Insomnia

Day 66

Insomnia - per WebMD (the site that no one should visit lol) - is defined as a sleep disorder in which you have trouble falling and/or staying asleep. Every now and then, I get my fair share of sleepless nights but even with my crazy week last week, I didn't get any bad night.

That said, for the last few nights, specially the most recent one, I had a really hard time staying asleep which is very disrupting for my day to day activities, specially for the gym. My work day rarely gets affected since coffee always helps. That said, i want to go over the potential causes based on what WebMD says and analyze what's applicable:

Insomnia Causes

Primary causes of insomnia include:

• Stress related to big life events, like a job loss or change, the death of a loved one, divorce, or moving --> N/A
• Things around you like noise, light, or temperature --> N/A
• Changes to your sleep schedule like jet lag, a new shift at work, or bad habits you picked up when you had other sleep problems --> N/A
• Your genes. Research has found that a tendency for insomnia may run in families. --> Need to ask mom though, she is always complaining about lack of sleep but I think the culprit with her is my dad and his really bad habits of waking up early.

Secondary causes of insomnia include:

• Mental health issues like depression and anxiety --> Could be the anxiety hurting a bit. Lately many things have been causing me anxiety bouts.
• Medications for colds, allergies, depression, high blood pressure, and asthma. -> N/A
• Pain or discomfort at night --> Well.... could be, my cats sometimes sleep in a way were I cannot move around :|
• Caffeine, tobacco, or alcohol use, as well as use of illicit drugs. --> My caffeine intake stops at 4PM. I don't smoke or use ilicit drugs and my alcohol intake, specially during the weekdays, is minimal.
• Hyperthyroidism and other endocrine problems --> May need to go to the doctor
• Other sleep disorders, like sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome --> Not sure and I doubt so.
• Pregnancy --> Only counts if "food pregnancy" is considered, but not really since I don't pig out at night and try to have dinner fairly early at night.
• Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia --> N/A
• ADHD --> N/A
• PMS and menopause --> N/A

Even though the symptoms include sleepiness during the day, grumpiness, fatigue and problems with concentration or memory, the only one I get is just fatigue, I just feel tired and that why I have issues at the gym.

Out of the things that are recommended to prevent it, I think I follow most:

• Go to sleep at the same time each night, and get up at the same time each morning. Try not to take naps during the day, because they may make you less sleepy at night. --> I don't nap and try as best as possible to follow a sleeping pattern.
• Don’t use phones or e-books before bed. Their light can make it harder to fall asleep. --> Hard habit to quit, I do however detach from my phone early, but my Nintendo Switch is another story.
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can keep you from falling asleep. Alcohol can make you wake up in the middle of the night and hurt your sleep quality. --> Done
• Get regular exercise. Try not to work out close to bedtime, because it may make it hard to fall asleep. Experts suggest exercising at least 3 to 4 hours before bed. --> I do, monday to thursdays and saturdays and definitely not late at night.
• Don't eat a heavy meal late in the day. But a light snack before bedtime may help you sleep. --> Followed to the T.
• Make your bedroom comfortable: dark, quiet, and not too warm or too cold. If light is a problem, use a sleeping mask. To cover up sounds, try earplugs, a fan, or a white noise machine. --> DARK (blackouts), quite and with nice temperature with a Fan always on.
• Follow a routine to relax before bed. Read a book, listen to music, or take a bath. --> Shower before bed, and cuddle with my cats almost every single night,
• Don’t use your bed for anything other than sleep and sex. --> Yeah, the sex part, well, I'm screwed :(
• If you can't fall asleep and aren’t drowsy, get up and do something calming, like reading until you feel sleepy. --> I do feel sleepy, I just have a hard time staying asleep.
• If you tend to lie awake and worry about things, make a to-do list before you go to bed. This may help you put your concerns aside for the night. --> This might help, maybe sometimes I get too preoccupied.

And that's all folks, but even if I followed WebMD here, I honestly do not recommend it. LOL