Can’t Sleep After Moving? You Might Have Adjustment Insomnia

However, if you’re planning to move sometime soon, there’s no need to worry because we’ve got you covered. With our guide, you’ll have all the information you need to prepare yourself mentally for the upcoming adventure and learn how to cope with adjustment issues such as insomnia.

How Do You Know You Have Insomnia?

Did you know that 1 in 3 adults can get enough rest due to various reasons? Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up erratically and too early are the most common insomnia symptoms. However, they cause even more severe effects in everyday life, like feeling tired upon waking, poor concentration, and work performance, not to mention the low overall quality of life. In addition to the above, you may experience these symptoms, too:

• Irritability, anxiety or depression,
• Having a hard time remembering things,
• Increased risk of errors or accidents.

Although most people experience only episodes of insomnia (transient) at some point in their lives, we differentiate short and long-term disorders. Anything less than three months is referred to as the short-term (acute one), whereas the ones that last longer than that are called long-term (chronic one). We’re going to dig deeper into adjustment sleep disorder and explain thoroughly what causes it and how to treat it, so you can prevent it from getting worse and turning into a chronic one.

What Should You Know About Adjustment Insomnia?

Are you wondering what is adjustment insomnia? When a person is subjected to any kind of adjustment period, stress is inevitable, and its manifestations on the body are obvious. It’s well known that relocating to a new state is one of the most stressful life events. Numerous studies have shown that moving away from friends and family can be even more nerve-racking and traumatic than the divorce itself. It’s not even about relocating from an apartment to a house or deciding to move to a small town. It’s about losing your sanity because of thousands of tiny details asking to be organized and synchronized.

So, there we are. Since there’s no such thing as an entirely stress-free relocation, facing its consequences sometimes means facing so many simultaneous adjustments going on that your immune system weakens, and your body kind of confuses. What happens is, when relocating to another state alone, your body’s internal clock is disrupted, which means your metabolism, body temperature, and sleeping cycle will not act like they usually do. Here are some of the reasons why there’s such a profound impact on the body:

• Adjusting to a new lifestyle – This one is also known as a culture shock period, and everybody experiences it to some extent. The initial period of settling in will be full of differences. This is the period when the thought should I move back home usually occurs, and learning how to cope with it is vital.
• Adjusting to a new working environment – When you get a job in a new city, it’s natural to go through an adaptation period here, too: new coworkers, new responsibilities, a new set of skills, new everything.
• Trying to maintain your long-distance friendships and make the most of them, even though you’re not physically close. Figuring out the ways to communicate more often via numerous accessible communication apps like House Party. However, remember there are many crucial things to do after relocating, like putting yourself out there and making new connections.

As you can see, there’s a lot to handle, and it’s no wonder sometimes things result in sleeping difficulties. Adjustment insomnia is a short-term type of disorder since it subsides when you get acquainted with new surroundings. However, when a person neglects the problem and ignores emotional state and well-being in general, what happens is that acute insomnia causes chronic insomnia.

What Are the Symptoms of Adjustment Disorders?

Although there is no rule for this diagnosis and its symptoms, they usually include:

• impulsive behavior and withdrawal behavior,
• restlessness,
• feeling trapped,
• low confidence,
• fatigue, muscle spasms,
• insomnia.

Whatever your reasons to move, it’s essential to have this information, just in case you experience some. Even if you choose one of the best cities for young professionals and do everything in your power to relieve relocation stress and include all the relocation tips, you can experience some of these.

So, to facilitate your adjustment period even more, choose the best time of year to move, when you’re usually feeling high, and prep all the things you need for your first apartment well in advance. Also, hire a professional long-distance moving company to help you out with any long-distance moving services they provide. If you want to stick to your relocation budget, you can always research how much do reliable long-distance movers cost and compare the rates of the top-rated movers nearby. Doing all of this will lower the stress and the possibility of experiencing sleepless nights.

