Insomnia is defined as persistent difficulty with sleep initiation, duration, consolidation or quality, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s ICSD-3 manual. Insomnia is manifested in many ways and for different reasons, depending on the person affected. 

"It’s been two years since I had such a sleeping problem, ever since I quit drinking and decided to get sober. Every day I have to deal with this problem; the urges, the regrets and the frustration keep me awake when I make the mistake to dwell on it,” says Rebecca Mahoro, a Kigali resident.  

Mahoro notes that it usually starts when one thought crosses her mind, which then results in a chain of thoughts till she is no longer in control of her own mind. She has tried many things, including listen to soft music or rain apps to help ease her mind enough to fall asleep. 

She notes that the slightest noise is enough to wake her up, breathless. And it takes another hour or two to fall asleep again. "It’s very frustrating because it feels like I have no control over myself. And as someone trying to finally have that after living with an addiction that took away that freedom, such a sleeping disorder makes it hard for me to keep up with my daily life,” she says. 

Fabrice Gashegu, a gym trainer and founder of Fine Fitness, explains that we all have sleeping habits. 

"Children are taught and told to take day-time naps, especially during the holidays, and so you will find them falling asleep in class due to their sleeping habits, and this applies to adults as well,” Gashegu says. 

He notes that if a certain individual spends night hours over-working themselves, the body and the mind synchronise with the habits of the individual. 

Gashegu explains that fitness brings discipline into one’s life, and they get to be in control of the body and mind. 

"Physical exercise helps set the body’s clock for sleep and decreases blood pressure, for the body has to have the right temperature to have a healthy sleeping pattern,” he says. 

He also notes that physical exercise gives the body the chance for energy and pressure release to help anyone who has insomnia. 

Erick Matsiko, a lecturer in the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Rwanda, explains that lack of sleep affects the nutrition of the person in question, because of fatigue, certain individuals tend to eat junk food.

"Diet is one of the main factors that regulate good sleep for a person, such diet components dictate how the body shall react to sleep,” says Matsiko. He explains that a high dose of sugar in the body will release high insulin in a person’s blood and contribute even more to lack of sleep, like it is with high consumption of fats that result into inflammation.  

He notes that vitamins are a good influence to promote healthy good sleep, an example like magnesium in fish, soy beans, bananas and yoghurt; calcium in certain milk products will greatly facilitate anyone who has insomnia.  

Extreme alcohol and caffeine worsen the quality of sleep and food that is high in protein should be avoided before bedtime, as well as food with high water content, like watermelon, to avoid the constant trips to the bathroom that tend to hinder the quality of sleep.