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Insomnia

“I'm a very light sleeper. So if someone opens a door, a dog barks, an owl calls, it'll wake me up,”
complained a postgraduate who is now an intern at Hospital Bintulu.

“When I wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning, my mind starts processing stuff—things that I need to get
done, that I forgot to do,” he said. "Trying to relieve that anxiety seems to me a very worthwhile sleep
prescription.”

This indicates the early symptoms of insomnia. Insomnia is a medical term for difficulty of falling
asleep or staying asleep. This is a common sleep problem that can affect your quality of life. People with
insomnia may wake up during the night or wake up too early the next morning. Insomnia includes
taking more than 45 minutes to fall asleep, frequent awakenings but unable to fall back to sleep, early
morning awakening and feeling tired after a night of sleep.

Nevertheless, insomnia is not a problem unless it makes you feel tired during the day. For
instance, if you are less sleepy at night or wake up early but still feel rested and alert then there usually
is little need to worry. Sleep problems may come and go, or in extreme cases they may be ongoing. A
short-term insomnia is often associated with short-term stress. This can last for days to weeks. It often
gets better in less than a month. Conversely, a chronic sleep problem is ongoing which may last months
or even years. Chronic insomnia is usually a symptom of another health problem like depression or
chronic pain. This is less common than short-term insomnia.

There are many possible causes of insomnia. Occasionally there is one major cause but often
several factors interacting together will cause a sleep disturbance. There are psychological causes,
decreased melatonin, medical conditions, hormonal changes in women, genetics, pain, sleep related
disorder, jet lag, working in shifts or long hours, medications, substance abuse, inactive behavior,
extreme temperatures and environmental factors. Psychological causes include anxiety, stress and
depression. Whereas medical conditions can affect a person through allergies, arthritis, asthma,
headache, migraines, heart disease, high blood pressure, restless legs syndrome and Parkinson’s
disease.

Like every other diseases, there are ways to avoid insomnia. Firstly, use physical and mental
relaxation methods like yoga and soft music. You should also have a regular sleep schedule. This means
that, you must set a regular bedtime and wake-up time daily. You need to avoid taking naps, especially
in the afternoon. The next step you can do is to exercise regularly during the day to keep an active body.
If you do not fall asleep fairly quickly, get out of bed and do not return until you are feeling drowsy. You
must also try to reduce stress in your life or find a way to cope with it.

Lastly, prevention of sleeplessness is very much dependent on your ability to relax and learn
techniques for sleeping well. Sidonie Gabrielle Colette once said, “In its early stages, insomnia is almost
an oasis in which those who have to think or suffer darkly take refuge”. So, if you have insomnia, consult

SITI NURBATRISYA BT MOHD YUSOFF | 5S1

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a doctor immediately because it can affect your life greatly in different aspects. You will feel physically
tired and fail to function well. Furthermore, as a student, you will not be able to pay a hundred percent
attention in class and might end up sleeping while the teacher is teaching. Thus, start a proper sleeping
schedule with a proper amount of sleeping hours to avoid sleeping disorders.

SITI NURBATRISYA BT MOHD YUSOFF | 5S1