Sleeplessness Analysed
- Causes: Peer pressure, stress at workplace, fast-paced lifestyle, excessive use of gadgets, constant exposure to artificial light, social obligations, excessive consumption of energy drinks, lack of a purposeful day, addiction to late-night serials on TV, internet, poor sleep hygiene, drug abuse, alcoholism.
- Effects: Anxiety, short-term memory loss, irritability, poor concentration, behavioural change, restless leg syndrome, lethargy, insecurity, hypertension, gastric disorders, poor resistance to disease and delayed healing process, death in the extreme.
- Who it affects: Schoolkids, adolescents, professionals, housewives, elderly.
- Treatment: Cultivating better sleep hygiene, cognitive behavioural therapy, Shirodhara, homoeopathy, aroma therapy, Yoga Nidra.
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Coriander juice, midnight showers, hypnotherapy, sleeping pills...M has tried it all. Exasperated, she now kills time making breakfast at 1 am, shopping online, recording songs, communicating with tarot card readers in the US or simply chanting mantras to induce sleep. A former air hostess, she spends most of her time at home, yet sleep seems like a far-fetched dream. Under treatment for insomnia for over two years, M feels groggy through the day, suffers from short-term memory loss and anxiety. “Even when I’m lying down, I can’t stop thinking,” she says. “So I’ve started penning down my thoughts and plan my day in advance to reduce my disquiet.”