Several studies have found that the global prevalence of insomnia is at an average of around 10%-30% - with some countries evening reporting as high as 50% - 60%.
The condition, defined by the HSE as an “ongoing problem with getting sleep,” is common in older adults, females, and people with medical and mental health issues.
The most common causes of insomnia are:
- stress, anxiety or depression
- noise
- a room that's too hot or cold
- uncomfortable beds
- alcohol, caffeine or nicotine
READ MORE: TikTok doctor’s at-home light hack for a better night’s sleep
While there are many added stress factors in society today, a well-known NHS doctor has spoken about their struggles with the condition and an effective way of overcoming it.
Dr Karan Raj told his 4.8 million followers: "When I first started as a doctor, I struggled with insomnia."
He went on to say that he'd come across a sleep hack that he at first dismissed, thinking it was a fad that wouldn't work.
But, when he gave it a go he was surprised to find that it was in fact effective - restoring his normal sleeping pattern.
Explaining what to do he said: "Basically, you tell yourself, 'I'm not going to sleep' and you stay awake.
“You don't read a book and you don't go on your phone, no TV, nothing. You just lie in bed, eyes open."
Dr Raj continued: "You're forcing yourself to stay awake, tell yourself, 'don't go to sleep'. In many cases, you will feel tired and fall asleep. That worked for me."
After many questions flooded the comment section of the video, he responded in the comments writing: "By the way, this is called 'paradoxical intention'. If I tell you NOT to think about a polar bear... guess what you think of first? Works the same way!"
So, it seems the key to falling asleep is by tricking your mind into thinking it has to stay awake, which one TikToker said he agreed with in the comments by citing the effective form of: "Reverse psychology."
Among the thousands of comments was one success story, with the woman writing: “I tried this over the past few nights and just last night it worked. Nodded off in mins.”
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