Why is it hard for me to sleep at night: causes and solutions

Not being able to sleep is a very common problem in our society. There are many people who are not able to sleep the recommended 8 hours and ask themselves: "Why is it difficult for me to sleep at night?"

The bill of not resting well means that neither the mind nor the body is repaired properly, manifesting in daily life in the form of lower performance, in addition to presenting emotions negative like depression and irritability.

Fortunately, sleep problems, whatever their cause, can be solved. You just have to identify what causes and maintains them in order to address the problem and enjoy a well-deserved rest.

Then let's see in more detail what are the causes behind having problems falling asleep, in addition to seeing what can be done.

• It may interest you: "Fight insomnia: 10 solutions to sleep better"

Why am I having trouble sleeping at night? Possible causes

The first thing to do when looking for a solution to insomnia problems is to find the cause that cause them.

They can be very varied, with the top 10 being the following.

1. [Stress] (/ clinic / types-of-stress

Stress is clearly the main problem why you can't sleep well.

Any situation in which the psychological stability of the person is altered contributes to the generation of a whole series of thoughts related to the concern for becoming.

When he goes to bed, he does not stop thinking about matters that have been pending, or in some situation in which he does not know how it will end.

Thus, the brain is activated by thinking about catastrophic scenarios or trying to find a solution to the problem in question, and therefore, the more difficult it is to fall asleep.

2. Alcohol consumption

Alcohol is commonly thought to help you sleep. This is not exactly like this.

The truth is that alcohol does cause drowsiness and a reduced ability to react, however, over time, the person may find it harder to get to sleep.

That is why, even if it is only a glass or a bottle of beer, it is advisable to avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages during the two hours before going to bed.

3. Too much lighting

Although sensitivity to light is highly variable from person to person, there are those who are able to fall asleep in full sun while they are lying in a hammock on the beach, the lighting of the place where they are going to sleep can make it difficult to sleep significantly.

The human being is a diurnal animal. This means that it needs to rest during the night, and biologically speaking, it is programmed so that, in the absence of light, it initiates sleep.

If during the night, while in the room there is some type of light stimulation, the brain can interpret that it is still daylight or that it needs to be awake, which means it will cost you more to fall asleep.

4. Too much noise

As with the previous case, there are people who are more sensitive to noise than others, however, there is often an unwritten consensus that auditory stimuli are difficult to ignore when trying to sleep.

The ideal is absolute silence. If you can't get it, either because you live on a too noisy street or for some other reason, you can resign yourself by buying some good earplugs.

5. Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulating substance, and its main use is known to all, which is to keep us awake.

Not only does coffee contain this methylxanthine, so do chocolate and tea (yes, caffeine and theine are the same).

6. Unsuitable temperature

The temperature of the room influences how comfortable you are and, also, how quickly you get to sleep.

It is common that in winter we spend with the heat, while in summer we spend with the cool.

Temperatures lower than 15 ºC and higher than 23 ºC make it difficult to sleep.

7. Overexcitement

Many people, after a long day at work, like to take the stress out of everyday life by doing a little exercise. However, sometimes doing too much physical activity can do more harm than good.

Many people suffer from insomnia due to being overexcited practicing a sport between the afternoon and night.

The heart is doing a thousand, in addition to the brain receives a high blood flow, finding the person very savvy.

Sometimes it happens that people have sex at night and then wonder 'why is it difficult for me to sleep? both at night ', confident that the intercourse would go to sleep immediately because of the exhaustion.

Related to the aforementioned, this is also an activity in which the heart is activated, causing the body to remain in a state of alert and not be able to fall asleep.

8. Dinner too heavy

Eating copious and heavy meals makes digestion difficult. This can lead to stomach pain, reflux, and gastrointestinal discomfort.

If you suffer from burning, lying down makes the situation worse, with which the person will be forced to get up to try to calm this annoying problem and cross your fingers so that the reflux does not rise threw up.

