Home Don’t lose sleep over insomnia
News

Don’t lose sleep over insomnia

AFP

Losing precious sleep is terrible to experience, but sadly, it’s a common situation for many Americans. According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, at least 50 to 70 million people in the United States deal with sleep-related problems. So if you do, you’re not alone!

You might not even realize that there’s something wrong with your sleep. For example, insomnia, a common sleep disorder, can sometimes go unnoticed. Those who have the condition may wake frequently, but not recall those wakeful moments. But it still impacts their rest, making them tired and lethargic.

Such effects from insomnia and other sleeping conditions can be catastrophic. Wanting to sleep but not having the ability to do so can be frustrating and isolating. And by next morning, that lack of sleep can make doing even the simplest activities difficult. Traveling to work could become exhausting, and then using up what little energy you have left to stay polite and friendly to coworkers could feel infuriating.

You don’t have to suffer from such troubles, though. There are quite a few ways to treat sleeping difficulties. And this article is here to help you navigate the waters of one of those difficulties in particular: insomnia.

Consider getting medication

If your insomnia is particularly severe, consider getting medication for your condition. While not the first choice of treatment for insomnia usually, prescription medication should help you if you feel incapacitated by your sleeping disorder.

To determine if medication is the right choice for your situation, talk to a doctor. Once you’ve given them your medical history, they should know whether medication will solve your sleeping problem. And if that is the case, they’ll also have a good idea on what medication is likely to work. For instance, they may decide that you should go on trazodone.

Whatever medication they feel is appropriate, don’t worry about the expense. Just order your prescription medication from an international or Canada drug center like Canadian Med Center. Doing this will enable you to connect to licensed pharmacies abroad in countries with stricter prescription pricing regulations. And in return, these pharmacies can connect you to medication at affordable prices.

Practise relaxation techniques

For those of you who don’t feel like their insomnia is severe enough to warrant medication, try relaxation techniques instead. Most of these techniques are something you can do on your own to help calm your body and prepare it for rest. More specifically, they aim to reduce physical tension and disrupt any thought processes that might affect your sleep.

There are a number of techniques you can try. Here are some you might want to consider:

  • Progressive muscle relaxation — With this technique, you tense one group of body muscles separately, and then, you relax them. You do this for all of your muscles until eventually your body stops tensing and grows sleepy.
  • Biofeedback — Using biofeedback with the help of a professional can help you see in real time how your body reacts to certain stimuli. From there, you can determine what helps you relax the best.
  • Visualizations — This technique involves you imagining relaxing imagery. For instance, you may think of waves washing across a beach, and after a while, this may help you rest easier.

Talk to a therapist

Another way you can loosen the hold insomnia has on you is by going to a therapist. More specifically, try finding one who is licensed in cognitive-behavioral therapy. This form of therapy teaches you how to think differently and act on that new type of thinking. So with it, you can essentially re-train your mind on how to deal with insomnia and sleep. Gradually, you might realize that you no longer need to even think about it before you’re off to snooze-land in bed.

Remember to make your bedroom a sleep-positive room

Lastly, make sure you don’t forget the importance of your sleep environment. Many people use their bedroom for all kinds of activities aside from sleep. This can confuse your brain on when you should go to bed. So keep attention-grabbing items like phones and video games outside of your bedroom, and focus on turning your bedroom into a room exclusive to rest and sexual activities.

You’ll also want to limit any light and dust-attracting clutter in your bedroom to avoid keeping yourself awake or being troubled by allergies or asthma. After all, your bedroom should be designed to help you rest so you don’t have to lose sleep over obstacles like insomnia.

If you can’t fully alter your bedroom for sleep-friendly purposes, just keep in mind the other methods that can help you get your much-needed rest.

Multimedia

 




AFP

AFP

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.

Latest News

college football
Football

ACC Football: Four games on Friday night slate in Week 2 action

michael vick
UVA Football

Tony Elliott fanboys over dogkiller Michael Vick: Shame ain’t even the word here

The last pit bull to escape the dogfighting operation run by Michael Vick, the Virginia Tech and NFL alum who is in Year 2 as the head coach at Norfolk State, crossed over to the other side of the rainbow bridge in 2021.

usps united states post office mail carrier mailbox
Trump's America

Warner, Kaine sign on to effort to challenge USPS takeover of mail-in ballots

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have joined a large group of lawmakers in the filing of a legal brief with the Supreme Court in a case challenging the legality of a U.S. Postal Service effort to control the flow of mail-in ballots ahead of the 2026 midterms.

school classroom
Local

Waynesboro gets small, almost nothing, grant from state for school security

beth macy ben cline
Trump's America

Ben Cline goes solo, as planned, at Salem Rotary Club event: Where’s the beef?

uva football entrance
UVA Football

UVA Football: Breakdown of the depth chart for Week 2 game with Norfolk State

Isiah D. Crawford
Local

Waynesboro: Teen held on charges related to shooting at Sunset Park