Insomnia

Insomnia

Ryan Kellogg

Sullivan University

Eng. 101 Composition 1

February 15, 2017

Abstract

Lacking sleep after a period of time can greatly affect your life and really take a toll on your body and mind. Living with insomnia can cause several things such as feeling weak, getting light headed, become irritable, loss of memory, poor performance, and daytime sleepiness. As a result of insomnia people are sensitive to certain foods and may be allergic to them which can disrupted sleep. Also known are some other effects of continuous sleep deprivation, such as the deceptions of perception, loss of concentration, neurological damage, thinking integrity violation, and irreversible hallucinations and psychological. There may not be much research on insomnia but analyses have shown it is prevalent and the people with insomnia had more health problems than those without although some major results were lost. Insomnia may also be brought on by medication, substance abuse, caffeine, or alcohol. Even the way you live can cause insomnia as easy as not having a regular sleep pattern or little things like snoring, disruptive noises, or lights.

        Keywords; analyses, living, psychological, sensitive

        First, causes and most common reasons for insomnia are stress, depression, anxiety, lights, and noises. “As many as 16% to 23% of young adults report insomnia symptoms” said Bixler, Vgontzas, Lin, Vela-Bueno, & Kales in 2002. Concerns about school, work, family, finances, or health can keep your mind running wild at night, which in turn makes it harder to fall asleep. Life traumas or events such as divorce, the illness or death of someone you loved, or a loss of a job may lead to insomnia. Feeling alone or depressed in general makes your mind restless at night that could be a reason for insomnia. When the pressure is on and you have so much to do and so little time the anxiety of overthinking and not getting something done is nerve racking and will make you not sleep at night because you feel like you are forgetting something. Insomnias main cause is all in peoples head by not letting things go, feeling sad and alone, or just biting off more than you can chew. Snoring and little flashes of car lights or the sound of something squeaking can all take part in not sleeping.

        Now, as just stated stress and anxiety cause insomnia but lack of sleep causes more stress and anxiety so it is just one big never ending pattern. Symptoms of stress and lack of sleep causes irritability at work, school, and even home which can cause arguments and or unwanted problems. Feeling depressed can cause someone to want to close others out and just be alone which in turn causes loss of friends and family. With anxiety when you mess up and something isn’t finished you may get disappointed and there goes all the motivation you once had. An irregular sleep pattern due to anxiety or having too much to do can confuse your body’s natural sleep pattern. Before bed turn off all lights with just a nightlight if need be and turn on a fan for a constant noise that blocks out the other inconsistent noise and this could help you relax more.

        Another thing that happens because of insomnia is tobacco use, drug use, alcohol use, irregular sleep schedule, and even heavy meals before bed. “Students reported sleeping an average of 6.79 hours on a typical school/work night, and 9.30 hours when they did not have school/work the next day” said by students in college. Insomnia in some cases, start out with an acute episode but turn into a larger and more drawn out problem. With being irritable the constant smoking of tobacco or choice of poison temporarily takes the edge off and makes you feel a bit better for the time being. Tobacco and caffeine are stimulants that make it hard to settle down initially after having ingested. Alcohol on the other hand is a depressant and will put you to sleep at first but it causes you to not sleep very well constantly waking you up. Having heavy meals right before bed can cause the belly not to settle or if spicy, may cause acid reflux or heart burn. If you have this problem try eating lighter meals before bed or just eat sooner and not so close to bed time.

        Symptoms that may follow the use of stimulants, depressants, or even what you eat can all have a direct effect on your health, financial standing, or current life situations. Before you know it your addicted and don’t realize there is a problem which can cause families to worry and hurt your health. Unregulated use of these things can cause you to begin spending too much money too fast and running out of it. Many prescription drugs interfere with sleep, such as medications for blood pressure and asthma along with certain antidepressants. Many drugs sold over the counter such as weight loss pills, pain medication, and even cold an allegry pills contain caffeine and other stimulants that can disrupt sleep. Tobacco after years of smoking can cause clogged arteries, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and many other diseases that will take a toll on your body.