Insomnia Cures: What is Insomnia?

Common symptoms of insomnia may include:

- Unable to fall asleep quickly
- Waking up too early and not being able to go back to sleep
- Waking up several times per night
- Fatigue during the day
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Being able to sleep only with the help of sleeping aids

Many insomniacs complain that they are unable to sleep because their mind is racing, even when they are tired. I know I've had many nights were my brain was going a mile a minute and sleep wouldn't come no matter how tired I was.

In this fast-paced world we live in where everyone is multi-tasking and we have long lists of unfinished to-do items, it's not unusual to go to bed with thoughts of all those unfinished tasks swirling around your head. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to push those thoughts away so you can rest for the night.

The worst part of insomnia is being exhausted and wanting to go to sleep and not being able to. Insomnia can last for more than a few nights; for those who have chronic insomnia, you are likely overly tired and unable to function at your full potential during your bouts of insomnia.

Although insomnia is usually temporary it can last for different time periods for different people. Transient insomnia lasts only for a few days, while short-term usually means a few weeks and chronic insomnia can last for a month or longer (with at least 3 sleepless nights per week).

Chronic sufferers can be either primary or secondary. Primary means that the main complaint of the sufferer is the insomnia itself. Secondary means the insomnia is caused by something else (medical or psychiatric conditions, emotional problems or drugs).

Some causes of secondary insomnia include:

- Sleep Apnea - a sleep disorder where you have difficulty breathing which causes you to wake up frequently throughout the night; sufferers of sleep apnea typically have persistent and loud snoring as well.

- Restless Legs Syndrome - burning, itching, tingling or other unpleasant sensations in the legs, typically at night, can be a big cause of sleeplessness for people who suffer from RLS.

- Night workers - people who work the night shift often have difficulty sleeping during the day; I have several family members who work night shifts and they never sleep as well or as long as those with normal daytime shifts.

- Medical conditions - many common medical conditions, including allergies, arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, ADD, and more, can cause insomnia.

- Alcohol and drugs - ironically, the alcohol and drugs that many people consume in an effort to help them sleep can actually cause insomnia.

- Stress or other emotional problems - people that are under a lot of stress or who have other emotional problems may suffer from insomnia.

A person's sleep habits and conditions are typically called sleep hygiene. You should pay attention to your habits first when addressing your insomnia issues. Basically, watch your habits together with your surroundings prior to going to bed to observe if adjusting some of them will allow you to sleep better.

Here are a few effective sleep hygiene habits that may help you sleep:

- Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at approximately the same time every morning; adhere to this routine even on weekends and when taking a trip.

- Don't read, study or watch tv in bed; you need your bed to be the place that you sleep, not where you work or watch television.

- Try to avoid taking naps, particularly late in the day.

- Get some exercise before supper; don't exercise too close to bed time as this will likely keep you up.

- Take a hot bath before bed; increasing your body's temperature is likely to make you sleepy and also will help you to fall asleep more rapidly.

- Read, meditate or do some other soothing pastime for the final 30 minutes before you go to bed. The more relaxed you are, the faster you'll go to sleep.



- Keep your bedroom cool and well ventilated.

- Try to eat dinner 4-5 hours before going to bed; refrain from fluids too close to bedtime.

- Stay clear of caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants right before bed.

- Should you have trouble falling asleep you need to get up and go into another room in your home; read or do some other activity until eventually you sense that you'll be able to sleep, then you can go back to your bedroom.

- Go to another bedroom or even the couch if your sleeping partner is snoring or otherwise disturbing you. Hopefully you won't need to do this every night, just the nights where you are having difficulty sleeping.

- Never watch the time. Knowing exactly how long you have been awake or how close until the alarm goes off will only make you stressed, as a result making sleep even more elusive.

Adjusting one or several of your night-time behaviors or environment could make a major difference in whether you sleep or not. This should be your first defense against sleep loss and will hopefully avoid the need for sleeping aids to help you sleep.

Insomnia is normally not a fatal disease, nevertheless it could be dangerous. Not getting adequate sleep can be unsafe when operating cars or trucks or other equipment and may even lead to additional health issues. Physicians recommend that we get 8 hours of sleep a night for a reason.

Reports show that as many as 200,000 motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. are attributable to sleep-deprived drivers annually, and that 1,500 of the accidents end in death. Studies also indicate that roughly one third of Americans have admitted to dropping off to sleep while driving a car, and that 10% of those incidents ended in a crash. People who suffer from habitual sleepiness (insomnia or another sleep problem) are more likely to fall asleep at the wheel than people with normal sleep habits.

You might be surprised that your sleep habits could have an influence on how long you live. A 2002 study reveals that people who sleep roughly seven hours each night have the highest life expectancy, whereas people who slept six hours or less, or eight hours or more had shorter life spans. Insomnia itself won't make you have a higher mortality rate, but this same research revealed that people who took sleeping pills did have a higher death rate.

Not surprisingly, your sleep habits may have a sizable impact on your quality of life. People who have sleep problems could have a quality of life that is just about as bad as people with chronic medical conditions, including heart problems. That's because individuals with insomnia experience more fatigue, irritability, and also poorer relationships with their friends and family than people that get enough sleep. Insomniacs likewise have more attention and memory difficulties, which in turn result in more mistakes at the job. All of these put together really can result in a decline in your quality of life.

Insomnia is capable of having a tremendous effect on your mood (you know you are always cranky if you don't get plenty of sleep). But it can also bring about depression or other emotional issues. Sleep disorders and psychological problems are usually so related that many times curing a person for insomnia could minimize or even remedy their emotional conditions.

Clearly, sleeping disorders will surely take a toll on your body. A sleep disorder can do more than make us fatigued, it can result in accidents as well as major health problems later on. If you suffer from insomnia for more than a few nights or a few weeks, you might want to go to a medical professional for sleep treatment options as well as make sure that there are no other health issues triggering your sleep problems.