Experts recommend that most adults aim for between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. The reality, though, is that a large number of people don’t get that much sleep. Some people have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at least occasionally, while others have a sleep disorder that routinely disrupts their sleep. As many as 70 million Americans experience ongoing problems getting enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sleep disorders range from conditions that cause a temporary disruption of sleep—such as jet lag, which interrupts circadian rhythms—to those that may occur routinely, such as insomnia, one of the most common sleep disorders reported in the U.S.
There are two different overarching forms of insomnia. When stress or trauma temporarily disrupts sleep, it’s called acute, or short-term, insomnia. When sleep is disrupted for three or more nights a week for at least three months, it’s called chronic insomnia.
Making Sense of Insomnia
Insomnia doesn’t just cause problems with falling to sleep. There are three ways insomnia can be experienced, all disrupt sleep in slightly different ways. These include:
- Sleep onset insomnia, which causes you to have difficulty falling asleep. This insomnia that makes you toss and turn. Most people experience sleep onset insomnia at some point in their lives.
- Sleep maintenance insomnia causes you to wake repeatedly during the night and have difficulty falling back asleep. If you are affected by this type of insomnia, falling asleep at bedtime may not be a problem at all.
- Early morning or sleep maintenance insomnia, which causes you to persistently wake up very early in the morning, long before it’s necessary or desired.
Ways Sleep Deprivation Affects Your Health
Getting enough quality sleep is important for your physical and mental health. During the hours you’re awake, your mind and body are constantly in go-mode, rarely pausing, even when you’re sitting still. Sleep provides your body and mind the chance to recoup.
Ideally, your body goes through two distinct types of sleep—rapid eye movement (or REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. During non-REM sleep, you drift off and your mind and body calm. As the body moves further into sleep, you experience deep sleep, a time when brain activity slows down. Your breathing and heart rate also slow down, allowing your body to rest. During REM sleep, your brain becomes wildly active again. This is the stage of sleep when intense dreams and nightmares can occur. While it may seem like all that activity might be disruptive to your mind, this stage of sleep is thought to be essential for brain health, boosting critical thinking skills and consolidating memories.
If you have some type of chronic insomnia, your sleep stages may be disrupted or diminished. This can lead to waking up in a bad mood, but it also has a more negative impact on your health. When you routinely don’t get enough sleep, you’re at an increased risk of developing diabetes, mental health issues and heart disease. You’ll also be more susceptible to getting sick, since your immune system won’t function at its best. Not getting enough sleep is also associated with diminished work and academic performance, as well as an increased risk of accidents, which can put yourself and others in harm’s way, especially if you’re behind the wheel of a car.
While there’s no definitive cure for insomnia and many other sleep disorders, it’s important to talk with your health care provider about ways to effectively manage your condition.
Managing Chronic Insomnia
If you’re diagnosed with chronic insomnia, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Options for getting enough quality sleep will depend on a number of factors, including whether your insomnia is considered primary or secondary. Primary insomnia occurs as a standalone medical condition, while secondary insomnia is the result of another underlying health condition or medication side effect. Of the two, secondary insomnia is most common.
In many cases, good sleeping habits can help manage the effects of chronic insomnia and help you get the sleep you need. A good night’s sleep can begin with these good sleep hygiene practices:
- Keep the bedroom cool and dark. Most people sleep best in a space that’s quiet, free from artificial light and between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Stick to a consistent bedtime and wake time. It’s tempting to go to bed later and sleep later on the weekends, but it’s not a good practice when it comes to developing better sleep habits. When you go to sleep and wake up around the same time each day, your body becomes accustomed to the routine and is more readily able to fall asleep.
- Turn off electronic devices. Leave your electronic devices, including your smartphone, outside the bedroom altogether. If you must keep them in the room, turn them off at least an hour before bedtime. The light emitted from these screens can affect the body’s production of melatonin, a hormone that stimulates sleep.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol in the hours before bedtime. Everybody reacts to caffeine slightly differently, but it’s better to steer clear of caffeine at least five hours before going to bed. When it comes to alcohol, some people think that it helps them sleep. While it may help you fall asleep, your sleep is likely to be lighter and disrupted.
- Exercise regularly, but not too close to bedtime. Regular physical activity helps tire your body, but getting exercise within a few hours of bedtime may overly stimulate you, making it more challenging to fall asleep.
- Create a calming bedtime routine. Most children have bedtime routines to help them wind down, so why shouldn’t adults? Build a routine that includes an activity or two that helps calm your mind and body, preparing you for sleep. This might include activities like reading a physical book or magazine, taking a warm bath or meditating.
- Don’t try to force sleep. If you haven’t fallen asleep after 20 minutes or so, get up and do some type of relaxing activity until you begin to feel sleepy. Then return to bed.
Treatment for chronic insomnia may also include the use of prescription sleeping pills or cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep coaching sessions that may help you fall asleep more readily and stay asleep. Your doctor can help you determine an appropriate treatment option for your specific needs.
