Insomnia: Fighting the Effects of Sleepless Nights
Everyone has faced the problem of insomnia at some point in life. Especially today, during the war and round-the-clock unpredictable air raid alerts, everyone living in Ukraine is exposed to its negative effects. Exhaustion is only one of the factors that harm not only quality of life but also overall health.
Understanding insomnia
Insomnia is the medical term, another name for sleeplessness. It is important to understand that it is not a disease in itself. Insomnia is a disorder with several aspects.
Symptoms of insomnia can differ significantly from person to person:
- difficulty falling asleep or waking up;
- poor-quality, shallow sleep at the level of dozing;
- unstable sleep with frequent awakenings;
- inability to fall asleep again after being woken;
- unrefreshing sleep;
- a chronic feeling of not getting enough sleep;
- irregular sleep and the problems associated with it.
When insomnia is purely individual in nature, the cause of insomnia can be classified medically and has two main forms: internal, related to a person's own health, and external, caused by artificial influences on the body.
Insomnia: causes and how they affect sleep
Insomnia is one of the most common problems of our time. Anyone is at risk, regardless of age or sex. The main modern trigger of insomnia is stress:
- unexpected negative events in personal life or at work;
- problems related to financial stability and well-being;
- major disruptions in relationships;
All of these can upset the stability of the body and mind.
The physiological stress response affects the work of all body systems, which can lead to hormonal imbalances, changes in blood pressure and heart rate, digestive disorders, weakened immunity, and more. Long-term or repeated stress may contribute to many diseases. The nervous system and psyche are especially vulnerable to stress, which can lead not only to insomnia but also to severe emotional and depressive states.
Factors that can worsen insomnia:
- an unhealthy lifestyle and bad habits;
- excessive use of computers and electronic gadgets, especially before bed;
- disruption of the day/night routine, changes of time zone;
- certain medical conditions and chronic diseases;
- side effects of medications.
Sleep problems are usually handled by two fields of medicine: neurology and psychiatry. Treatment of insomnia depends on the cause and the severity of the condition.
Assessment and treatment of chronic insomnia at CSM
CSM Clinic in Kyiv is a specialized medical center with a neurological focus. Its experienced specialists, who have substantial experience studying brain function and its responses, work to help improve sleep quality and overcome insomnia. The clinic has modern equipment for diagnostics, interventions, and procedures.
The physical therapy and rehabilitation department is one of the clinic's strengths. Experienced specialists there use a range of methods that may help normalize sleep and support a return to a full life. These include relaxation techniques, therapeutic massage, light exposure and sleep hygiene, reflexology, and others. Cognitive behavioral therapy, which can be combined with psychotherapy, is considered the most effective method for treating chronic insomnia.
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