I can't sleep well: possible causes and what to do

Problems sleeping well are among the most frequent health disorders in Western countries. In addition, its damaging effects are as varied as they are severe, if they are not addressed as soon as possible.

For example, in most people, spending a couple of days sleeping less than six hours at a time makes our ability to concentrate and reasoning decrease notably throughout the day (although luckily they return to normal when they have a good quality of sleep again), and if the situation is prolonged and is maintained in the medium term, the probabilities of developing psychological and psychiatric illnesses increase in a way significant.

Thus, not being able to sleep well is much more than a source of subjective discomfort and discomfort: It is also reflected in worse health and a lower capacity to adapt to the challenges that life poses. And in this sense, understanding these kinds of problems is very important to know how to tackle them well.

• Related article: "The 5 phases of sleep: from slow waves to REM"

Common causes of inability to sleep well

These are some of the most frequent causes for sleeping problems; in the vast majority of cases, several of them occur at the same time.

• Bad time management when fulfilling responsibilities
• Bad work hours, or too changeable
• Genetic predispositions to the development of anxiety problems
• Health problems parallel to sleeping difficulties
• Poor management of intrusive thoughts and psychological rumination
• Habits that lead to staying in a high state of arousal until just before going to sleep
• Routines that lead to a long postponement of turning off the light and trying to sleep
• The bedroom is a difficult place to fall asleep
• Drug side effects

What to do about this problem?

Each case of insomnia must be examined individuallyTherefore, the most effective solution (and the only possible one, in cases in which the quality of life is compromised in a sustained way over time) is to attend therapy. In the psychologist's office it is possible to obtain the tools of emotional management and adoption of habits necessary to overcome sleeping problems, starting from the particularities of the person.

Considering that, too there are some guidelines to follow that can help you get back to sleep well in a matter of a few days. We will see them below as general tips to promote deep and quality sleep.

1. Make sure that if you find it difficult to sleep it is not because of discomfort

TOSomething as simple as being cold or hot in bed can be among the main obstacles to getting a good night's sleep.. Therefore, it is worth checking the bedroom you usually use, looking for possible sources of discomfort: do you usually remove all objects from the mattress to sleep? Do you expose yourself to noise coming from another room, or from your own?

Sometimes we do not see the problem simply because we have become so used to it that we do not even notice it exists.

• You may be interested in: "The 7 main sleep disorders"

2. Make your last waking hours free time

If you dedicate the last hours of your day to take care of your work or domestic responsibilities in the medium term, you will be generating a predisposition to continue thinking about your obligations when you go to bed or even worse, you will run the risk of work accumulating and you should leave it for the next day. Ideally, you can disconnect during the moments before trying to fall asleep, so that you can avoid psychological rumination when you turn off the light and are alone with your thoughts.

3. Exercise, but do it in the morning or at noon

You should avoid doing sports or exercise in general a few hours before going to bed at all costs; otherwise, you will be altering your biological clock, making it start working as if those muscle effort sessions were the time of the day when you need to be more active.

However, well-used exercise is not only not an impediment to good sleep, it will help you. The best thing you can do is incorporate it into your weekly routines with a session of between 60 and 35 minutes of aerobic exercise every two or three days, always taking into account your physical condition (and the possible injuries that you may have). This is not limited to going for a run, you can also use the exercise bike, the elliptical, go swimming, etc.

The important thing is to use the large muscle groups in your body (at least, those in the legs) and that you put the focus more on endurance than explosive strength. That is, it is more important to perform long sessions than few movements in which you do a lot of strength.

Aerobic exercise has been shown to be effective in fighting anxiety, both due to changes in the production of hormones in your body, as well as its ability to make us “Disconnect” from what worries us by providing short-term incentives focused on the moment Present. In other words, it allows us to reset our mind.

4. Eat well, especially in the first half of the day

If your body has all the macronutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs, you will be less likely to lack energy to reach your goals and to develop stress or anxiety. Yes indeed, be careful with eating heavy meals shortly before going to sleep; If your digestion gives you problems, it will also be difficult for you to fall asleep and possibly you will wake up more during the night.

5. If you've been trying to fall asleep for too long, get out of bed for a few minutes

If you see that you are having a hard time falling asleep, surely it will compensate you to get out of bed and spend about 15 or 20 minutes to "disconnect" doing some activity that does not demand too much psychological or physical effort: for example, reading a light novel, practicing Mindfulness, etc. Of course, avoid staring at a screen or any other source of light. Lugo, go back to bed.

If you are looking for psychological assistance, please contact me

In case you are seeking psychotherapeutic help to deal with anxiety, Get in touch with me; I am a psychologist with many years of experience dealing with anxiety and sleep problems. Currently I hold sessions in person (in Almería) and online.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.
• Del Río, I.Y. (2006). Stress and sleep. Mexican Journal of Neuroscience, 7 (1): 15 - 20.
• World Health Organization. ICD 10. (1992). Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Mental and Behavioral Disorders: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines. Madrid: Meditor.
• Reyes, B.M.; Velázquez-Panigua, M. and Prieto-Gómez, B. (2009). Melatonin and neuropathologies. Journal of the Faculty of Medicine UNAM, 52 (3). Genomic Sciences Center. Faculty of Medicine, UNAM.
• Valdés, M., De Flores, T. (1985). Psychobiology of stress. Barcelona: Martínez Roca.