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Have a Good Sleep

You may often say "Good night!" to your family or friends. But do you know how many of us actually have a good night with enough sleep and are free of sleep problems? Or put it in another way, how many of us suffer from insomnia?

Insomnia
Insomnia means having difficulty in falling asleep, waking up too early, or waking intermittently, resulting in insufficient sleep.

What the figures say
A study by the World Health Organization showed that

about 27% of the world population suffers from sleep problems

In Hong Kong, a study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong showed that

about 12% of the adult population suffered from frequent insomnia
although men were less likely than women to suffer from insomnia, insomnia still affected about 9% of men

The importance of a good sleep
The World Sleep Day, which had just passed, is on March 21 every year. It serves to remind us of the relationship between sleep and health. Transient insomnia may not have a great effect on your health. However, frequent insomnia, or insomnia which lasts for an extended period of time, can

impair performance of everyday tasks
reduce creativity
slow response
impair memory
affect one's mood adversely such as making one agitated and irritable

Causes of insomnia
Insomnia can be primary or secondary. Primary insomnia is when there is no obvious cause for it while common causes of secondary insomnia include:

medical problems such as sleep apnoea syndrome and various pain disorders
psychological or psychiatric problems such as anxiety disorder and stress
unfavourable environment for sleep such as a noisy living environment
disturbed sleep pattern due to working shifts
the use of certain drugs such as antidepressants, bronchodilators and thyroid medications

Sleep-well Tips

Maintain regular and good sleep habit
- Go to bed and get up at regular time
- Do not do other things in bed apart from sleeping and having sex
- If you cannot sleep, get up and do things which are relaxing and return to bed when feeling sleepy
Maintain a sleep-friendly environment
- Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, not too warm or too cold
- Use good pillow and mattress
Adopt lifestyle measures which are conducive to good sleep
- Exercise regularly - a good way to relax, but avoid strenuous activity immediately before going to bed
- Do other things which may help you relax, such as meditation, listening to soothing music, or having a warm bath before going to bed
Avoid activities which may adversely affect sleep
- Do not smoke
- Do not rely on alcohol to fall asleep
- Avoid caffeine-containing drinks such as coffee, cola or tea
- Do not go to bed with a full or empty stomach
If necessary, consult your doctor for sleep assessment, and receive help and treatment for health problems, such as sleep apnoea, which affect your sleep

You may visit the "Men's Mind" section of this website to get more information on insomnia, or test your knowledge on sleep by taking the Sleep I.Q. Quiz.

(Last Updated on 27-03-2007)

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