Excess Darkness and Your Circadian Rhythm

For those of us living in Alaska, it’s no secret that we are operating under “unique” circumstances in summer and winter from extreme amounts of light to extreme amounts of dark. Though it might seem counter intuitive, the amount of excess darkness, which is significant in the Southeast and oppressive in the Far North, actually makes sleep more difficult for many people.

Why?

The excess darkness is extremely disruptive. It prevents your exposure to daylight and ability to be physically active. It also can disrupt your hormone levels. The result of all these adjustments is a disrupted circadian rhythm. Continue reading to learn more about this phenomenon and what you can do. 

What is Insomnia?

“Insomnia” is a word that most people frequently toss around to describe cases of sleeplessness. However, the disorder is actually a complicated umbrella term that includes multiple conditions varying in severity.

Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, even when a person has the chance to do so.

No matter the type of insomnia, those who suffer from the condition commonly complain of the same symptoms:

• Waking during the night

• Waking too early

• Fatigue during the day

• Irritability

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Difficulty concentrating

• Increased worry

• Increased accidents

Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that prevents you from falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up at an appropriate time. This can be due an underlying cause or seem idiopathic. If you struggle with sleep and are concerned you're the only one, it may help to know that you're not alone in your quest for better sleep. Research studies demonstrate that approximately 25% of people suffer from some form of sleep disorder. This statistic is daunting as sleep deprivation can impose detrimental effects on individuals and the people around them.

How Does Insomnia Interfere With Life?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that leaves you sleep deprived and frustrated. Insomnia is a condition when you either can’t fall asleep, can’t stay asleep, or always wake up far earlier than you need. The result of insomnia is mild to severe sleep deprivation, which can have mild to catastrophic consequences.

Insomnia side effects interfere with all aspects of life, including our health in terms of:

• Emotionally
• Cognitively
• Physically
• Socially

Understanding what insomnia is and what you can do to help treat it may dramatically improve your well being.

Insomnia Isn't So Simple

Insomnia is somewhat of a complex topic because it's not as simple as "I can't sleep." In fact, there are actually two types of insomnia, and two modes of insomnia. Here's a closer look at how to distinguish these types/modes of insomnia

The two types of insomnia are:

• Primary insomnia – insomnia as a direct result of something else
• Secondary insomnia – insomnia with no clear, underlying issue

The two modes of insomnia are:

• Acute insomnia – short term, a month or less
• Chronic insomnia – symptomatic, long term (at least three times per week for a month or more)S

So in total, there are actually four different combinations of mode/type meaning that your insomnia might look different than someone else's insomnia. Continue reading to learn more about insomnia and sleeplessness.

Why Light Extremes Can Cause or Worsen Insomnia

For those living in Alaska, it’s no secret that we are operating under “unique” circumstances in summer and winter, either a lot of sunlight or a lot of darkness respectively. Though it might seem counter intuitive, the amount of excess darkness, which is significant in the Southeast and oppressive in the Far North, actually makes sleep more difficult for many people.

Why?

The excess darkness is extremely disruptive. It disrupts your ability to get daylight and to be physically active. It can also disrupt your hormone levels. The result: there are many ways for your circadian rhythm to be affected.

What Does Insomnia Look Like?

Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that prevents you from getting enough sleep because:

• You have trouble falling asleep
• You have trouble staying asleep throughout the night
• You wake up much earlier than you want

If you have insomnia you never feel like you are getting enough rest – probably because you aren’t. To say the least, it’s frustrating to not be able to sleep when you want to, and there are a whole host of risks associated with sleep deprivation.

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is being unable to fall asleep, stay asleep for any restful of time, or sleep until an appropriate time in the morning (i.e., waking up wide awake at 3am). It is a frustrating disorder because you want to sleep, but you just can’t. As you get more sleep deprived over time, this disconnect between wanting to sleep and actually sleeping can become extremely pronounced. Unfortunately, insomnia can have consequences far more severe than just frustration.

Insomnia can be 2 types:

• Chronic – it is a problem most night and lasts more than a month
• Acute – it is a problem most nights that lasts for a few days to a few weeks, but goes away

Sometimes insomnia has a clear underlying cause, and sometimes it doesn’t. The major concern with insomnia is severe sleep deprivation.

Types of Insomnia

If you have ever experienced the torment of insomnia or are currently battling with it, then you understand the frustration and the toll it can take on your ability to lead a normal, happy life. In simple terms, it can make life unbearably miserable. It can transform you into a different version of yourself, affecting your behavior and making you less productive in all aspects of life. It even diminishes your lifespan and reduces the overall quality of life. So, it is without a doubt worth taking proactive measures to avoid it.

However, the issue of insomnia is far from simple. It becomes even more complicated when you consider the fact that there are different types of insomnia.

• Primary insomnia - insomnia that is a direct result of another underlying cause.
• Secondary insomnia - insomnia that occurs without a clear, identifiable issue.

Furthermore, insomnia can manifest in two ways, causing different degrees of suffering:

• Acute insomnia - a short-term condition that lasts for a month or less.
• Chronic insomnia - a long-term condition that occurs at least three times per week for a month or more.

In total, there are four distinct ways in which one can experience insomnia:

• Secondary/acute insomnia - temporary insomnia triggered by a known problem, such as a temporary illness or stress.
• Primary/acute insomnia - temporary insomnia with no discernible reason.
• Secondary/chronic insomnia - chronic insomnia caused by a usually persistent issue like pain or a long-term illness.
• Primary/chronic insomnia - chronic insomnia without any identifiable cause.

Now, let's delve into the various strategies and techniques we can employ to avoid insomnia by addressing its common root causes.