets you wind down after a busy day gradually. Be it as simple as taking a shower or reading a few pages of a novel before you sleep. It can help your body prepare for what is to come. After some consistent effort, you will see the difference. Your body will automatically associate those activities to sleep and sleep will come easy.

As we know, people all around the world get comfortable with functioning on the minimum amount of sleep. People use the phrase 'night owl' casually and sometimes boastfully. However, the truth is simple. Everybody deserves a good night of sleep. When challenged, it can disrupt the balance of life and health. The body needs to recharge from the day spent and reset for the day coming up. If you or someone you know faces a problem, you should not get comfortable and rather seek out for professional help to make sure you are not suffering from a clinical sleep disorder or underlying health issue.