“Hello,
I am 36 yr Male working for a reputed IT Company in Bangalore, India.  I am married, with a 7 year old son. I am a smoker, do not take alcohol or drugs.
My serious concern is my lack of sleep. I go to bed at 9 PM after a very hectic day- with over 4 hrs of traveling to and from the office by company bus and yet I have a disturbed sleep- my body asks for more sleep but my mind is not ready to go to deep sleep.
Kindly assist.
Thanks and Regards
Naren”

Thank you Naren for asking Questallia. The lack of sleep is really a problem, as if your body feels not having enough sleep, this can result in concentration problems, making you less efficient at work or even at home, with your family. Statistics show that you are not alone. Causes are various, though it seems that 65% of Americans are losing sleep due to stress.
In an earlier edition of The Hindu, India’s National Newspaper, Uday Murugod, consultant neurologist at Manipal Hospital, says that
sleep disorders are to be expected in a city that leads such a chaotic and fast life. A complicated lifestyle is a big contributor to sleep disorders.
Dr. Murugod says the cause for the sleep disorder has to be diagnosed before proper treatment can be given. “We need to analyze reasons for sleeplessness by process of elimination before we can diagnose the reason,” he adds.
So, in order to sort it out, some medical investigations would be the best. Meanwhile, there are some tricks for getting a better sleep which are worth trying:

  • Practice a relaxation technique for 15-30 minutes before falling asleep
  • Try not to smoke before going to bed
  • Don’t go to bed with an empty stomach (hunger leads to a poor sleep)
  • Give up coffee or other caffeine products. Even if you drink it in the morning, coffee affects sleep behaviour. If you think you can’t do it, check the article “how to give up coffee of Steve Pavlina. He is sharing his own experience of giving up coffee, and he has some good insights there.
  • Exercise can induce sleep, but it should not be done in the evening, before going to bed
  • Try to listen to some soothing music before falling asleep. A study has found that people sleep better and longer if they listen to soothing music at bedtime.
  • Don’t refrain from buying the things you love. This happened to me once: I’ve seen a gorgeous pair of Born shoes in a shoe store and I didn’t buy it,because I thought it was too expensive for me. I was not used to spend that much on designer shoes or label clothing. Then I could not sleep all night long, fwearing that somebody else bought that pair of shoes which I liked so much. I went next morning and got my shoes, so I can get some rest.

If you want to know more about your sleep habits, you can take this test and see what is your sleep profile. It is free and it may reveal you some solutions for overcoming your sleep disorders.