Sleep insomnia is a huge topic, as there are many different types and causes, and therefore different ways of dealing with it. In a poll conducted about ten years ago in the United States it was found that 58% of all adults experienced insomnia at least a few nights a week. One of the interesting statistics with it is 40% more likely to affect women than men.
Another rather surprising bit of information is that as long a person stays away from sleeping pills, despite the unpleasantness of insomnia it appears that there is little to no increase in mortality that can be associated with mild insomnia. This is described as 4.5 hours of sleep a night. Even severe insomnia is associated with a small increase in mortality. This is only death related to lack of sleep alone, and not a health issue that could be the cause of insomnia. On the other side of the sleep spectrum, it is not known why but there seems to be a higher mortality rate associated with people who regularly get more than 7.5 hours a night.
That said, if most people had their druthers they would rather get their 6.5 to 7.5 hours of good sleep every night, because most would say they feel more energized the next day when they do. So for the person without any additional health problems that are keeping them awake, what are some diet tips to help us get that good night's sleep:
1. Don't take caffeine. For those that are highly sensitive to caffeine, this would probably seem like a no-brainer. But caffeine affects people differently, and it may affect a person more as he gets older. While coffee has a lot of caffeine, tea, soda and chocolate also have some, but in smaller quantities. If you suspect caffeine affects you, it is probably not a good idea to take it after about 4 PM.
2. Eat something before bed. Hunger can rob you of sleep, so going to bed on an empty stomach could trigger insomnia. The experts say a small snack rich in carbohydrates is the best. An apple or perhaps some crackers can help the body produce serotonin, which can make you relaxed and drowsy.
3. Cut back on alcohol consumption. Because alcohol can make you drowsy and make you feel like you're tired, too much can keep you awake once you get past that initial drowsy stage. Drinking too much alcohol close to bedtime may suppress the rapid eye movement stage of sleep that is critical to truly restful sleep. Frequent moving between sleep stages takes place, and a person could wake up throughout the night because of headache, dehydration, or the need to urinate. The result is frequent movement between sleep stages, making restful sleep impossible.
It is important to understand what is causing insomnia in our particular case in order to plan how to prevent it. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, such as common times we go to bed and get up, is crucial. Exercise is always a good thing, but not right before bed. Lastly, when it is time for sleep, watching television is a distraction that will not help get a good night's sleep, so get the TV out of the bedroom.
As we are finding out, lack of sleep may not in itself be a cause of mortality, but if we are feeling drowsy all day it can make our lives miserable. One more reason to exercise are its positive affects on sleeping. Read about that and more on the subject of exercise on our site http://muscle4weightloss.com/. Rich Carroll is a writer and health enthusiast living in London.
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