Young people lose sleep early – Part 2: Life is full of sadness, why go to bed early?

waking up with sadness and worry

When asked why he went out late, Tran Huu Tuan (21 years old) was chatting with a group of friends at the dinner table and immediately replied: “My friend was sad and asked me out at this time. Asked to leave.”

From love stories, career stories to anger stories, all friends share. Tuan continued: “The shop is closed, so we’ll drink coffee all night.” The chatter and laughter continued, and probably continued until the morning.

Not as sad as Tuan’s friend, the cause of Nha Quyen’s (24-year-old) insomnia is even more complex. Currently, she is studying film in Berlin, Germany, which is her passion but also puts a lot of pressure on her. Thinks a lot, sometimes she wakes up at night, sometimes she sleeps a lot but “sleeps a lot, feels tired like she’s tired, not sleeping well”. One night, no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t sleep. She remained worried and even started crying because she missed home. “Then I looked out the window and saw that it was already morning.”

Before leaving, Quen had imagined the image of Germany so she was not too surprised by her new life. “But in terms of lifestyle, especially the climate, it took me a long time to adapt. I often go to student and legal groups as well as to friends in Germany to learn more and avoid unexpected or other incidents. “Cultural differences. Also, there are international students in my class so we often help each other,” she said.

This girl has personality but also a lot of ideas. She always feels pressure. “When I was in Vietnam, I had work pressure, had deadlines every day, had to work from early morning to late night. Luckily, I didn’t have much financial pressure because my family supported me When I studied here, I was under pressure from my peers. I understand why my friends in the country are so successful while I am still struggling here,” she said.

Quen was also disappointed because she missed some opportunities when she came to Germany, even though she felt lucky to be able to fulfill her dream. They also face financial pressure due to differences in living standards and money exchanges.

Every month when she sees how much money she spends, even though she tries to save money, she still feels worried because she earns too little and spends too much.

Quen is also worried about the future. “I want to return to my country to work, but after graduating, I still want to find opportunities to earn money before returning. The competitive situation as well as the language differences and the market context make me look for opportunities. Also confusing. Internships and part-time jobs,” she said.

To feel more comfortable, she reads books, watches movies or goes for a walk. If she has nothing to do, she cooks or calls family and friends. “Sometimes I take steam baths and steam baths to make things easier,” she said.

sleep instead of work

It appears that young people who actively stay up late are still able to avoid insomnia. But people who are forced to work “all night” due to work or life pressures suffer from insomnia.

Working part-time since the beginning, Duong Trung Tinh (final year student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) has been creating content for a YouTube channel since his second year of studies.

Due to the specific tasks associated with football, it has become normal for students to wake up from 4:00 – 5:00 am. “Most of the time I work at international football tournaments, where big matches happen at midnight. So staying up and watching for 90 minutes, then completing homework, has become familiar,” Tinh said.

He told that he used to stay up late, but at most he used to stay awake till 12 o’clock in the night. And now, the old milestone of going to bed has become the time when it starts working.

He admits that after doing this job, his health has deteriorated and there has been some change in his personality. Also, because you have to sleep in the morning, your time with family and friends becomes limited.

At the peak of the 2022 World Cup final, there were days when the 21-year-old only slept for well… 1 hour. Although he later slept to make up for it, he was still in a lethargic and tired state. “At times like this, the feeling of fatigue can last for several days,” Tinh said.

On nights when he can’t concentrate due to lack of sleep, Tinh also goes to convenience stores to find coffee and energy drinks to stay awake. But the next day he felt even more tired.

The ball isn’t always rolling, but Tinh’s bedtime always is. This has become a habit, even on nights when this student does not work, he does not fall asleep quickly. This results in him sometimes resorting to sleeping pills, “When you are very tired and you really need to sleep, you have to use pills, otherwise it is very difficult to fall asleep.” It happens.”

There are countless reasons why youth have poor sleep.

Not only are they forced to stay awake because of work like Tinh, or are under the pressure of life like Quyen, but many young people also lose sleep for all kinds of reasons.

According to Master-Doctor Hoang Dinh Huế Hanh (in charge of the Sleep Disorders Unit, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital), for young people aged 16 to 30, insomnia often comes from three main reasons.

The first is stress. This is the most common reason. In modern life, young people face a lot of pressure from studies, work, meeting “deadlines”… In addition, many people do not exercise much, while physical activity helps the body produce many hormones. Create a feeling that helps make love and fall asleep.

Next is technical contact. Young people today interact on social networks, use phones and laptops before bed or work or study for too long, leading to stress and sleep disorders. In the long term, these cases will lead to loss of natural sleep.

Finally, the primary reason. This is due to a small percentage in which insomnia originates from childhood, such as lack of deep sleep, behavioral disorders during sleep (kicking, hitting hands…).

“Over the age of 30, insomnia can also be caused by the aging process, psychological factors such as depression, trauma… The first symptoms are difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying awake. Maintain sleep. If the condition lasts longer After three months, it will move into the chronic insomnia stage,” Dr. Hanh said.

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They don’t meet deadlines, don’t often hang out in bars with friends, but these young people continue to stay up at night like they like it and then sleep slowly leaves them.

>> Next time: People who love nightlife