Myths about insomnia

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2. Can You Develop Insomnia From… Debunking
The Myths About This Sleeping Disorder!
The problem with having access to everything and anything nowadays is that it’s easy
to believe supposed-to-be facts. It’s noticeable amongst those who love relying on so-
cial media for their dose of information. But not everything you see or read about is true,
the same goes for health conditions like insomnia. Unfortunately, the line between myth
and truth can be very blurry when it comes to this sleeping disorder.
Sleeping better is now a health ambition
In a survey conducted by Aviva, the researchers ranked various countries according to
the amount of sleep they’re getting. The top five countries with the lowest amount of
sleep were the UK, Ireland, Canada, USA and Singapore. UK respondents were at the
top at about 37% of the population saying that they don't get the right amount of sleep.
What’s surprising is that sleeping better is actually one of the top ambitions of around
25% of the UK population.
The myths and the truths about insomnia
You now know some of the statistics about insomnia. But do you know which are the
myths and truths when it comes to the stories you hear about it? Insomnia can be short
term or long term, can be at the onset of sleep or during sleep. To define it simply, in-
somnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, rendering one unproductive or irrita-
ble during day time. It’s time to separate the myths and the truths about insomnia
though, so let’s get on it.
1. Can you develop insomnia from… Stress? Truth

3. Stress is actually one of the main causes of insomnia. There have been many studies
with regards to this scenario. For example, in this study, the researchers reviewed vari-
ous literature available for trauma survivors and their experiences of insomnia. Turns
out, exposure to trauma can lead to disturbances of usual healthy sleep patterns. As the
study has already said, the treatment plans for such cases should be investigated as
well.
So where does your stress come from? Let’s take a gander and guess that it’s one of
these three things: career, relationship or school. In another study, medical students
were investigated on their quality of sleep and productiveness during the day. The re-
sults concluded that around 30% of the medical students have poor qualities of sleep.
And even more alarming is that 40% of the medical students have excessive day time
sleepiness.
2. Can you develop insomnia from… Sleep apnea? Truth
Sleep apnea is a type of sleeping disorder, characterized by short cessations of breath-
ing while asleep. There are two kinds of sleep apnea, obstructive and central. The for-
mer occurs because of an obstruction of the airway and the latter occurs because the
brain is unable to send the correct signals for breathing. The problem with sleep apnea
is that the quality of sleep of the individual is affected greatly. And as mentioned above,
insomnia can occur during sleep as well, whenever your pattern is disturbed by stimuli.
The occurrence of both insomnia and sleep apnea at the same time is termed as co-
morbid. In this study, it was found that around 84% of patients with sleep apnea develop
insomnia as well. In addition, men are considered at higher risk of developing both
sleep apnea and insomnia as compared to women. In another study, researchers inves-
tigated whether those who are at high risk for sleep apnea are also at risk of developing
insomnia. Again, the results were significant, showing that these two sleep disorders are
correlated.

4. 3. Can you develop insomnia from… Not sleeping at least 7 hours at night? Myth
Now this is an interesting but very subjective issue. If you would take a look at these
recommendations by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the amount of
sleep for each age group varies. For adults, the recommended amount of sleep is be-
tween 7 to 8 hours each night. Supposed to be, if we do not follow through these rec-
ommendations, we add up on our sleep debt and put our healths plus mental capacities
at great risk.
In this case, does quantity of sleep matter over quality of sleep? Researchers Bassett
and her colleagues seem to think otherwise. In their study, it was found that low sleep
quality can affect hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal functioning of the individual. In a com-
parative review of studies, researchers concluded that optimal sleep varies from person-
to-person, with regards to their age, gender, culture and race. The reality is, the issue of
quantity of sleep versus quality of sleep is complex. One person might feel rejuvenated
even with just 4 hours of sleep but another might need around 7 hours of sleep to func-
tion well.
4. Can you develop insomnia from… Being older? Truth
The possibility of developing insomnia as we age is high. The first reason for this is the
physiological and physical changes in the body of the elderly. For example, as we age,
the muscles in the kidney and bladder can change, leading to the need to go to the
bathroom more frequently. This can be one of the reasons for an interrupted sleep and
therefore, insomnia.
The second reason is the external stimuli that can contribute to the development of in-
somnia. The loss of a loved one can trigger stress to the elderly. With stress comes rac-
ing thoughts and the inability to sleep optimally or even initiate falling asleep. And finally,

