Men's Health Solutions BLOG

We have all experienced moments where no matter what we do we can’t sleep; however for some of us sleepless nights are a part of every day life, inhibiting our ability to think, concentrate and deal with stress.

Yet, what are the causes?

If you too are one of the 25% of adults who suffer from insomnia, there could be a number of reasons why you can’t sleep:

Your mind: whether it is your job stressing you out or there is a problem subconsciously playing on your mind; anxiety, depression and stress can all prevent you from experiencing a restful night’s sleep.

The problem many of us have is that we are unable to switch off after a long and stressful day… Instead, stressful situations are allowed to build up, forcing our unconscious mind to relieve the situation over and over again!

If this sounds like you, there are a number of solutions you can look into to ensure your ‘can’t sleep’ blues are a thing of the past… the simplest being voicing your concerns to a loved one.

Often stress builds up because you feel you are alone and have got no one to talk to. Yet, by simply speaking to a friend or a loved one about your concerns, and hearing their response, you can help to alleviate this stress, and ultimately set your mind at ease.

Other techniques you can utilise are having a hot relaxing bath; doing yoga (where you can channel your energy away from these negative thoughts) or finding an activity to calm your senses.

Pain: physical ailments such as backache and arthritis can often leave you unable to sleep. We recommend speaking to your physician to see if they can prescribe something to treat your pain.

However, if you’d prefer to use a more natural treatment to ease your discomfort taking a hot bath 30 minutes before you go to bed can help. The heat from the water will help to relax and soothe your aching muscles, leaving you feeling supple and calm.

Menopause: for many women entering the menopause, finding that you can’t sleep is a common side effect. This is often due to your hormones being out of balance and sending your body into hot flushes.

To help combat this, we recommend finding ways to help keep your body cool such as opening a window or using a fan. However, we strongly suggest speaking to a physician who can offer you tips for dealing with your menopause more effectively.

Living conditions: the simplest of things can trigger a sleepless night, such as being too hot or too cold. Fortunately triggers like these can easily be remedied. If your bedroom is too hot, make it cooler by using a fan. Too cold, add an extra blanket to your bed. Too noisy, invest in some ear plugs. Too light, buy thicker curtains or introduce a blackout curtain to your bedroom.

Caffeine: caffeine (coffee) is notorious for its ability to help you stay awake; however drink it too close to your bedtime and this very same drink could be stopping you from sleeping. If you love coffee, try to avoid drinking it for at least 5 hours before you go to bed. This will allow the effects of caffeine to leave your system and enable you to sleep for longer.

As you can see from above, there are a number of reasons why you can’t sleep – many of which can be remedied – however, if you are looking for a safe and effective way to regain control of your sleeping patterns, the support of a natural sleeping aid such as NightCalm can help.

Derived from the Griffonia plant, the 5HTP within this nutritious plant can help to stimulate the natural production of serotonin within your brain, which in turn can help to regulate your body’s mood, appetite, concentration and most importantly your sleep.

And made only from 100% naturally derived ingredients; NightCalm safely works in harmony with your body to improve your sleep patterns and ensure that you get to sleep faster and for longer.

For more information about NightCalm read this NightCalm review!

There are roughly 5 types of sleep disorders that you need to be aware of: insomnia, sleep apnea, snoring, restless legs syndrome (RLS)/periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) and narcolepsy. So if you are not sure whether you have a sleep disorder or simply don’t know what type it is, the following article can help:

Insomnia

Insomnia (otherwise know as a chronic inability to get high quality sleep) is possibly  one of the most common types of sleep disorders you will encounter as most individuals will experience it at some point in their lives.

Triggered by stress, a change in time zones, altered sleep patterns and poor bedtime habits, insomnia is easily treatable. Simply aim to improve your sleep hygiene, take part in relaxation techniques and try cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

If, however, you’d prefer to improve your sleeping patterns naturally, the support of a natural supplement such as NightCalm can help. Proven to boost the serotonin levels within your brain, the 5HTP within this supplement can help you to experience longer, more restful sleep from day one.

Sleep apnea

This sleeping disorder can prove potentially dangerous if you do not get it corrected, as sleep apnea essentially makes you either stop breathing or take very shallow breaths.

Each pause in breathing is believed to last between 10-20 seconds and occurs 20-30 times an hour. Unsurprisingly this causes you to wake up coughing so you can begin breathing properly again.

The most common symptoms of sleep apnea include: frequents gaps in breathing during sleep; gasping/choking for air to restart breathing (which usually wakes you up); loud snoring and feeling un-refreshed/excessively tired during the day, and are usually caused by:

• Excessive weight (obesity)
• Large tonsils or adenoids
• Nasal congestion
• A blockage
• A uniquely shaped neck, head or chin

If you are worried you might have this sleeping disorder, the safest way to treat it is to lose weight, elevate your head from off the bed, sleep on your side or wear a CPAP (a mechanical device which provides continuous air pressure that keeps your airways open).

Snoring

Often confused with sleep apnea, snoring can affect the sleeping patterns of both you and your partner.

