Sleeplessness Does Not Equal Success: The (Real) Truth About Insomnia
If I had a penny for every time I woke up in the morning feeling like I did not get any sleep at all, I would be a millionaire.
Tossing and turning. Spending what seems to be hours trying to get comfortable. Disturbances in the middle of the night – be it having to go to the bathroom, hearing a noise in the house, back, hip, or leg pain. Bad dreams, or even medical conditions such as sleep apnea.
While all of these are pretty tough, the absolute worst is insomnia. When you are mentally and physically exhausted but hours after laying down you are still awake without reason – there is no worse feeling in the world.
Unfortunately, I struggle with insomnia far more than any of the other sleep problems that I mentioned above. Watching and listening to everyone else in the house sleep soundly while my mind continues to race and keep me awake or startle me out of my sleep is no fun at all.
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While it is true that I am a very busy person and I do wear many hats, I do not appreciate my mind seeming not to know how to shut down when it is time for bed. I value my sleep, and I value my health. I am not jaded by society’s belief that sleeplessness equals success. I see celebrities brag about not sleeping all of the time, but the reality is that they DO get sleep – on private jets and while being driven from event to event! The average person does not have the luxury of being transported everywhere and having everything done for them in order to free up their time to get more sleep like celebrities do.
In fact, I have tried forcing myself to stay up to complete tasks and working while experiencing insomnia. The results were beyond horrible! I know that in order for my mind and body to be at its absolute best, I need sleep. And not just any type of sleep – a full night of totally uninterrupted sleep.
The funny part is that some celebrities have to learn it the hard way too – just like we do.
truth about insomnia
The truth about insomnia is that is can have a negative effect on our health. Getting complete sleep has many benefits that empower us on a daily basis. It is critical for our immune function, memory and other vital functions that keep our body going. But sleeplessness has become a widespread health issue – with 4 million Americans suffering from chronic insomnia. What’s even more surprising, is that the most common symptom of insomnia is the inability to stay asleep, not difficulty falling asleep. It’s a symptom that more than half of Americans struggle with on a regular basis.
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The good news is that there are simple ways to incorporate better sleep into the daily lifestyle. Practices such as early-to-midday exercise, creating a dark, relaxing environment, and (the hardest one) shutting down technological devices before bed can definitely help ensure a better sleep. But for people with insomnia practicing these habits alone may not be enough. In these cases, the truth about insomnia is there there is good news: effective treatment options available for those suffering with insomnia without worrying about risk of abuse or physical dependence.
truth about insomnia
Getting a full and restful sleep every night is not ‘for the lazy’ and is certainly not a luxury. It is a necessity. Taking control of sleep by trying the practices above or having a conversation with your doctor about getting better sleep will save your health – and your life.
truth about insomnia
I haven’t experienced insomnia but I would imagine the horrors of it, as evident in the post you shared. Sleep is necessary and it keeps our body balanced. There is a time for everything and sleep must definitely be part of our daily schedule. I value my sleep and I always allot 7-8 hours a day just for that. It’s good that you wrote about insomnia and how people can keep up with this challenge.
Having insomnia can be a symptom of a health problem. You might want to get checked through sleep studies.
Sleep is essential since it’s about 1/3 of our lives. Thanks for the reminder!
I will have insomia if I’m having anxiety attacks. I may be able to sleep early like 8 pm but at around 11 pm or 12 midnight Ill wake up and will be awake for 3-4hours. I hate it and its not easy to have good sleep if you’re thinking too much
I had a terrible problem with insomnia and it greatly affects my performance at work. I tried going to bed early, but my mind is still running around with too much thinking. Above tips will be tested tonight. Thank you!
I’m not sure if I have insomnia but I’m sure I have a serious sleeping problem too. I was nodding all throughout this article. It’s good that there are now a lot of ways to address this problem other than drinking medications.
Insomnia is really one of the worst problems that I occasionally encounter myself. You are so tired and sleepy, yet you cannot sleep! Thanks for this article.
I can’t get over how true this is. As early as now a lot of my classmates in Architecture college don’t get much sleep and still suffer from low grades. 😐
I am sure the people who are facing insomnia how difficult it would be for all the sleepless nights. It really takes a toll on the health and getting up not feel fresh.
How very true ! not sleeping really does take a toll on one’s health
I’m going through insomnia right now. It’s hard for me to fall asleep. I’m glad that it’s still my holidays. It will be so much more tiring when uni starts.
This is great information. I had suffered from insomnia when I was younger. After I got married and things have become relaxed, I started sleeping soundly.
Thanks for sharing. I learned about it when studying in uni. You reminded me this now.
Being able to sleep at will would be among the skills I want to master. Insomnia can really be difficult to deal with.
Learned new facts about insomnia from this post. I once struggled with this illness.
Learned much about insomnia from your posts. Thanks for the info.
I always though I had insomnia but thanks to your post now I am sure its nots insomnia.
I hope you have gotten help with your insomnia Melisa. It’s true it’s a huge Heath issue – sleep is the most important basic need for all living things!
Really helpful article and insomia got my whole being numb to move the next day. I think, the food intake take its toll and the well-being too. Nice posting this article for readers like me.
Sorry to hear that you suffer from insomnia Makeba. It’s so hard to function when you lack sleep. I felt it when my son was a newborn. I don’t get my full night sleep everyday but I compensate by power napping when my son naps in the afternoon to give me a boost of energy.
OMG… Insomnia is bad for health and also emotion. I had it once and went for therapy. The doctor advised me to exercise and cut down my coffee intake. After a while Iife slowly become normal.
I get insomnia too, Whenever I don’t get to sleep, I will use the hypnosis app to relax myself and make myself sleep~
Brilliant article…having suffered my self (still trying to recover) So far, I’ve installed Flux on my laptop (which helps with the lighting of my monitor), I’m trying to juggle balls, which combines left hemisphere with the right hemisphere, allowing me to feel more sleepy (don’t have any research on this, but combining both hemispheres of my brain seems to work for most of the time) and I’m currently trying to engage in a new activity; where I slow my breathing down, to just 6 breaths in, and 8-9 breaths out, as slow, deep breathing helps reduce your brainwave electrical activity… Read more »