What's Keeping You Awake at Night

Insomnia has long troubled many a Hong Konger. Most of us have probably tried lying in bed, tossing and turning through a sleepless night. In fact, beyond simply being unable to fall asleep, struggling to reach deep sleep, waking too early, and poor sleep quality that leaves us feeling as though we never slept at all are all symptoms of insomnia. In the past, we may have found ourselves unable to fall asleep at night — perhaps over a break-up, perhaps over exam results — but for most of the time those bouts of sleeplessness did not interfere much with our lives. According to the World Health Organization's definition, insomnia refers to symptoms that persist for more than a month and occur at least three days a week, leaving sufferers in a state of long-term worry that affects their daily lives. We would all surely agree on how important sleep is to us, so let us take a closer look at what causes insomnia and how we can improve our sleep quality.

The Causes of Insomnia

There can be many reasons behind insomnia. The problem may stem from a single cause, or it may arise from a combination of several. These causes include:

Lifestyle Habits	Eating too late at night or going to bed too hungry, drinking alcohol or caffeinated beverages late at night (yes, alcohol makes it harder to fall asleep), doing vigorous exercise before bed, taking medication
Environment	Light, noise, an uncomfortable bed or bedroom
Physical	Itching, pain, bed-wetting, endocrine problems
Psychological	Everyday stress, tension, anxiety, mistaken beliefs about sleep (such as thinking that if you don't sleep enough you will have problems the next day, which only generates more stress and anxiety from your own thoughts)
Mental Illness	Depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder and other mental illnesses

Understanding the causes of insomnia matters a great deal, because it allows us to treat the right problem — to take corrective or preventive measures tailored to each different cause and so improve our sleep quality.

Insomnia and Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene refers to a set of habits or measures that can help us improve our sleep quality. Most of the ways to improve sleep hygiene or sleep quality are, in fact, methods we have heard time and again. Even so, it is worth revisiting how we can improve our own insomnia:

First, we can adjust our lifestyle habits to avoid insomnia. When it comes to food and drink, we can cut back on caffeine and alcohol. It is worth noting that besides coffee, tea, cocoa and chocolate all contain caffeine too, so we should avoid drinking or eating these products before bed. We can also avoid taking up activities right before bed, so that our brains are well prepared for sleep.

Beyond this, we should avoid carrying out other activities in bed during the daytime, such as working, reading or looking at our phones. This is because doing so makes our brains link the bed with those other activities, so that when we lie down, our brains may mistakenly think we want to work or check our phones, making it harder for us to fall asleep. We can also avoid taking afternoon naps, since these make it harder to fall asleep at night and disrupt our sleep routine.

As well as giving up the bad habits that affect our sleep, we can cultivate habits that help us sleep better. The most important of these is to establish a regular sleep routine. As mentioned above, we should avoid exercising at night; exercising while there is daylight can in fact lower melatonin secretion before dusk, so that melatonin only rises at night, improving sleep quality. Before bed we can set aside some time for relaxing activities, such as a hot bath or listening to music, to lift our mood. If something is troubling us right before bed, we can write it down and then tell ourselves we can leave those difficult matters to deal with tomorrow; this can ease our tension and let us fall asleep with a more relaxed mind. If you have lain in bed for thirty minutes and still cannot sleep, you can leave the bed and bedroom and only lie back down once you feel sleepy. The reasoning behind this is the same as reducing other activities in bed: it stops us from linking "the bed" with "being unable to sleep" and affecting our future sleep.

Insomnia can have a serious impact on our lives. If the situation persists, none of us should shy away from seeking medical help, let alone put our faith in unreliable folk remedies. Instead, we should face the problem head-on, seek the help of professionals, and find the root of the problem as soon as possible, so that insomnia no longer troubles us. If you are interested in mental health, do keep an eye on the dedicated pages and articles of TreeholeHK.