"Culprits Behind Insomnia"

Have you ever wondered why aren’t you getting a good night’s sleep? No matter how much you focus on counting backwards, you are still staring at the wall above your head, if that’s what you are going through, than keep reading as I will uncover some important reasons, which tricks the brain into sleeplessness and make you look like a zombie the next morning. In this article my main focus is on how insomnia affects our brain, factors causing insomnia, and how to combat it?

But before we jump into uncovering the culprits, we should first understand what the doctors are regarding this problem as. This problem of sleep deprivation is actually called Insomnia, which is a sleep disorder and is the main culprit behind the difficulty of falling and/or staying asleep. Scientists and sleep experts have long acknowledged the fact that there is an essential and direct connection between the quality of sleep and improved mental health. 

According to a recent study, in which the effects of insomnia on the sleep deprived patients were examined, and their brain activity was compared with the average sleepers. The study led to a conclusion that sleep-deprived patients have weakened connections in one part of their brain responsible for controlling sleep and consciousness. This part of the brain is called Thalamus, as you might have heard about it before as it is an amazing area which controls many other important features of our mind and body.  

Anyways, MRI scans showed that our poor Thalamus gets messed up badly when we are sleep deprived – consequently, that throws off our body’s biological clock. The higher the degree of abnormality in the Thalamus, the worse the neural connections - results in deprivation of sleep and depressive state in a person.

However, the study did not give concrete evidence in order to determine whether the weaker Thalamus connections are causing insomnia or if sleep deprivation itself causing the connections to weaken. Nevertheless, the study has offered great insights and new information has surfaced regarding the origin and treatment of insomnia. In addition, Scientists have also discovered that sleep deprivation has a great impact on your memory, focus, and mood. So they recommend that catching a minimum of seven hours of sound sleep on a regular basis, will definitely improve your cognitive ability and proven to keep the depression at bay.

But what brings our Thalamus into such a wretched form? You will now know, so sit tight!

Medical Conditions:

There is a multitude of medical illnesses that can either directly or indirectly have a great impact on your sleeping ability. Like for instance the diseases, which have a direct effect on one’s sleep patterns, are; Endocrine disorders, which causes hormonal imbalance in the body, and generalized body aches, muscular and joint pains occurring over a long-term period, therefore, would evidently cause difficulty in catching shut-eye.

Whereas other conditions with their unbearable and uncomfortable symptoms are more prone towards indirectly disturbing one’s sleep. These include: Asthma, Arthritis, Sinus Allergies, Gastrointestinal problems resulting in acid reflux, and Neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease – their symptoms might keep you awake at night.

I would suggest not to take insomnia lightly and do not become habitual of it as it might have adverse effects on your body – consulting with your doctor about the condition, and the course of treatment is the best strategy. 

Mood Disorders:

Mood disorder is another important contributing factor in insomnia. Depression and anxiety are greatly to be blamed. If you are feeling overwhelmed, constantly worrying about something, feeling sad, or less motivated then these emotional changes might not let you get a good night sleep. 

Poor Lifestyle Choices:

Adapting and continually making poor lifestyle choices that have substantial negative effect on your mind and body, includes: bringing work home, instead of using the evening to relax and unwind; taking an excessive number of naps in the afternoon, instead of sleeping early at night; and sleeping in late on weekends to try to make up for lost sleep, causes disruption in your sleep-wake cycle. You might need to consider changing these unhealthy habits. Especially those workaholic kinds need to dial back and allow their mind and body to recharge by having at least seven to eight hours of sleep, every day.

Unhealthy Habits:

Eating unhealthy food, substances and practicing unhealthy activities can have a significant effect on your mind and body. These include – alcohol, due to its sedating effect that can cause sleep disturbances; caffeine and nicotine, on the other hand, are stimulants these can cause insomnia if consumed close to bedtime. Now you might love being a night owl and eating all the junk food, but your body doesn’t and so does your brain.

Insomnia Effecting Brain Function:

Our brain is the most active part of our body, therefore, it needs to relax and turn-off for a few hours, so it can reenergize for another day. This way our brain doesn’t get exhausted and thus efficiently performs our day-to-day activities. You must be wondering how insomnia affects our brain’s performance. It does that by weakening your concentration, creativity and memory, besides that it also cause mood swings. Insomnia also causes serious psychological effects such as; hallucinations, mania, impulsive behavior, depression, paranoia, and suicidal ideation.
  

Combating Insomnia:

The wait is over as now I am going to reveal how to beat insomnia and become a good sleeper? is simply by making some lifestyle modifications. Apply these few changes to your life and you will be good to go - avoid caffeine or nicotine before bedtime and instead opt for herbal tea which will calm your nerves and gives a soothing effect, and also avoid taking unhealthy meals just before turning in for the night. Relax! That doesn’t mean you have to stop eating pizza, just do not eat it before bedtime. Besides investing in a good memory foam mattress for your bed is a wise bet. As it has been shown to provide therapeutic spinal support, relief from pressure on your joints and also provides an ideal sleeping temperature.   
Insomnia is the most commonly reported sleeping disorder, and 56% of general population is suffering from insomnia in the USA. But the silver lining is that it can be easily managed provided that prompt action is taken when the symptoms arise.        

Dr. Paras Baloch