Sleep, Why Can’t I Sleep

Sleep, it is something that alludes me.  I have occasional nights that I get a good nights sleep, but it is rare.  I have read many articles about sleep.  One that I recently read talked about the risk factors related to sleepless nights.  Yuk, right.  I can share a few of them with you.

• Women are more likely to have insomnia

They really don’t know why.  Some say maybe hormones, others say not.  Of course if you have ever been pregnant you know sleep is hard to come by.  So pregnancy is another reason women are at higher risk.  My personal feelings are that women go to be with a lot more on their minds.  That maybe a very prejudice thing to say, but I think it is true.  It has been proven men can compartmentalize their thought a lot better than women do.  I can also tell you that when my children were little my husband could sleep through thunder and I could hear a pin drop.  Studies have shown that women are more likely to have insomnia than men.

• Medical conditions can cause sleepless nights.

If you have recently been put on a new medication it can cause sleeplessness.  There are also some over the counter meds that you should not take close to bedtime. Certain antihistamines can cause drowsiness, but they can also keep you awake.  Tossing and turning is a side effect of different types of medicines.  Look at your medicine bottle and read the side effects.  The brain just can not settle down on certain medications.

• Pain and Depression

Pain and depression can cause all kinds of havoc in our lives, but a big one is insomnia.  The overactive brain is a problem with depression and pain, well everyone knows you can not sleep if something is throbbing all night long.

• Eating late

Yes, eating four slices of pizza and going to be is not a good idea.  It takes our body a lot of work to digest food.  All of your blood rushes to your gut and work is going on in your stomach. So with that being said, eating late is a bad idea.  Not only is it a bad idea for sleep but also for the chance of getting re flux.  We are not in college anymore.  You can’t eat like you used to and go to bed hoping for sleep.

• Drinking enough water

This comes up time after time.  Waking up at 3:00 am thirsty is a bad sign.  It is a sign of dehydration.  Dehydration is hard on the body.  Water quenches  the thirsty cells in our body.  This includes the brain cells that can be hyperactive at night.  So give your brain a little extra water about 2 hours before you go to bed.  That way going to the bathroom can be done before you try to get some sleep.

If sleep still alludes you try some of the things listed here, drink enough water all day.   A routine that is somewhat like a ritual can help.  Like sipping chamomile tea and listening to music. Check to see if your medications are causing you to have a sleepless night.  Get something for your pain and depression.  There is nothing wrong with talking to a health care professional and asking for help in this area.  Try not to eat anything 2 hours before you go to bed.  If you are a female, some meditation techniques can help you calm your brain activity and settle down.  I even think that counting those precious little sheep when you climb in the bed will help.  Counting sheep is imagery that can slow our brains down.  If your pillows and mattress needs updating then do it.  It is worth a good nights rest.  One last thing, try to stay off of your computer, phone and Ipad.  They are all big problems when sleep is your end need.  Honestly, Janet

PS:  I did buy some pillows.  I am trying them out.  You can click the link to try them too. They got the highest number of stars on Amazon.