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The Facts About Insomnia: A Common But Complex Problem

While many people have the occasional problem falling or staying asleep, those with insomnia suffer from a chronic condition that can manifest itself in a series of ways. Experts suggest that if your lack of a good night's sleep interferes with your daytime routine for one month or more, you may suffer from insomnia. In these cases, see your doctor to determine the cause of and treatment for your sleeplessness.

However, insomnia is different from poor sleep quality, the inability to reach a certain stage in the sleep cycle known as "restorative sleep." Insomniacs may or may not be able to reach this level of restorative sleep. Sometimes the causes of poor sleep quality is different than the causes of insomnia.

Types of Insomnia

Insomnia comes in a variety of forms, including:

Chronic insomnia: As the most serious form of insomnia, this condition exists when a person suffers from sleeplessness for at least three nights each week for at least one month.
Intermittent insomnia: This happens when someone experiences transient insomnia every once in a while.
Transient insomnia: One of the more common types of insomnia is transient insomnia, a condition that lasts anywhere from one night to three weeks. Generally, jet lag or mild anxiety causes this short-term version of insomnia. Transient insomnia usually resolves itself once your body has adjusted to a time change or the cause of worry has passed.

Insomnia Causes

Although a number of factors can cause insomnia, some of the more common ones include:

alcohol
anxiety
arthritis
caffeine
depression or other mental/emotional disorders
menopause
physical pain
prescription and illicit drugs
stress.

Understanding what is causing your particular case of insomnia is key to finding the right treatment. For example, while a menopausal women suffering from insomnia may find relief in taking hormone supplements, a depressed insomniac is best served through therapy and/or anti-depressant medication.

Treatment Options for Insomnia

Since many cases of insomnia stem from anxiety and stress, practicing relaxation techniques is one of the standard treatments experts recommend. Along with meditating, you may also want to practice deep breathing exercises before bed to get you in a relaxed state of mind. Other treatment options include:

Adjusting medications: When prescription drugs cause your insomnia, especially blood pressure and some heart medicines, consult with your doctor. While he may prescribe another medication, he may also alter your dosage to improve your sleep.
Creating a comfortable sleep environment: Making sure that your bedroom is quiet, dark and comfortable can do wonders for improving your sleep. Also, if you are in bed and having trouble sleeping, get up and do something. Staying in bed, tossing and turning, will only make you associate the bedroom with sleeplessness.
Drinking more water: Some people start to experience insomnia after increasing their caffeine intake. In some people, dehydration can causes stimulants to build up within the blood stream, preventing sleep. For these people, drinking more water helps push the caffeine through their systems. In a few days, their sleep patterns return to normal.
Exercising: Anxiety-related insomnia responds well to increased levels of physical activity. The increased blood flow and release of endorphins during physical activity eases stress, promoting better sleep and improving overall health.
Treating the underlying condition: If a medical condition (such as acid reflux) is the cause of your insomnia, treating the condition preventing you from sleeping is the best way to improve sleep.

Resources

Grohol, J. (2006). Insomnia, Primary. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from the Psych Central Web site: http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx86.htm.

Healthscout.com (2001). Insomnia. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from the Healthscout.com Web site: http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/245/main.html.

Mayo Clinic (2006). Insomnia. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from the Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/insomnia/DS00187/

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