5. the third reason is that there are precipitating factors that can contribute to the insomnia
like the lack of day-time activity or taking excessive naps during the day.
5. Can you develop insomnia from… Taking a day-time nap? Myth
In relation to the previous number, we have the issue of napping. The saying, “Every-
thing should be taken in moderation,” is quite true for this topic. Napping, in moderation,
can be beneficial. In this study, researchers even found out that short naps, around 90
minutes of sleep during day time, can even have significant health benefits for the elder-
ly. Here’s another study that concluded that short nap isn't detrimental to the night-time
quality of sleep of the elderly.
But if the nap lasts for more than 90 minutes and occurs several times during the day,
then it might lead to insomnia-like symptoms during night time. Tossing and turning in
bed because you completed various rounds of REM during day time. The timing of the
nap is important too, like in this study, wherein students who napped from 6:00 PM to
9:00 PM were found to have the shortest amount of night-time sleep. So the verdict is,
you can take one short nap during the day, perhaps from noon until mid-afternoon only.
6. Can you develop insomnia from… Watching television? Truth
It’s a common activity before sleeping, watching television to catch up on the latest
news or even your favorite series. Yet it’s something that you shouldn’t do, at least if you
want to sleep early and have that optimal, fresh in the morning vibe. According to re-
search, watching television before sleeping can lead to cognitive arousal. Thus, your
sleep onset is disrupted, the quality of sleep is not optimal and you might even experi-
ence day-time drowsiness.
But who hadn’t been there? Binge-watching the newest episodes of The Walking Dead
or Game of Thrones, well, because you really wouldn't want to be behind the times,
right? Unfortunately, binge-watchers are at even higher risks of developing insomnia,

6. poor sleep quality and tiredness during day time. So if you want to optimize your sleep,
better turn off that television at least an hour before going to bed.
7. Can you develop insomnia from… Using gadgets before sleeping? Truth
Okay, let’s be honest here, who doesn't check his or her Facebook or Instagram ac-
count prior to sleeping? We’re in the digital era and every time we can get our hands on
our smartphones, we check on our social presence. There’s a big negative side to it
though, we get so consumed by the online world that it affects every aspect of our living.
Take for example sleeping, instead of resting our eyes and our mind, we hold on to our
gadgets as if they would be gone the next day.
The effect of using gadgets prior to sleeping is three fold. First, just like television, it in-
duces our cognition and makes us more alert instead of sleepy. Second, the bright light
from the device can excite our minds, making as more aware instead of resting. Third, it
consumes our time, leading to a late onset of sleep and even disturbance of sleep, like
when you’re waiting for someone to reply that every ping just had to be answered. So
with these three-fold effects, you can understand just how detrimental is gadget usage
for an optimal sleep experience.
8. Can you develop insomnia from… Drinking alcohol? Truth
At first thought, alcohol seems to be a preferred choice of some insomniacs to initiate
sleep. And that’s true because alcohol inhibits the production of wake-promoting cholin-
ergic neurons via its activation of adenosine receptors. But this is just one part of the
story because alcohol plays a huge part in unbalancing the sleep homeostasis and
therefore inducing insomnia at the latter part of the sleep cycle. This study perfectly ex-
plains how it does so.
The problem lies mainly in alcoholics or alcohol-dependent individuals. With short-term
and occasional consuming of alcohol, you can benefit from some of its sleep-inducing

7. effects. In this study, alcohol-preferring rats, comparable to alcoholic humans, were
found to have insomnia-like symptoms after being given of alcohol. Such symptoms in-
clude a reduced NREM sleep and uncharacteristic wakefulness the next day.
Learned something new today?
With these truths revealed and myths debunked, you might have a better grasp of in-
somnia and even of the people who are suffering from it. There are different, and many,
reasons for developing insomnia. It can be due to the person’s lifestyle or even external
stimuli. Yes, insomnia can be considered as a disorder, but it can also be a symptom of
an underlying condition too. That’s why it’s important to know the root of the problem
prior to treating it.
Maybe you have a myth about insomnia waiting to be debunked. Complete the phrase,
“Can you develop insomnia from…” and post your comment below. It’s time to separate
the myths from the truths with the help of science!