Information on insomnia - symptoms, causes, treatments

The Symptoms of Insomnia:

Insomnia is a common sleeping disorder that affects about 40 to 50 percent of all Americans, at least occasionally. The problem becomes much more disturbing if the sleeplessness attacks not just occasionally but on every night. The symptoms include a deep sleep for the first few hours of the night, but then waking up after just 2 to 3 hours. That’s when a person will start to toss and turn, starts to dwell on unimportant details, or even becomes riveted on every normal night sound. The problem is then to get back to sleep. Usually a clue for having insomnia is general restlessness, problems falling back asleep even though you are very tired, or a racing heartbeat.

Factors that will cause Insomnia:

Another factor might be the environment you are sleeping in. The room might be too noisy at night if you sleep near a busy highway, or you might be worried there is a burglar in the house. You might even spend the entire night waking up because the moon is shining on your face or because an animal made a sound. Often people complain that if they hear a sound, they stay awake trying to hear that sound again. They become obsessed with that notion and won’t go back to sleep until they hear that sound again.

If the insomnia is more chronic then occasional, then chances are that your insomnia isn’t just caused by the above factors. Of course the factors mentioned above might make the problem worse, but they aren’t the root problem of your condition. The problem may be much worse, it might be caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain, or excessive neural activity. If you suspect you are one of these people you will encounter sleepless night almost every night and you will find it hard to find a cure. Some common causes of this type are epilepsy, menopause, arthritis, asthma, heart disease, and diabetes so if you suffer from any of these make sure you see a doctor.

Treating insomnia:

If you have the problem that you can’t fall asleep because you are so stressed out it is time to take a break. Often if the person was studying for an exam, and then thinks the entire night of the exam on the next day is the one that crams right up to the bedtime. The trick is to take a break and doing something else that you enjoy. Take your mind off the matter when you are still completely awake so it will not become riveted on details all night because you can’t let the matter of the exam go. This goes with having a presentation the next day, a job interview, or anything that causes stress. Just take about at least 1/2 hour before you sleep to do something you enjoy and to unwind. Examples of things to do are making a hot chocolate with milk, sitting down at the television and watching a favorite show. Or playing a video game on your computer. Or going for a quick walk outside. Once your mind is back to normal, not trying to absorb every detail in its waking state, you will not have such a great problem getting back to sleep since your mind has already let go of the problem at hand. If you still can’t go back to sleep, sometime it is wise to take some sleeping pills. But make sure you don’t become dependent on them for every night because they will tend not to work after a while and you will become more and more dependent onto strong drugs.

If you have insomnia quite often and you sense that your environment or even the room is causing it, it is time to look at what the sights or sounds are that keep you awake at night. If you live near a busy highway, the only solution might be to buy some ear plugs to sleep with, so you will not become riveted on its sounds. The same goes for living near a forest where you keep becoming distracted by animal sounds. Do not get ear plugs that cut out all sound altogether, but opt for some that will have a muffling effect which cut back sound by about 30dB. A white noise machine or a fan to produce a continuous background noise might be a good option for you as well since that type of noise is easily slept through. If you are too hot or cold, get up and get more sheets or a fan. A common mistake is to stay in bed shivering or sweating, and keep waiting for sleep. If you just get up and make yourself comfortable, you will be much better off and able to fall back to sleep. Your mind will not be able to rivet on the detail that you are uncomfortable and it will be the better for you. If your room seems too bright, get a darker curtain. If your mattress or bed is uncomfortable, get yourself a new one. The gains will be immediate and tangible.

If you seem to have the chronic type of insomnia and you fear that it might be a chemical imbalance that is causing your problems, it is time to start asking a professional for help. About ten to fifteen percent of Americans suffer from this type of insomnia, so it is a quite common problem. Sometimes there are medications available that will help you get back on track because they supplement the lacking chemicals. Sometimes the diagnosis will include a stay at the hospital since they will want to measure the brain wave activity to see what exactly your problem is.

Sometimes insomnia is not curable, but if you have it only occasionally you can make sure that you have it less often. Try the simple solutions first, and if they don’t work after a few days, you should seek professional help. There might be a drug out there that could help you and you shouldn’t loose precious sleep not knowing about it! Make sure you don’t drink excessive amounts of Alcohol, get large doses of caffeine, smoke or get no exercise. These are common causes for insomnia that can be easily avoided. Also make sure you have a regular sleeping schedule, and it will be much easier to fall asleep because the mind and body gets used to getting sleep at the certain time and you will be very tired and ready for sleep at that time.