“Nightmare", is a word that describes the sleepless nights of millions of people in the world, not because of drinking coffee, but because of the things that are disturbing their minds, making them awake in the middle of the night and seeing them like an owl.

 

Insomnia, a sleep disorder that is affecting millions of people worldwide, is the difficulty of falling or staying asleep, and also waking up so early, and being unable to sleep again. It can be acute or chronic that can affect the health and quality of life of a person.

 

1 in 4 adults worldwide have insomnia symptoms, and studies by Sleep Foundation have shown that 10% to 30% of adults are struggling with insomnia and 30% to 48% of older adults are experiencing this sleep disorder.

 

A study in 2020 found that the risk of having insomnia in women is higher than in men. Everybody, especially women, should have effective interventions to reduce the risks of insomnia.

 

Insomnia can be caused by many factors. Stress and anxiety or traumatic events are the most common causes of insomnia. Moreover, medical conditions like chronic pain, asthma, and sleep apnea, some medications, such as antidepressants and stimulants, and poor sleeping habits like napping during the day and using devices before bed can cause insomnia. Lastly, environmental factors, including loud noises, bright lights, and uncomfortable temperatures, can also increase the risk of insomnia.

 

Furthermore, insomnia has many negative effects on a person’s health, including daytime fatigue that affects a person’s ability to do work, changes in mood like irritability, and poor concentration and memory because of lacking sleep. There are also its effects of getting higher risks of accidents and health problems such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

 

One big thing that we have to change is our lifestyle, especially our sleeping habits, such as having a regular sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before sleeping, and creating a relaxing routine, an effective way of treating and preventing insomnia. Having good and enough sleep is also important because like Dalai Lama said, “Sleep is the best meditation”.