For some people their difficulty sleeping has a physical reason. There is a little gland in the area of your neck that controls so much of your body that it has often been called the rudder which steers it. It is the thyroid gland. When you’re not having any problems with it, you don’t even realize that it is there. The fact of the matter is, if you are having a difficult time with your thyroid gland, it can cause a number of different problems and can one of the reasons for your insomnia. If you are having difficulty sleeping, you might want to take a look at the possibility that your thyroid is to blame.
There are several different things that can go wrong with the thyroid gland, all of which lead to sleeping disorders. Hypothyroidism is whenever the thyroid gland is operating slowly. This causes problems such as weight gain, a general sense of uneasiness and a reason for insomnia. Hyperthyroidism is exactly the opposite because it is when our thyroid is running at top speed. This can cause weight loss and also can cause trouble falling or staying asleep. Hashimoto’s disease is not really a problem with the thyroid but it is tumors that grow on the thyroid gland, restricting its proper functioning. It is also one of the reasons for insomnia associated with the thyroid.
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Life today is fast. From the freeway to fast food, it seems like we’re all moving faster and faster. The speed of modern life causes almost every one of us to have more on our plate than can be accomplished in a 24-hour day. Instead of slowing down and taking time for ourselves, we try to offset the lack of available time with less relaxation, less sleep and very little exercise. Most people rationalize this behavior by telling themselves that the more they get accomplished the less worry and stress they’ll have. By checking off things on their ‘to do’ list they can feel more ‘successful’ and not have to feel guilty over tasks uncompleted. Of course they feel worn out, they are always fighting a cold, have a constant headache and are always grumpy, but they are getting things done.
I’m wondering if you can relate to this scenario. If you are like most people, you probably can. The problem with living like this is that it is one of the biggest reasons for stress insomnia, which can cycle out of control. Let’s examine the common reasons for insomnia as well as some insomnia treatment ideas.
Your busy lifestyle might be giving you a busy mind syndrome. The ‘busy mind’ syndrome is characterized by worry and anxiety over situations or problems that your mind keeps revisiting, over and over. For example, you might be watching TV, but your mind keeps drifting back to work, financial problems, an issue with your relationship or just thinking about what you need to do tomorrow. Later, when you finally lie down and try to go to sleep, you find it impossible because your mind’s still spinning out of control. You may eventually dose off into a restless sleep, but wake up a few hours later, not even realizing what woke you. You may toss and turn for an hour or so before you can again fall asleep again. Then, when the alarm goes off, you wake up groggy, tired and fatigued.
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I recently had a client that was studying to take the Law School Admission Test, or LSAT. The LSAT is unlike many other tests and is not a test of your accumulated knowledge, but a test of how your brain works. Can you make logical deductions? Can you unravel word problems, and keep your wits about you under the strain of a timed test?
My client found it intimidating, and as a result, she suffered from one of the biggest reasons that people have trouble sleeping, insomnia anxiety. She spent the week before the test taking practice tests. She aced most of them, and should have been relaxed and confident. Instead she found herself unsure and filled with self-doubt. She had difficulty sleeping regularly and couldn’t concentrate when she needed to most. She became so anxious that she completely psyched herself out and, on test day, she bombed miserably.
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