Insomnia: Side Effects, Cures, and Medication
According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), sleep is vital for the health and well-being of every human being. Although every person’s sleep requirement varies, adults normally require an average of eight hours of sleep at night. Despite this, there are millions of people around the world who suffer from lack of sleep, which is called insomnia.
Sleeplessness or insomnia is when a person has a problem with falling asleep or staying asleep, leading to an inadequate quantity amount of sleep required by individuals. Sleep problems are commonly caused due to emotional disorders, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, drug abuse, alcohol, pathological sleepiness. Stress related to school or jobs is a common factor leading to insomnia along with consuming alcohol or beverages with caffeine. Periods are slowly extended for wakefulness due to overwork or travelling as well.
Despite these sleep problems, there are very few people who seek medical advice and remain unaware of the consequences they may suffer from in the future due to insomnia. The immediate side-effects of sleeping less are generally known by most of us – decline in mental ability, decrease in focus and process of information, short-term memory loss. But recent studies have uncovered many other dangerous side-effects of not getting enough sleep.
Side Effects of Not Getting Enough Sleep
The short-term and long-term problems caused by insomnia are linked directly or indirectly to abnormalities in these systems:
- Immune system
- Cardiovascular system
- Nervous system (and brain)
- Metabolism.
Here is a list of the side effects of insomnia:
• Poor night’s sleep leads to tiredness. This type of tiredness isn’t the normal kind where one tires out due to exertion, but it is when a person is tired for no reason at all during the day. Being tired due to a lack of sleep leads to mood swings, grumpiness and being irritable. It affects the memory, focus or concentration, and leads to unproductiveness.
• Less sleep is also the reason behind a person’s bad memory – the type where you can’t recall what you did a few hours ago or during the day.
• Being over-stressed by even the smallest chores and tasks is due to insomnia as well. Such type of stress makes one want to stay in bed or on the couch the whole day and remain inactive. It also leads to hypertension.
• Lack of sleep makes one have a slow response as well. This is crucial for those who have to remain alert during machinery work, driving, playing sports, or working at a restaurant.
• Less sleep leads to acute muscle pains. In this, an individual feels a cramped pain in the muscles.
• Research shows that insomnia triggers diabetes in a person.
• Hallucinations are a cause of lack of sleep.
• Another side effect is the disability to regulate or control the body’s temperature.
• Wrinkles and ageing skin occurs to serious sleep deprivation. The consequences are that people suffering from insomnia look older for their age.
• With a lack of sleep, the growth of hormones is suppressed which leads to a strong urge for sex, stress, mood-swings, etc. Basically, the individual loses his self-control.
• One of the most common consequences of insomnia is depression.
• Psychosis and a lack of sleep are linked by science. Studies show a person suffering from insomnia is susceptible of becoming psychotic.
• Due to less sleep, a person may begin to have slurred speech, blurred vision, and tremors.
• Heart diseases are also linked with insomnia as dietary habits are affected along with an increase in stress level is felt.
• As the metabolic system slows down due to less sleep, a person begins gaining weight. Obesity is linked with insomnia.
• Lack of sleep slags the ability to heal wounds. The immune system is affected and a person is more prone to get sick as well.
• Nausea, headaches, migraines, and dizziness are also side effects of insomnia.
These are the side-effects that begin to arise due to sleep deprivation. A person’s whole lifestyle can be affected by sleeplessness. In extreme cases, lack f sleep is even fatal. Although this condition arises in serious cases, it is vital to bear in mind the other consequences one faces when they do not get enough sleep.
Insomnia is a symptom, not a disease. For this reason, there are ways and techniques to deal with it, and some are simply done by making a few changes to your lifestyles. Here are some tips that can help you sleep easily:
1. Follow a regular and daily sleep schedule. Go to bed by 11:00 p.m. every day, and wake up by 7 a.m. or set a time that suits your work hours.
2. Avoid drinking caffeine at least 4 hours before going to bed. You must also cut back on your coffee or tea intake during the day to get a good night’s sleep.
3. Do not smoke right before going to bed.
4. Workout every day, but NOT before you go to bed.
5. Set an alarm clock to wake up at a decent hour every day. The more you sleep in the morning, the likelier you are of sleeping late at night.
There is an estimated 30-50 percent of the people across the country suffer from sleeplessness, leading to a major effect on the health, economy, and well-being of the society. Many people begin seeking medical help for their sleep issues and are given medication for sleeping. Some medications have side effects and other may become addictive. So it is best you visit a recommended doctor and discuss the medications with them.
A popular medication for insomnia is Melatrol, which assures a normal sleep schedule. It's comprised of natural ingredients, making it a natural sleep aid. Such medications are formulated for those who are committed to get back to a normal sleeping habit for their health and well-being.
Sleeping for 7-8 hours every night is necessary for you. Sleep keeps one rested and refreshed, making you function a whole lot better! If you suffer from sleep deprivation, seek natural ways of getting sleep now and avoid taking over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
Search Results
Insomnia (or sleeplessness) is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_insomnia
Learn more about treating insomnia, including complementary therapies, cognitive behavioural therapies, sleeping tablets and examining underlying conditions.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Insomnia/Pages/Treatment.aspx
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: Get to the root of your sleep problems.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/insomnia-treatment/SL00013
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