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Health risks associated with sleeplessness are serious. Try these tricks to cure your insomnia
Consistently missing an hour or two of sleep can create a harmful sleep debt
It’s estimated that the health problems associated with insomnia cost the Canadian economy up to $20 billion a year.
The most obvious impact of lack of sleep is fatigue, but the cumulative health risks associated with sleeplessness are far more serious. Chronic lack of sleep:
Problematic sleeplessness may not involve entire nights spent lying awake. Consistently missing an hour or two of sleep can create a “sleep debt” that’s just as harmful.
There are many causes of insomnia, but known contributing factors include heavy use of alcohol or cannabis, irregular (shift work) schedules, pain, chronic conditions and stress.
If you aren’t getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night, make some changes to your sleep habits to reset your internal clock.
Avoid stimulants such as caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate), alcohol, tobacco and decongestants, especially late in the day. Also, increase your level of physical activity but avoid vigorous exercise within four hours of going to bed. If insomnia persists, talk to your doctor.
Originally published in Wellness Matters, Canada Wide Media’s quarterly newsletter on health and wellness.