Body temperature cycle
The body temperature varies of a couple degrees over the course of a day. And when we talk about the circadian rythm, we're in fact refering to the variation of temperature in our body.

As the temperature rises during the day, we feel more alert. When it drops, we yawn.

When this cycle is in-sync, the temperature reaches its lowest point at around 4AM. As it starts to rise, just before dawn, we emerge from sleep and gain in wakefulnees until the afternoon. Do you ever experience a sudden desire to take a nap during the afternoon? Well, it's normal. The temperature drops lightly at this time of the day, and you feel like lying down. After this short slump, temperature resume its upward motion until 10PM or so. As it begins to drop again, this time more markedly, you feel drawned toward bed.

Smallish wave = sluggishness and poor sleep
For you to feel awake, the temperature MUST rise. For you to sleep profoundly, it HAS to drop. The bigger the wave, the better.

Problem is, an inactive lifestyle may cause this wave to be rather flat, causing sluggishness during the day and poor sleep at night.

This wave, once established, is pretty stable. But it can be pushed progressively in one direction or the other, causing your body temperature to be out of sync with the world you live in. For example: sleeping in until 9 during the weekend to "recuperate" will push forward the moment your temperature starts to rise. The result? Waking up at 6AM on Monday morning will be tougher than ever, and falling asleep at 10PM almost impossible.

Melatonin level cycle
Our body has another way to know whether it's time to be awake or to sleep. A tiny gland located in the center of our brain releases an hormone that plays a very important part in our biological clock. This hormone is called melatonin.

Amazingly, what prevents the release of this hormone is daylight entering our eyes. In its absence, body temperature rises and we feel alert.

When we're exposed to darkness for some time, melatonin is released, which triggers a drop in body temperature and we start to feel drowsy. We could say that our body is giving itself a sleep pill whenever you find ourself in the dark, and a dose of coffee whenever the sun rises.

If you don't expose yourself to enough daylight during the early part of the day, your energy level and sleep quality will suffer. To our brain, spending the day indoor is more or less like spending our life in a cave!

Athletes's brains have one thing that most insomniacs don't have. The brain of athletes exhibit a lot of a specific brainwave range in the beta group. This range is called SMR, for sensory-motor rhythm.

Strangely, most insomniacs (and people who suffer from ADHD) have a huge deficiency of this brainwave band. SMR is responsible for inhibiting motion during sleep, among other duties.

It has been found that increasing SMR generally results in deeper sleep and more energy throughout the day. Stimulating the sensory-motor rhythm is also very effective in quieting chattery minds, improving concentration and reading speed, treating ADD/ADHD and learning disorders, and alleviating depression, anxiety and stress.

The Insomnia Buster track (part of the insomnia treatment provided by the SleepTracks Sleep Optimization Program) has been designed to remove this deficiency by stimulating the brain in the SMR range.

Depression
Everyone knows what it means to have the blues. But clinical depression is an acute mood disorder that affects daily life for an EXTENDED period of time. And sound sleep is one of the first things to go out the window.

Many depressed people will have trouble staying asleep during the night, and/or will wake up too early. And the sleep of someone suffering from depression is poor in stages 3 and 4, the one we call deep sleep, and has too much REM sleep periods. This poor sleep is not only a potential effect of depression, it can also cause it or aggravate it.

Caution: Medication can CAUSE insomnia
If you think you might be suffering from depression, please consult your physician. And beware of the fact that some medications used for depression can actually CAUSE insomnia. This is because these medications are used to make you more energetic, and consequently might make you more anxious.

Another characteristic of depressed people is that their body temperature cycle is flattened. Regaining a healthy body temperature cycle should be one of your main focus if you're depressed. And that means physical exercise and more exposure to sunlight.

Yet another characteristic of people suffering from depression is that their brain produces very few frequencies in what we call the sensory-motor rythm, or SMR.

Worrying your way to a sleepless night
Even if you don't suffer from clinical depression, you can easily worry your sleep away, and spend most of the night being all worked up over some huge problem that'll appear not so huge the next morning.