Triggered by your airway becoming narrow through poor sleep posture, excessive weight or physical abnormalities in your throat, this sleeping disorder can easily be treated. Try sleeping on your side, losing weight or elevating your head as this can help to open up your airways.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) and Periodic limb movement in sleep (PLMS)

Both of these sleeping disorders can lead to a very eventful night:

• RLS – occurs when you get an irresistible urge to move your legs or arms when you are resting or lying down. It usually feels quite uncomfortable and can be recognised as a tingly/creepy sensation crawling up your limbs.
• PLMS – involves involuntary, rhythmic limb movements when you are awake AND when you are asleep.

Increasing your physical exercise is the best way to deal with these 2 sleeping disorders as they will help to alleviate this desire to move; however we recommend speaking to your physician to see if there is a deeper reason.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy, otherwise known as ‘sleeping attacks’, is a neurological disorder that can cause extreme sleepiness even when you have had plenty of sleep. Often causing you to fall asleep suddenly and without warning, narcolepsy is commonly caused by a lack of hypocreatin in the brain which helps to regulate sleep and wakefulness.

The problem with this sleeping disorder, however, is that it can prove incredibly dangerous if you are walking, driving or working, and can make living a normal life very hard.

If you are worried you may have narcolepsy, common symptoms include: intermittent, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep; excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden losses of muscle control during emotional situations (cataplexy).

Unlike, many of the sleeping disorders listed above, narcolepsy requires a combination of medication, behavioural treatments and counselling to cure.

How to deal with your sleeping disorder

If you suffer from a sleeping disorder, there are a number of treatments you can utilise to regain control of your sleeping patterns:

• Take a sleeping aid – as mentioned above, sleeping aids such as NightCalm can naturally help you to increase your serotonin levels which in turn help to regulate your sleep. By naturally boosting these levels, you can benefit from a long and rested night as well as experience: improved memory, concentration, sexual appetite and injury recovery; alleviation from depression, anxiety, stress, migraines and headaches, and a reduction in your appetite, headaches and aggression.
• Exercise - increasing your daily physical activity, especially during the afternoon, can help to reduce stress and make your body/limbs naturally tired.
• Keep a sleep diary – compiled by you and your partner, a sleep diary can help to identify your triggers, and help you to resolve them. Simply aim to list the time you went to bed and woke up (number of hours); your quality of sleep (how often did you wake up); foods/drinks you consumed before bed; your mood/feelings before bed (happy, sad, stressed, anxious) and if you are taking any drugs or medication.
• Relax – meditation, yoga, reading and listening to sleep music can all help to alleviate stress and anxiety, and remove any distractions that might be keeping you awake. Simply try to do an activity that you enjoy and that makes you feel positive and happy.

Most everyone experiences some minor episodes of insomnia lasting from two night to intermittent episodes of sleeplessness for a few weeks. This form, called transient insomnia, is not unexpected and very everyone will face it at some point in their lives. For instance, a stressful week at work might leave somebody unable to sleep for a few nights. But, six times the week is over, they can get back to sleeping normally.

Among the most frustrating of sleep disorders, insomnia can be irritating. The persistent inability to fall asleep, when you are tired, can leave you stressed and wound up and wondering what is wrong. Yes, an inability to sleep will occasionally occur, but persistent insomnia is no laughing matter.

Some people may also experience acute insomnia, which is a form of short-term insomnia that can strike at some points in peoples’ lives. For instance, if somebody is suffering through a job loss or a difficult divorce, they may experience a persistent inability to get nice sleep for anywhere from six weeks to six months. Notice that, in the case of acute insomnia, this is not a nightly occurrence and the sufferer is still able to get nice sleep on some nights.

The most severe form of insomnia is chronic insomnia, which occurs very nightly for a month or longer. This form of insomnia often seems to arise from seemingly nowhere and leaves the sufferer very no reprieve. Oftentimes, this can leave the person fatigued, but not actually tired to fall asleep. This situation can lead to depression, anxiety, an inability to concentrate, as well as a feeling of “being in a fog” all the time. Obviously, this is a bad state for a person to live in and they need to find relief.

Lots of people turn to sleeping pills in these situations, but these are problematic in some ways. Sleeping pills can be addictive even in their most benign forms and, oftentimes, people will become permanently reliant on sleeping pill to get their nightly rest.

While the temporary forms of insomnia can be relieved by relieving the temporary causes of insomnia, this is not a solution for people who suffer from chronic insomnia. Thus, people with chronic insomnia need to find solutions that address insomnia specifically.

More traditional remedies for insomnia include exercising in the afternoon, drinking warm milk before bed, avoiding anything mentally stimulating in the evening, and going to bed early at night and waking up early in the morning. Obviously, it is preferable to start with traditional remedies such as this and move toward herbal remedies or sleeping pills if these do not help.

Other people seek herbal treatments, such as valerian, chamomile or lavender, for relief from insomnia. Lots of of these herbal remedies are benign, but they can still leave people reliant on them to fall asleep at night.

While insomnia is frustrating for people who suffer from it, it is treatable. There’s lots of remedies out there and people should not be afraid to try them. In most cases, people can basically wait out the circumstances that are causing their insomnia and they will be fine. However, if insomnia is an very nightly occurrence for a month or more, it is time to talk to a doctor and see what remedies might be suitable.
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