I Can’t Sleep Well: Possible Causes and What to Do

Problems sleeping well are among the most common health problems in Western countries. Furthermore, its harmful effects are as varied as they are severe, if they are not treated as soon as possible.

For example, for most people, spending a couple of days sleeping less than six hours in a row causes our ability to concentrate and reason to decrease significantly throughout the day (although luckily they return to normal once we have a good night’s sleep). quality of sleep), and if the situation is prolonged and maintained in the medium term, the probabilities of developing psychological and psychiatric illnesses increase significantly.

Thus, Not being able to sleep well is much more than a source of discomfort and subjective discomfort.: It also results in poorer 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 address them well.

Common causes of inability to sleep well

These are some of the most common causes of sleep problems; In the vast majority of cases, several of them occur at the same time.

What to do about this problem?

Each case of insomnia must be examined individually. , so the most effective solution (and the only possible one, in cases where the quality of life is compromised in a sustained way over time) is to attend therapy. In the psychologist’s consultation it is possible to obtain the tools for emotional management and adoption of habits necessary to overcome sleeping problems, based on the particularities of the person.

Taking that into account, also There are some guidelines to follow that can help you get back to sleeping well in a matter of a few days. We will see them below as general tips to promote deep, quality sleep.

1. Make sure that if you have trouble sleeping it is not because of discomfort

TOSomething as simple as being cold or hot in bed can be among the main obstacles to sleeping well. Therefore, it is worth checking the bedroom you usually use, looking for possible sources of discomfort: do you usually remove all the objects from the mattress to sleep? Are you exposed to noises coming from another room, or your own?

Sometimes, we do not see the problem for the simple fact that we have become so accustomed to it that we do not even notice its existence.

2. Make your last waking hours free time

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

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

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

However, exercise well used is not only not an impediment to sleeping well, but 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 any possible injuries 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 of your body (at least those of the legs) and to focus more on resistance than on explosive strength. That is to say, it is more interesting to do long sessions than to do a few movements in which you use a lot of force.

Aerobic exercise has been shown to be effective in combating anxiety, both because of the changes in your body’s hormone production, and because of its ability to make us “disconnect” from what worries us by providing short-term incentives focused on the present moment. 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 achieve your goals and less likely to develop stress or anxiety. Yes indeed, Be careful with eating heavy meals shortly before going to sleep; If digestion gives you problems, you will also have a hard time falling asleep and you will possibly 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 pay you to get out of bed and spend about 15 or 20 minutes “disconnecting” doing some activity that does not require 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 light source. Then go back to bed.

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If you are looking for psychological assistance, contact me

In case you are seeking psychotherapeutic help to cope with anxiety, Get in touch with me; I am a psychologist with many years of experience addressing cases of anxiety and sleeping problems. I currently hold sessions in person (in Almería) and online.

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