In theory, winter is a season for rest, hibernation, and rejuvenation. In actuality, many people struggle with restlessness, insomnia, and seasonal blues. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is associated with different causes, patterns, and targets for treatment. For instance, some people struggle with “delayed sleep onset”, meaning that it takes them an unusually long time to fall asleep. On the other hand, others wake up frequently throughout the night and struggle to get back asleep. Unfortunately, the struggle with falling asleep, wake up frequently through the night, and experience very poor-quality sleep will affect your day to day life.
When episodes of insomnia develop and persist, individuals can easily spiral pretty quickly into different versions of themselves – irritable, frustrated, anxious, depressed, etc. Regardless of the cause of insomnia (which there could be many), many find themselves in bad patterns that chase sleep away instead of aiding their cause. A discussion of sleep medication, aids, and supplements is beyond the scope of this blog but can be addressed with a health psychologist and medical professionals. However, behavioral (i.e., non-medicinal) approaches have high success rates when individuals are committed to developing a healthy relationship with sleep instead of leaping to quick fixes.
Let’s scratch the surface…
(1) Falling asleep is about the relationship between cortisol and melatonin. In healthy sleepers, cortisol falls during the day while melatonin (naturally produced by your body) increases to create what is called “sleep pressure”. There are many daytime behaviors that can subtly hijack cortisol and melatonin levels leading to the experience of “I feel like I’m ready to sleep but just can’t fall asleep…”
(2) Staying asleep is about your bodies ability to bridge together sleep cycles. It is normal to cycle from light stages of sleep into deeper stages with very brief periods of awakening in between cycles. Again, there are many behavioral factors that affect this aspect of sleep quality, such alcohol and caffeine use, napping, inconsistent wake-up times, etc.
(3) Attitudes about sleep matter a great deal. The ways in which individuals think, talk, and feel about sleep directly impact the physiological processes that regulate sleep. Medications, supplements, and sleep aids do not “fix” this component of insomnia. Cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness therapies provide education and skills to provide long-term solutions to sleep problems.
There are several great resources, books, apps, and reputable experts on this topic but sometimes this information is more overwhelming than helpful. If you or someone you know is struggling with insomnia or other sleep-related challenges, contact our office at 732-988-3441 to schedule a consultation appointment with our clinical health psychologist.