Better Mental Health Magazine Issue 4

Page 111

wellbeing

A good night’s sleep is something many people enjoy every night. Sleep is a big factor in keeping yourself feeling your best as, without adequate sleep, we cannot function effectively. Sleep is as important as other vital processes like eating, drinking or breathing. Not only does good sleep refresh our bodies, but it also repairs our mind. For some people, however, this natural rhythm can be interrupted for many reasons. Maybe an illness, a sudden loss of a loved one or a job, a new baby or even a transition or change such as menopause. It might start by missing a few nights. For some reason, you couldn’t sleep, within a few short days the beginnings of fear sets in. You lie down but sleep seems miles away and you find yourself worrying whether you will sleep tonight, how much you need to sleep, how you can be this tired and not be able to drop off. You try to relax but you only become more and more anxious, and more awake. You have your first night of no, limited or broken sleep and you have to drag yourself through the day like a zombie,

more tired than you ever thought possible. And this pattern continues several night or even every night. Next you go to your doctor who will almost certainly prescribe sleeping pills. While the pills may work in the short-term, they are often highly addictive and can give a nasty “hangover” effect the next day. As some people become tolerant to the medication, after a while, it stops working as effectively. So you return to the doctor. This time, the dosage is increased or perhaps a different pill is prescribed. In some cases, even this does not seem to work. You wonder what kind of insomnia you have that it doesn’t even respond to medication, when they work for other people. I must have a worse form of Insomnia, maybe bmhmag.com

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