Losing Sleep: What's the Solution?

Nishan Dahal (name change) from Kathmandu was preparing for the SEE exam. Jehendar students became very worried after he was abruptly postponed a day before the start of the exam. Many thoughts began to grow in my mind. When the exam was postponed, there was tension that his preparation was in the sand. Gradually, he began to lose sleep. Even though he felt sleepy, he started dreaming that the exam was bad. The dream of spoiling the exam still hampered his sleep. He could not read in the afternoon as he could not sleep in the evening. Three weeks ago, he took the same problem to TRIV Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj. There, psychiatrist Sagun Ballabh Pant, after listening to all his problems, taught him sleep hygiene and sent him for counseling. Also, if you come for follow-up in a week. When he came for a week-long follow-up, Pant said that he was fine.

A month ago, a 30-year-old man arrived at Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan with insomnia. Her relatives brought her to the hospital after she fell asleep, coughed and stayed up all night. The doctor found out that he was suffering from mental illness due to excessive smoking and alcoholism during the lockdown. Earlier, he had taken medicine due to mental problems but stopped eating due to lockdown. The doctors then started giving her low-dose medication. After taking the medicine, his health condition is now normal.

Lockdown has disrupted most people's daily activities. According to psychiatrists, long-term homeowners have been forced to stay indoors, and business and employment have come to a standstill. Most people have problems with insomnia. A similar problem was seen with Krishnaman Dangol (name change) of Maharajgunj. Krishnaman is a businessman. After the closure of the shop due to the lockdown, the trade deficit, rent and other stress began to bother him. Gradually I stopped falling asleep. He did not sleep all night for a week. He went to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, as he could not sleep all night. The doctor found out that he had trouble sleeping due to the stress caused by the suspension of his business. After that, he was given sleeping pills for 10 days and also sent to Slip Hygiene. He took medicine for 10 days and after taking measures of sleep hygiene, he started falling asleep.

During the lockdown, psychiatrist Dr. Sunil Sah was called by a woman from an aristocratic family. The woman has just retired from government service. Her children are in the United States. Here, only husband and wife living alone at home, he began to feel annoyed. Also, the epidemic of Covid-19, which has spread all over the world, is spreading like wildfire in the United States at this time. As a result, he began to worry that his own children might be infected with Covid-19. The same anxiety stopped him from falling asleep. Gradually, problems such as increased heart rate, depression, and loneliness began to appear. After that, Sah gave psychological counseling to the woman and advised her to do morning walk, yoga, meditation around the house and stay in regular contact with the family. In addition, short-term sedatives were used. Even now he is Dr. She is in touch with Sah. Sah says his health condition has returned to normal.

Bhuvan Manandhar (name change) of Kathmandu was planning to build a house and move to a new one by Baishakh. But his house is now in a state of disrepair due to an accidental fire. There are still worries about the home being incomplete, the children's school is closed and they are worried about their future. One worry after another prevented him from getting a good night's sleep. After sleeping for 2/3 hours, I started waking up in a daze and spent the night in a hurry. He also went to psychologist Karuna Kunwar as the problems like feeling pain in the body, loss of appetite and feeling of being held hostage inside the house were increasing day by day. Kunwar advised her. The 55-year-old man is still in regular contact with Kunwar. According to Kunwar, the effect of the same consultation is that she has returned to normal.

The above example shows that along with the fear of Kovid-19, people have started to suffer from insomnia due to social, economic and domestic tensions. During this period, many people come to the hospital with insomnia. Ananta Prasad Adhikari explains. "Every day, 60 to 70 percent of people come to the hospital with insomnia," he says. According to the official, there are various reasons for not getting enough sleep. Among them stress, anxiety, fatigue and eating are the main factors.

If a person suffers from insomnia three days a week for more than three months, it is called insomnia. Insomnia is a once-in-a-lifetime problem. Sagunballabh Pant explains. "Insomnia is normal if you only have problems with sleep," he says. "According to various studies, 30 percent of the world's population has insomnia at some point." Insomnia is especially stressful. At present, insomnia is caused by problems such as lockdown, behavioral problems, mental illness, physical problems, traumatic events in life, and foreign employment. According to psychiatrists, the global epidemic of Kovid-19 is causing an increase in the number of insomnia patients worldwide.

Psychologist Karuna Kunwar says that sleep disorders are not the same for all people. "Some people have insomnia because they can't sleep after going to bed, they wake up in between, they always wake up at the same time and then they can't sleep, they can't sleep all night because of the same worries," she says. We can live, but if we stay awake for a week, we will die. '

People don't have any other mental problems, they don't have stress, but if they have dizziness after sleeping, they will have problems with sleep. Pant explains. "People who are drowsy tend to be asleep, but sometimes they wake up and have trouble sleeping," he says. He also says that people who smoke, drink alcohol, or use other drugs are more likely to have trouble sleeping. "Initially, a person who is addicted to drugs experiences a good night's sleep," he says, "but gradually he develops sleep problems, which in turn leads to sleep deprivation and later addiction." The psychiatrist who started appearing, Dr. Sunil Sah explains. "In the past, people used to work on a schedule," he says.

Thus, regular sleep disorders can lead to a variety of physical and mental illnesses. Heart disease is more likely to be seen in the future, especially in people who are sleep deprived for a long time. Lord Koirala explains. "Insomnia is especially associated with stress, which can cause a person to feel a sudden increase in heart rate," he says.

Health problems caused by insomnia

Sleep is very important for a healthy body. Psychiatrists say that long-term sleep deprivation can lead to physical and mental retardation. Prolonged insomnia can lead to severe mental illness in the future. The official explains. "Insomnia is a disease in itself," he says.

Also, due to insomnia, the body's immune system decreases. Pant explains. "Insomnia lowers the body's immune system and can cause digestive problems and gastric problems," he said. Insomnia can also lead to fatigue, memory loss, lack of focus, diabetes, high blood pressure, and loss of sexual energy.

How many hours of sleep in which age group?

Psychiatrists say that quality sleep is more important than sleep. Children have more sleep time than adolescents and adults. Pant explains. "Sleep time decreases with age," he says. "Children under the age of five have more sleep time than other age groups." There have been various studies on sleep. A study by the National Sleep Foundation of the United States on how many hours a person sleeps in which age group is as follows:

3 months from day one: 14 to 17 hours

4 to 11 months: 12 to 15 hours

1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours

3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours

6 to 13 years: 9 to 11 hours

14 to 17 years: 8 to 10 hours

18 to 25 years: 7 to 9 hours

26 to 64 years: 7 to 9 hours

Over 65 years: 7 to 8 hours

What to do for a good night's sleep?

Psychiatrist Dr. You can go through this link to watch the informative video given by Sagun Ballabh Pant on what kind of problem is seen while hiding the mental problem.

- Sleep and get up at the same time

- If you have a habit of sleeping in the afternoon, remove it

- Regular physical exercise, to exercise

- Not to consume drugs such as smoking and alcohol

- Go to bed only while sleeping

- Turn off mobiles, laptops, televisions, etc. half an hour before going to bed

- Do not drink a lot of water at night while sleeping

- Eat 2 hours before going to bed

- If you do not fall asleep at bedtime, leave the bed or read a book in dim light or do any other work, fall asleep as soon as you fall asleep.

- If you concentrate your mind by taking deep slow breaths, you will feel sleepy

- Establish a habit before going to sleep. Such as brushing teeth, washing hands and feet, etc.

- Get in the habit of sleeping wearing certain clothes

- Consult a psychiatrist if you do not feel sleepy even after doing all the above activities