Analysis of the causes and treatment methods of insomnia in young people

In recent years, the problem of insomnia among young people has become more and more serious. According to a research survey (Walsh et al., 2020), 55% of young Canadians report having symptoms of insomnia. In China, 16% of adolescents meet the national diagnostic criteria for insomnia. Three out of five Chinese adolescents suffer from insomnia at least once a week (Zhao et al., 2019). What is it that robs young people of sleep? This article summarizes the three major causes of insomnia and proposes some solutions, hoping to help everyone.

heavy pressure
Stress may alter people's neurobiology and behavioral constructs, thereby increasing their likelihood of developing other psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, thereby making it difficult to sleep (Yuksel et al., 2021). Experiments by Veeramachaneni et al. (2019) also showed a strong correlation between stress and insomnia. The pressure of young people in modern society is increasing. Whether it is worries about school, career, or troubles about partners and families, they all trouble us and make it difficult for us to sleep every night.

Academic situation
Academic performance is also an important factor affecting young people's sleep. According to a study in Shanghai, insomnia symptoms often accompany poor academic performance, especially among Chinese students (Zhao et al., 2019). This may be related to stress. When students have poor grades, the pressure from peer-pressure, parents and teachers affects their sleep to some extent.

screen time
Longer screen time in modern society also has a negative impact on sleep. Experiments by Hisler et al. (2020) show that screen use is associated with insomnia, increased morning bedtime, and daytime sleepiness. But related research has also found that people's negative feelings about their use of electronic devices have the greatest impact on insomnia, such as the belief that their use of mobile phones has a great disruptive effect on sleep. Participants who expressed negative perceptions about using electronic products were 2.3 times more likely to suffer from insomnia than participants with non-negative perceptions (Walsh et al., 2020). Therefore, I hope that everyone will not over-magnify the harm of screen use, because this kind of thinking will affect sleep more seriously.

So how to help people solve insomnia problems?

One of the treatments for insomnia is cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Cognitive-behavioral therapy emphasizes the need for people to develop a fixed, regular schedule, avoid caffeinated beverages before bed, and avoid cell phone use in bed. Based on long-term clinical studies, cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for insomnia (Veeramachaneni et al., 2019).

Second, patients with insomnia are 30% more likely to develop mental illness in the future than those without insomnia (Biddle et al., 2018). In other words, insomnia will not only affect people's physical health, but also increase the possibility of psychological problems later. Many times people suffer from insomnia because they don't want to sleep. They lie in bed and play mobile phones, sit in front of a computer to work or play games, and engage in many activities but just don't want to sleep. Over time, the body develops the habit of going to bed late, and when you want to go to bed early, you will experience insomnia. Therefore, the editor emphasizes the harm of insomnia here. I hope that readers can put down their computers or mobile phones when they read this part, focus on their physical and mental health, and go to bed on time.

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