Mental Health Disorders Are Linked With Sleeping Disturbances

You probably already heard about the famous saying – “got up on the wrong side of the bed“. As it turns out to be, your daily behavior can be dictated by disturbances that are closely associated with mental and emotional health. Chronic or acute sleep disorder quickly builds on pre-existing vulnerable conditions, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and many others. Considering the profound effect separation from loved ones has on people, it’s no wonder that cross-country moving triggers and worsens some of these. Restlessness affects your brain deeply. As medical research proves, it can be both a cause and a consequence of your current mental health.

When Should You Seek Professional Help?

Since the symptoms subside over time, in most cases, adjustment insomnia requires no treatment at all. Maybe a doctor will advise you on taking the natural supplement, such as melatonin, or sleeping medications if it gets rough to go through the night, but that’s pretty much it. However, if the problem persists and starts affecting your daily functioning, you have to consider seeking professional medical help.

Just think about it. What have you done with your new apartments checklist? And what about all those people you’ve just met? You were so excited about making friends in a new city. However, if that doesn’t bring you joy, you might be sleep-deprived. Also, when relocating with pets, if tasks like walking the dog seem tiring, maybe it is time to talk to a professional. Don’t wait too long after your long-distance move to reach out and ask for help.

How Do You Fix Severe Adjustment Insomnia?

When it comes to insomnia symptoms, causes, and treatment that works best, it’s important to know there is no one right cure. So, it’s quite probable that your doctor will advise you to try a non-medication treatment, but you will have to undergo a diagnostic test first, also known as polysomnography. This is important if you want to eliminate other possible disorders like narcolepsy, apnea, RLS (restless leg syndrome), etc.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Is the First-Line Therapy

CBT-I helps you identify and change the behaviors responsible for sleep disturbances. For a successful treatment, you need to find a reliable therapist that’s right for you. You’ll probably have to keep a bedtime diary for some time (a week or two) since it’s the best way to treat your inability to fall asleep peacefully. There are also other CBT-I techniques you can use, and the therapist will certainly recommend some of them if needed:

• Sleep restrictions – Instead of spending your time lying in bed all awake, this technique advises you to reduce by doing something else and intentionally cause deprivation. Still, the schedule of sleep breaks won’t be the same for everyone, and the schedule is still vital – that’s where a therapist plays an important role. Over time, the treatment should gradually result in increased sleeping hours.
• Stimulus control therapy – The end goal of this technique is to teach you that going to bed means going to sleep. Since people who have trouble sleeping also have a problem loving their bedroom setting, they also develop negative associations with sleeping time. If you’re not asleep in twenty minutes, BCT-I therapists recommend doing something more enjoyable than turning and tossing, such as reading a book or watching TV, but outside the bed. When you feel sleepy again, go back to bed.
• Relaxation therapy – This is more of training, and it’s here to calm both your mind and body. Whatever you find soothing – meditation, muscle relaxation, or something else – do it before going to bed.

If you’d like to hear some relaxing meditation music, check out the video below.

What About Medications?

Of course, we would all love to have that one pill that fixes it all, whether it’s the red one or the blue one. However, now that you are old enough to know how your body works and how the mind affects it, it’s pretty simple to understand that pills “don’t do anything at all”. At least not when talking about dealing with the real cause of this diagnosis. If relying only on them, some of the adjustment symptoms could be alleviated, which will mask its slow progression. This doesn’t mean you should not take them, but to know how important it is to have the correct information from your doctor before starting the treatment.

New Habits Will Give You More Power Over Your Bedtime

If you haven’t paid enough attention by now to your bedroom setting and sleep hygiene habits, well, it is definitely the time to do it. A period of a fresh start is usually also known as a catalyst when you’re motivated to learn to question your old ways of living and learn healthier ones. The same goes for falling asleep. It may be much easier if you create an inviting environment, a comfortable one, without too much noise or light.

Also, there are specific strategies you can use daily to help your brain fall asleep more easily. Start with skipping caffeine and alcohol and avoiding all electronic devices at least two hours before bedtime. Sooner or later, you’ll end your day just like you once did – with a good night. When you know all of this, a long-distance move won’t be as scary as it seemed before. So, don’t hesitate to pack up your bags and move.