Insomnia affects 4 to 22 percent of adults and is linked to long-term health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and depression. The current pace of life, personal and work concerns, and even screen use until a moment before going to bed are behind most of our sleep problems.
Whatever is keeping us from sleeping, many of us look at the clock in despair and even count down the hours till the alarm clock goes off, thus increasing our nervousness.
Now, research conducted by a professor at Indiana University in the United States suggests that looking at the clock while trying to sleep can lead to increased insomnia and an increase in the consumption of sleeping pills.
The research, led by Spencer Dawson, an assistant clinical professor and associate director of clinical training in the Department of Brain and Psychological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, focused on a sample of nearly 5,000 patients attending sleep clinics .
Participants filled out questionnaires about the severity of their insomnia, their use of sleep medication, and the amount of time they spent monitoring their own behavior while trying to fall asleep. They were also asked to report any psychiatric diagnosis. The researchers conducted a mediation analysis to determine how the factors influenced each other.
“We found that time spent in monitoring behavior primarily influenced sleep medication use because it exacerbated insomnia symptoms,” Dawson said.
“People worry that they are not getting enough sleep, so they start calculating how long it will take them to get back to sleep and when they need to get up. It is useful to facilitate: the more stressed you are, the more difficult it is to fall asleep, ”he stresses.
As the frustration with insomnia increases, people are more likely to turn to sleep aids in an attempt to control their sleep.
This little gesture can help you
Dawson says research published in The Primary Care Companion to CNS Disorders indicates that a simple behavioral intervention may help people with insomnia. Give this advice to all new patients when they meet for the first time.
Dawson suggests, “People can flip or cover their watch, get rid of the smartwatch, take the phone away so they can’t see the time.” The clock is especially helpful.
With 15 years of research and clinical experience in the field of sleep, Dawson is interested in comparing people’s sleep experiences to events happening simultaneously in their brains.