As you know, you can't force yourself to a calm state of mind.

But you can use traditional relaxation or meditation techniques, which are extremely effective over time. You can also use the Fall Asleep Track and focus on the pulses.

When you're ready to sleep, start the Fall Asleep track. Don't try to sleep. Focus instead your attention on the pulses and notice how they're gradually slowing down. Relax your body. If you find yourself obsessing over a thought, just come back to the pulses when you're aware of it. Keeping your attention on something as dull as the pulses will prove increasingly difficult, and you'll soon drift away.

Heavy, greasy, high-protein food
Eating heavy food less than 2 hours before going to bed is asking for trouble. I bet you already reached that conclusion too.

Fatty food that is hard to digest will make you feel bloated.

And a meal high in protein will make you feel more alert. Avoid all that.

Taking alcohol to ease into the night
So many people use alcohol as a way to melt stress away and ease into the night. Big mistake. Sure, since alcohol depresses your nervous system, it will make you drowsy and help you go to sleep. But -- there is a but.

Alcohol will rob you of the most restorative part of your sleep, what we call deep sleep or stages 3 and 4 - even though you seem to fall into a kind of coma after abusing on the bottle. You'll also experience withdrawal symptoms during the night that will further fragment and interrupt your sleep. If you ever wondered why "the day after" feels so bad, this is why.

Taking coffee as a boost during the day
Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world because of the stimulation it provides. For the same reason, coffee can disrupt your sleep. Not everybody has the same sensitivity to it, but since you have trouble sleeping at night you should make sure coffee is not one of the culprits.

Taking one or two cups in the morning should be ok, but taking coffee later in the day will most likely affect you. And since caffeine is present in high-energy drinks, teas and colas, you might be taking much more than you think you are.

Smoking
Ok, you know it already, smoking is evil, smoking is one of the worst things you can do to yourself. And as an ex-smoker I know you won't quit until you're ready to quit. So I won't waste our time trying to convince you.

I just want you to know that nicotine has similar effects on the body than caffeine: your brain waves, heart rate and breathing rate go faster, and you produce more stress hormones. During the night, you'll also experience withdrawal symptoms that will alter the soundness of your sleep. Enough said.

Apnea
If you're a middle-aged man and are somewhat overweight, you might be having some degree of apnea. In fact, 20% of men over 35 have it. Over 65, as much as 50% of all men suffer from apnea.

CAUTION!
Apnea is a very serious condition because the risks to your health are significant. It can even endanger your life.

The most common kind of apnea is caused by an accumulation of fat at the back of the throat. As the body relaxes during sleep, this fat falls back and completely blocks the intake of air. Seconds pass by without any breathing at all, until the body jolts you up and you awaken, gasping for air. You then fall back asleep again, snoring and breathing badly until the passageways get completely obstructed again. This pattern can repeat over and over hundreds of times during the course of the night, messing up completely your sleep.

Repeated lack of oxygen and poor sleep causes tremendous stress on the body. It frequently leads to hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, heart enlargment, and more. So you have to take apnea very seriously.

Periodic Leg Movement
With Periodic Leg Movement the problem occurs when the person is asleep, sometimes just at the beginning of the night, sometimes all night long. Most of the time they're not even aware that they've been robbed of deep sleep -- they just wonder why they're so tired during the day.

Restless Legs
With Restless Legs syndrome, the itching occur when the victim is awake, usually in the evening. People suffering from it can't stay in bed because of the constant need to move the legs.

SMR stimulation with brainwave entrainment can help provide relief to both periodic leg movement and restless legs syndrome.

If you suspect one of these conditions is affecting your sleep, I urge you to consult your physician. But, as I said, in most people, the real causes are to be found in bad habits and ignorance of how sleep can be improved.

Diabetes
Heart failure
Kidney disease
Ulcers
Digestive problems
Heartburn
Tooth ache
Asthma
Bronchitis
Bladder problems
Chronic pain
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's disease
Parkinson's disease

In Women
PMS
Menopause
Pregnancy