Action4Balance

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to sleep well, but the fact is that many people can’t.

The reasons range from troubling stressful life situations to physical problems and poor eating habits.

Whatever the cause, if you are having trouble sleeping, there are some simple things you can do to help remedy the situation. And the first thing is to determine if any of the most common sleep thieves are robbing you of much needed rest.

Rest Robbers

• Stress and Anxiety: This is by far the greatest source of insomnia. People lie awake trying to work out their problems, mourning the past and worrying about the future. (Read Herbs for Stress and Anxiety)

• Painful Physical Conditions: Any number of painful physical conditions can rob a person of sleep. Some of the most common sleep robbers are arthritis, back pain and tension headaches. Virtually any painful condition can rob an otherwise healthy person of a good night’s rest.

• Caffeine: Many people sabotage their sleep by consuming caffeine in coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate and over-the-counter headache medicines. Caffeine increases the production of the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, and can remain in the body for up to twenty hours! More than 80 percent of Americans consume caffeine on a regular basis, and the average American drinks three cups of coffee a day! If you are drinking too much caffeine, you cannot expect to get a good night’s rest.

• Medications: Quite a few medications can also contribute to sleeplessness. Decongestants, appetite suppressants, prednisone, thyroid medications, hormone replacements, some pain relievers, asthma and blood pressure medications, and certain antidepressants may cause insomnia. If you take these medications, don’t be discouraged; ask your doctor for advice if you’re experiencing trouble sleeping.

• Food Insomnia: Eating too much high-sugar food close to bedtime can cause your blood sugar level to rise and give you a burst of energy that makes it difficult to fall asleep. A few hours later, it can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night when your blood sugar suddenly drops again and you feel hungry. Low-carbohydrate diets can also cause a drop in blood sugar levels that wakes you up during the night with hunger.

• Exercise: Exercising stimulates the levels of stress hormones in your body, which may hinder your ability to fall asleep. To avoid this, do not exercise within three hours of bedtime.

• And…There are various other issues that can disturb your sleep, such as a bad mattress or  pillow, a snoring spouse, newborn baby or noisy neighbors. For middle-aged women, things like hot flashes can disturb sleep patterns.

Each of these “rest robbers” is responsible for countless hours of lost sleep, productivity and creativity, and reduced mental health.

Plus - when we lose sleep as a result of 'rest rubbers', our body does not get the rest it needs to recover from the exertions of the day. The toxic load builds up, because our sleep period is the time the body uses to rid itself of toxins. Plus we do not the necessary rest and our level of fatigue builds up.

Related Artilcles:

Sleep and Stress Relief

Planning a Perfect Night’s Sleep

How to Deal with Stress induced Sleep Deprivation