Even though we all know perfectly well that autumn doubles as winter鈥檚 opening act, for many the return of crisp air and cool nights is still a welcome turn of events 鈥 partly because we associate sweater weather with better sleep.
Others, though, find this the worst time of the year for getting a full eight hours. Despite the fact that experts say temperatures between 15 and 20 C are the sleep sweet spot, the seasonal changes can provoke insomnia in many.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a great sleeper in general,鈥 said Aja Sax, an instructor at George Brown College鈥檚 centre for hospitality and culinary arts. 鈥淔rom the moment my head hits the pillow, it usually takes me about 45 minutes to fall asleep. This time of year, though, it鈥檚 more like two hours.鈥
Sax also noted that she wakes up more in the middle of the night in the early days of fall. This usually lasts about three weeks, then goes away until just before the winter solstice when her insomnia returns.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 the change in light more than anything,鈥 she added. 鈥淚t always happens to me in the shoulder seasons. I feel like my brain turns on the moment I get into bed.鈥
According to sleep expert Jennifer Barbera, a psychologist with a practice in Hamilton that , many Canadians share Sax鈥檚 problem.
鈥淲e definitely see an increase in people reaching out for services in the fall,鈥 said Barbera, 鈥淪ometimes, in the summer, people have more energy, stay up later and are more relaxed so, in the fall, they find it hard to go back to a more structured routine.鈥
For some, like Sax, it鈥檚 a matter of adjusting to the change in seasons or situational stresses. Others, though, might be on the cusp of more serious sleep disorders, so it鈥檚 important to know how serious the problem is and get a proper sleep evaluation by a professional.
鈥淲e all have nights when we wake up and it takes a long time to fall back to sleep,鈥 noted Dr. Dora Zalai, an MD and clinical psychologist at Toronto鈥檚 , a practice focused on psychological and medical improvements to sleep.
鈥淭his period may last for a few days or a period of a few weeks and then it goes away,鈥 Zalai added, noting that it鈥檚 important to distinguish this pattern from chronic insomnia.
鈥淐hronic insomnia means difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep for at least three nights per week for at least a three-month-long period,鈥 said Zalai. 鈥淚t usually has a daytime impact as well and affects a person鈥檚 well-being in some way, such as causing distress, fatigue or mood problems.鈥
It鈥檚 still probably not a great idea to self-diagnose, since Zalai noted that occasional insomnia can develop into chronic sleep problems. In addition, some people suffer from entirely different, undiagnosed, sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, peri-menopause-related sleep problems and even circadian rhythm disorders.
Clearly, when it comes to sleep, there鈥檚 no one-size-fits-all solution and there are a range of solutions therapists use to treat sleep problems.
鈥淵ou often read things like 鈥榟ave a dark bedroom鈥, 鈥榙on’t exercise right before bed鈥 or 鈥榙on’t drink too much tea in the daytime鈥,鈥 said Dr. Dora Zalai, a 海角社区官网clinical psychologist. 鈥淭his sort of advice is called sleep hygiene and might work for someone with occasional problems but is not a treatment for a person with a sleep disorder.鈥
UnsplashOf the two main therapeutic frameworks in use these days, the front-line recommendation for treatment of chronic insomnia is cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). The second, less popular, but gaining ground is acceptance and commitment therapy for insomnia (ACT-I). Although they share common aspects, there鈥檚 one way in which they are distinct from each other.
鈥淐BT-I tends to focus on more of a medical model that works on getting rid of symptoms,鈥 said Barbera, 鈥渨hile by contrast, ACT-I is about changing the relationship we have with our symptoms and learning to accept them.
鈥淲e know if we can untangle the struggle we have with our symptoms, that will help to actually improve the symptoms themselves.鈥
Barbera pointed out that ACT is rooted in the concept of 鈥減sychological flexibility,鈥 which often involves learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions and observe them, as opposed to fighting them off.
Enjoy your symptoms? Well, that might be taking it too far. 鈥淗ow I learned to stop worrying and live with my insomnia,鈥 though, is in the right ballpark.
This all might ring a bell to people who practise mindfulness, which also tries to nudge people away from actively working on changing their thought patterns and, instead, invites people to accept and become curious about them.
Both of these therapeutic options take some time and commitment but, for anyone who is suffering from chronic insomnia, it鈥檚 important to get a medical evaluation and help from an expert 鈥 not just advice from a listicle on how to get better sleep.
鈥淵ou often read things like 鈥榟ave a dark bedroom,鈥 鈥榙on鈥檛 exercise right before bed鈥 or 鈥榙on鈥檛 drink too much tea in the daytime,鈥欌 said Zalai. 鈥淭his sort of advice is called sleep hygiene and might work for someone with occasional problems but is not a treatment for a person with a sleep disorder.鈥
Zalai added that, in clinical trials for chronic insomnia, researchers often use sleep hygiene as a placebo in the control group.
鈥淧eople read these things online and try them but, if they have a chronic insomnia condition, sleep hygiene will not resolve it. And that鈥檚 where a lot of people get stuck.鈥
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