Healthy Tips For Better Life

Insomnia in the Modern Age

The 20th and 21st centuries have seen increases in the number of people suffering from insomnia, even as our understanding of the condition, sleep, our brains, and treatment have steadily improved. Can we hold modern life responsible?

CULTURE

The first culprit is our culture. This is the largest contributor by far. Merriam-Webster.com defines culture as "the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; the characteristic features of everyday existence."

What characterizes our society?

• Overworked
• A lack of emphasis on the importance of sleep
• Hard partying (think energy drinks)
• Nighttime=Fun time
• Noisy

OVERWORKED

Nobody works longer hours than Americans, but just about every modern nation is overworked. The earliest civilizations, worked an average of 5 hours a day gathering food, and chipping in on community projects, such as a bridge building or irrigating. The work gave them plenty of exercise, which doctors say is good for our mental health and sleep. Most jobs today do not involve very much physical stimulation; we simply sit at desks all day. They also got to spend more time socializing during the day, likely leaving them more satisfied and ready for sleep.

Not that everything was great in ancient times! This simply shows precisely how much work we are doing and what we are missing.

PRIORITIZING

Because there is so much work to do and so little time to do it, sleep is a low priority. In fact, for many it feels like just another odious task they have to do. In reality, if we were satisfied with our day, sleep would feel like a natural finish-we would be excited to do it and get to the next day! For many, all sleepytime means is that the next day, which they dread, is that much closer. This can create anxiety, which prevents them from being able to fall asleep.

NIGHTTIME, PARTYING, NOISE

When you work all day, you want to cut lose at night. Ours is a hard partying culture. We save our social lives for the nighttime, and couple it with alcohol and energy drinks. As far as a normal sleep cycle goes, this is a disaster. Healthy sleep is based off of a regular routine, and disrupting that routine with late nights and drugs like alcohol and caffeine makes it really hard for that to function.

For the people who are trying to sleep, your neighbors or the streets can be too noisy. Even the people who choose not to participate in the merrymaking in favor of sawing logs are affected.

TECHNOLOGIES

Many people spend their work days staring at computer screens. And when they get home, they stare at televisions.

Unfortunately, the artificial light from these devices leads to restlessness and insomnia. If the TV helps you get to sleep, good. However, the light still ruins sleep quality. To improve your sleep quality, ditch the night light and invest in some serious window shades.

It's no wonder that many turn to Ambien for sleep. Ambien puts you to bed quickly, and keeps you under until morning. It's hard to change the culture; it's easy to take Ambien.

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