Six Signs You May Have a Sleep Problem
Is it creeping up on you? This disturbing feeling that you are moving from occasional sleeplessness to having a full-blown sleep problem? You are not alone! At least 30% of the population suffers from regular sleep problems and 10% report chronic sleep issues. In times of elevated stress, such as what we are all living through right now, it’s possible that these numbers are significantly higher.
If you are experiencing serious sleep issues it is important for your health and well being to identify it and take steps to address it right away. When you were young you could take sleep for granted but no more. Here are some indicators that you need to seriously work on your sleep:
- Can’t fall asleep. This is called Sleep Latency Insomnia. You are exhausted falling into bed, but your brain won’t shut off and you toss and turn for more than an hour before sleep finally arrives;
- Can’t stay asleep. You fall asleep but wake up prematurely and can’t stay asleep past a time that is way too early. This is called Terminal Insomnia;
- Waking multiple times in the night. Disrupted sleep with multiple awakenings and sometimes taking a long time to fall back to sleep is very common among women going through menopause. This is called Sleep Interruption Insomnia;
- Excessive sleepiness during the day. This is a sleep debt that never seems to get paid and is not often solved by taking naps. In fact, naps can make things worse;
- Irritability. Pretty self explanatory. Sleep rebuilds you emotionally and physically and your body and brain are not being properly refreshed and restored;
- Weight gain. Too much time awake at night generates activity which leads the brain to stimulate hunger while at the same time satiation hormones are down-regulated, according to recent findings.
You can take action to reclaim some solid sleep time and quality, but you do have to act on them seriously and consistently. Here are a few things you can start right away:
- Create a sleep ritual. Devote half an hour before bed to winding down, relaxing and setting the stage for a night of sleep. Stick to this personalized ritual each night;
- Adjust your sleep space to reduce light, noise and maintain a comfortable room temperature. Use a sleep mask kit to block out light and noise if these distractions affect your sleep space;
- Maintain a regular sleep wake cycle. As much as possible, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends;
- Avoid vigorous exercise before bed. Exercise is very important, but it is counterproductive to use this as a way of exhausting yourself before bed as it actually activates your mind;
- Avoid screens before bed or use blue light blocking glasses at least 2 hours before you want to fall asleep. The light from devices can interfere with your own melatonin production long before you shut your eyes;
- Add Zenbev Drink Mix to your sleep regimen to provide your body with a dietary boost of tryptophan, which it needs to manufacture your own melatonin. Read more about how Zenbev works here.
Don’t spend another sleepless night or another day wishing your sleep problem away. Your health is too important! Once you accept that you have to work on sleep, that’s taking a giant step in the right direction. Make the investment and persevere for yourself and for those around you who want you to get the most out of your day and night!