![Spinellix390_5](https://www.advocate.com/media-library/spinellix390-5.jpg?id=32716544&width=1200&height=876)
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
I often have trouble sleeping. This seems odd to me, because when I was a medical resident and had to stay up for 36 hours on call, I was always so tired that I could literally fall asleep anywhere. I could even sleep standing up. Years later I lost this ability to fall asleep easily. Nowadays I often find myself tossing and turning in bed, wondering why I can't shut my brain down and sleep.
Everyone has an occasional sleepless night. This is common, and for most people it's not an issue. But lack of restful sleep affects your ability to carry out your daily responsibilities. The next day you're likely to have trouble concentrating. You feel drowsy and cranky.
The reason why you're unable to sleep is typically not related to an underlying medical condition, although some cases of thyroid disease and high blood pressure can lead to difficulty sleeping. Some psychiatric conditions, like depression or anxiety, often lead to erratic sleep cycles. Most times, however, when we find ourselves unable to sleep, it is not due to any health problem; for many, it depends on our sleep habits. For example, erratic sleep schedules, such as waking up and going to bed at a different time every night, can affect your internal sleep clock, or circadian rhythm. A good way to correct this is to try to go to sleep and wake up around the same time every day.
Also, some people take their work to bed. When you turn your bedroom into a home office and your bed into a desk, it's difficult to put down your work and then try to fall asleep. That's because you've invaded your sleep haven with stressful reminders of work. The same thing applies when you turn your bedroom into an entertainment center by watching movies in bed. (And yes, I am guilty of this too.)
Try to avoid working in bed or watching movies. Instead, read a book or a magazine until you find yourself becoming drowsy. If you're still tossing and turning in bed, I recommend you leave your bedroom and go into another room to read. If you turn your bed into the place where you can't fall asleep, you will associate this inability to fall asleep with getting into bed. You need to break this cycle. Go sit on the couch and read until you find yourself feeling sleepy.
Of course, if none of these tips work, consult your health care provider.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Kamala Harris rides wave of Democratic energy at kickoff event in Wisconsin
July 23 2024 3:36 PM
'Devastated:' A six-week abortion ban will go into effect in Iowa next week
July 23 2024 2:28 PM
Four hours, 44,000 Black women, and one Zoom call
July 23 2024 2:17 PM
Record 1.2 million people show out for Cologne’s Pride parade
July 23 2024 10:51 AM
Here's how far-right activist Leonard Leo helped fund Bud Light boycott
July 23 2024 10:27 AM
Elon Musk’s comments about his trans daughter prove why she doesn’t speak to him
July 23 2024 9:16 AM
Nancy Pelosi endorses Kamala Harris for president
July 22 2024 4:07 PM
Charli XCX declares Kamala Harris IS brat & our next President's campaign agrees
July 22 2024 3:08 PM