9. Thyroid problems

If the thyroid produces too many hormones, various symptoms can occur, such as weight changes, nervousness, hypersensitivity to heat and, among others, insomnia problems.

Sleep problems are often a symptom of hyperthyroidism and this problem can be detected by a test to see the levels of the hormone thyrotropin (TSH).

10. Restless Leg Syndrome

Many people suffer from this syndrome, the symptoms of which range from tingling legs to itching and tightness. These discomforts appear at rest and improve with movement..

That is why, when symptoms appear, the person is unable to stop moving the limbs with the intention of calming the discomfort.

It is one of the main causes of insomnia in people over 45 years of age.

How to solve this problem?

After having detected what is the problem that causes insomnia, it is possible to approach it to get to sleep.

1. Take a hot shower

Hot water dilates blood vessels and lowers muscle tone, inducing a deep state of relaxation.

That is why taking a good shower is one of the best ways to end the day and, later, when you go to bed, it is very easy to fall asleep.

2. Let your imagination run

A good way to get to sleep, especially for those with anxiety, is try to divert attention to day-to-day problems and focus on imagining a beautiful landscape.

A beach, a fairytale forest or imagining the typical and typical field full of little sheep are, however simple it may seem, ideal ways to relax and, without even realizing it, fall asleep.

3. Coffee is better in the morning

Coffee, and other stimulating drinks, is not recommended to consume after 6 p.m.. There are those who, even if they have a cup of tea after 2:00 pm, they are not able to fall asleep at night.

It is for this reason that the best thing to do if you are a heavy user of this substance is to try reduce your consumption, and do it especially in the morning, which is the time when the stimulation.

4. Soundproof room

If the problem is that the neighborhood where you live is too noisy it is as simple as getting doors and windows with soundproofing system.

Also, in case you cannot opt ​​for this option, it is possible to counter the mundane noise with ambient sound or relaxing music, whether it is classical or New Age music, such as Enya or Celtic Woman.

5. Read how it was done in the past

Reading a book before bed can help you relax and, consequently, have an easier time achieving the long-awaited dream.

However, not every reading format is valid. E-books, mobiles, computers and other types of devices with a screen are not a good option to read before going to sleep, as the lights on these displays cause the brain.

The ideal is to read as has been done all your life, with a physical book.

6. Do exercise

It is true that we have said before that physical exercise, carried out in excess, hinders the desire to sleep, especially if you do an activity in which the heart is activated a lot.

However, everything must be done in its proper measure and, just as the antidote is extracted from the poison, the Exercise can be used to get us into a deep sleep as soon as we fall into bed.

It is recommended that it is not done immediately before going to sleep, since we will still be too active to fall asleep.

7. Seek professional help

If you have suffered from insomnia for a long time and the cause of the problem does not seem to be any of the above, it is best to seek professional help.

It may be that the problem is of biological origin and that there is a dysregulation of hormones or some problem at the brain level.

Also, it can be due to problems in sleeping habits that are not being controlled.

That is why going to a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist and, if necessary, a nutritionist can be the first steps to overcome this problem whose degree of interference in daily life is so high.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.
• Diagnostic Classification Steering Committee of the American Sleep Disorders Association. (1990). International classification of sleep disorders-diagnostic and coding manual. Rochester (MN): American Sleep Disorders Association.
• Bellesi, M.; de Vivo, L.; Chini, M.; Gilli, F.; Tononi, G. & Cirelli, C. (2017). Sleep loss promotes astrocytic phagocytosis and microglial activation in mouse cerebral cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 37 (21): 5263-73.
• Santos, J.L.; García, L.I.; Calderón, M.A.; Sanz, L.J.; de los Ríos, P.; Izquierdo, S.; Roman, P.; Hernangómez, L.; Navas, E.; Ladrón, A and Álvarez-Cienfuegos, L. (2012). Clinical psychology. CEDE PIR Preparation Manual, 02. CEDE. Madrid.