Did You Sleep Well?
Sleeplessness
Lying awake for hours and having endless thoughts – many people know that all too well. Nearly half of all Germans regularly has problems falling asleep or wakes up repeatedly at night.
There are two types of sleeplessness: Problems falling asleep when you are lying awake for hours and cannot go to sleep, and problems sleeping through the night where your sleep is constantly interrupted by repeated phases of waking up.
The causes of insomnia are very varied. They range from little habits that can easily be changed, to stress at work or in one’s private life and finally serious physical and psychological illnesses.
Problems sleeping are often connected with symptoms such as lack of performance and concentration, exhaustion or a depressed mental state. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to differentiate if these symptoms are the cause or the consequence of the lack of sleep.
That is why you should take problems with sleeping seriously in any case and try to find the causes or let a doctor determine them. Corrente’s team of counsellors is also happy to help you assess your insomnia and to overcome it.
Possible causes
Problems with sleep can have many causes. Some can only be solved with medical or therapeutic help. Others can be taken care of by you.
• Physical illness (e.g. hormonal imbalance, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases)
• psychic/emotional stress (e.g. stress at work or in one’s private life, worries about the future, emotional tension)
• Environmental influences (e.g. noise, light, weather)
• Psychiatric causes (e.g. depression, anxiety, eating disorders)
• Medication, alcohol, drugs
• Too much sleep
Finally falling asleep
Below are a few tips on how you can fall asleep more easily:
• Make sure that your bedroom is the quietest room in your home.
• A well ventilated room of ideally 15 degrees Celsius is best for sleeping.
• TVs and electronic devices on standby should not be in your bedroom. The same applies to mobile phones that are switched on.
• Avoid big meals and exercise before going to bed.
• Try to switch off internally before going to bed, e.g. by going for a walk or meditating.
• Have a bath in the evening, it will relax you. Careful: Do not use stimulating bath additives. Lavender, camomile or simply no additives would be better.
• Do not wash your hair before going to bed.It “pulls” energy into the head.
• Warm milk or herbal tea prepare you for bedtime.
• Create a regular bedtime ritual: Recite a poem you like or say a prayer.
If you are interested in more information we do recommend:
Prof. Dr. med. Matthew Walker: Why We Sleep. New York: Scribner
Sleeping through the night
Do you have a problem waking upfrequently during the night?
• Keep tabs on your sleep interruptions by writing down when and for how long you are lying awake at night. What feels like hours is often just minutes – this knowledge can help unburden you.
• If you wake up shortly after falling asleep, look for somewhere else, e.g. the sofa, to read and relax. Go back to bed only when you are really tired.
• If hunger wakes you up, have a small snack such as a glass of warm milk or a banana.
• If you cannot fall asleep because too many thoughts are going round your head, write them down – then you can be sure that you haven’t forgotten anything important when the morning comes.
• Do not let your pet sleep in your bed at night so that it doesn’t interrupt your sleep with its restlessness.