Battle The Demon That Keeps You Up At Night

No matter how tired you are, the monster under your bed won’t let you sleep. You start to wonder whether you’re really a night owl who can only function after dark. The problem? Staying awake isn’t your choice, rather it’s something you’ve grown to believe is a part of you. Raise your hand if that monster, better known as insomnia, makes it difficult to fall or stay sleep in the night. Unbeknownst to many, this is a disorder, that many completely neglect or sweep under the rug, can wreak havoc in your life if untreated. What exactly is insomnia and how do you deal? SUMAIYA SHUAIBDEEN explores the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep.​​​​​

- Sumaiya Shuaibdeen

This sleeping disorder presents a few symptoms that should ideally sound an alarm bell if you discover you (or a loved one) experience any of these. “You may have insomnia if you have a hard time falling asleep or if you wake up during the night and have trouble going back to sleep,” emphasized Dr. Nilani Kaluarachchi, MB ChB (UK), D.R.C.O.G (UK), DFFP (UK).

Insomnia and anxiety feed each other and insufficient rest for long periods of time can result in you stressing out about not getting proper sleep. Apart from that, spending the day by being tired, staying irritated, not being able to concentrate and being lethargic are the other symptoms.

There are two types of insomnia: acute insomnia which is short term, and chronic insomnia is longterm. It takes more than 3 to 4 weeks to diagnose chronic insomnia. However, sometimes it takes a month to get over jetlag so it really depends (I’ll get to more deets on this in a bit).

It’s almost a no-brainer that regular insufficient sleep can take a toll on both your physical and mental wellbeing. But what causes insomnia in individuals, to begin with? Let’s explore.

Mental Health Concerns

According to the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), 40 to 50 per cent of people with insomnia also have a mental health disorder.

Anxiety can play a role in keeping you up at night as it makes one worry a lot about the past or future and spoil the peace of the present. For instance, a stressful job that requires you to constantly be a perfectionist or fills you with dread every morning can stop you from getting a good night’s rest. This can result in onset insomnia (trouble falling asleep) and maintenance insomnia (waking up in the middle and not being able to return to sleep).