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If there’s one thing we haven’t mastered, it’s getting a good night’s sleep. A good night’s sleep continues to elude even the best of us when trying to solve our sleep problems. But what makes it difficult for us to fall asleep and stay asleep?
Science has provided extensive knowledge about our sleep problems, from the impact of our sleep routine and mattress quality to the influence of caffeine on late night sleep and screen time. Yet we are only beginning to understand the full extent of our struggle with sleep.
Current research has revealed other important factors that can disrupt our sleep and, if left unchecked, cause significant damage to our overall health. Here are three top reasons why you may need help getting a good night’s sleep.
Effects of trauma on sleep
Experiencing trauma can increase the risk of mental and physical health problems potential to influence sleep quality, according to the Sleep Foundation. Trauma can be personal and vicarious. Personal trauma is a direct experience of a distressing event, while vicarious trauma is the emotional residue of exposure to someone else’s traumatic experiences.
After a traumatic event, several sleep disorders develop, including TASD, also known as trauma-associated sleep disorder. TASD consists of trauma-related nightmares and disruptive nighttime behaviors and shares similarities with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 2024 study. judgement published in the journal Sleep Medicine Clinics. Other sleep problems that often occur after a traumatic event include alertness and hyperarousality, some of the symptoms of insomnia.
In addition, after experiencing trauma, many people have difficulty falling asleep, wake up more often during the night, and have difficulty falling back asleep. An effective trauma-informed intervention is needed to directly address sleep problems associated with trauma.
The tension of overwork
Although sleep is crucial for our mental and physical well-being, overworking ourselves can lead to sleep problems, as has been recently highlighted research from the International Journal of Social Psychiatry. Overwork also harms our quality of life and longevity and leads to less productivity. And even business titans have taken notice. For example, Arianna Huffington has how a to collapse exhaustion led to her growing passion for the connection between well-being and productivity – and ultimately to the founding of Thrive Global, a platform committed to beating burnout.
Tesla, SpaceX and Bill Gates has also emphasized the importance of sufficient sleep in recent years at least seven hours of sleep. Working overtime is not a badge of honor; it should serve as a wake-up call to prioritize our sleep and make necessary changes to our work habits.
Poor sleeping environment
The journey to better sleep also involves the effectiveness of our bedtime routines, or lack thereof. Creating a soothing environment is part of good sleep hygiene, and also ensures that environmental conditions (temperature, sound, light, bed comfort, electronic distractions) are ideal. According to the National Institutes of Health, such conditions can play an important role in a person’s ability to sleep well – and subsequently in overall sleep-related well-being. However, creating an ideal sleep environment also means being in a healthy mental state before bedtime. An example is avoiding negative news, as this can fuel negative thoughts and increase hypervigilance and the risk of vicarious trauma.
Yet we cannot ignore the existing sleep differences. New research published in the journal Behavioral Sleep Medicine shows that environmental factors (e.g., noise, uncomfortable temperature, light exposure) associated with urban poverty can disrupt children’s sleep and asthma. Therefore, everyone needs to create the right sleep environment, implement new approaches and do what works for him/her in the given situation. But a good sleeping environment should not just be a responsibility that we place on individuals. Society can build equitable systems for those without resources to address worsening sleep health problems. It could include community programs that provide sleep education and resources, or policies that promote a healthy work-life balance.
Over the past few decades, a mountain of research has emerged showing how closely sleep is linked to our health, well-being and productivity. But despite recent progress, sleep deprivation remains a problem in our society. When we prioritize sleep, our decision-making, creativity, and productivity improve dramatically. Now is the time to invest in sleep and rest for a better quality of life. As acclaimed American novelist Robert A Heinlein once said, “Happiness consists of getting enough sleep.”