Insomnia is generally described as inadequate or poor quality sleep.

You could have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, waking up too frequently during the night or waking up too early in the morning.

When you suffer from poor sleep quality, you don’t feel rested in the morning and often don’t function well for the rest of the day. This article should help you determine some of the causes of your sleep problems and how to overcome

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A common culprit may be irregular sleep habits. Going to bed around the same time every night and waking around the same time in the morning go a long way to improving your sleep habits.

You may need to set the stage for sleep. Remember as a child, your mom had you get ready for bed. I’d bet you followed pretty much the same routine every night. You had to go to the bathroom, wash your face and hands, brush your teeth and change into your pajamas. Maybe your parents read you a story. Perhaps you’ve fallen out of your normal routine and now need to re-establish it.

As you go through your evening routine do so consciously. This means that you have an awareness that what you are doing will result in a desired outcome. Think or say the following to yourself while you are doing your evening pre-bed routine – “Washing my face and brushing my teeth helps me sleep soundly and restfully”. Change the underlined word(s) to whatever your activity is. This will help your subconscious mind align with your desired outcome of better sleep.

Another factor in sleeping problems is your diet. Most often this is what you ate for dinner or later, but occasionally this could be a food you eat all the time. The biggest offenders are spicy, greasy foods and alcohol – especially a combo such as pizza and beer. Start paying attention to when and what you are eating and how you sleep that night. You might be surprised at what you find out.

Generally, you shouldn’t eat or drink anything but water for at least three hours before bedtime. This gives your body time to empty the stomach so acid reflux or heartburn doesn’t wake you. Plus, if you eat any carbohydrates during this time period, you stop certain processes that need to occur during our sleep time as this is when our bodies do most of the repair and healing work.

Next, take a look at how active you are. It’s very common to require less sleep as you become less active. You may need to increase your activity level to promote a more sound and restful sleep. Now that being said, avoid exercise immediately before bedtime as it will increase your metabolism and keep you up, thus aggravating your insomnia.

How light and noisy is your bedroom? You may be so used to the presence of light and noise that you don’t even notice them anymore, yet this may be what is adversely affecting your sleep.

We should be sleeping in total darkness. When you first go to bed after turning off the lights, stick your arms out. You should not be able to see your arms. If you can, then your room is not dark enough. Pull the curtains closed, and cover lights from electrical equipment in your bedroom. (I put black electrical tape on the cable box lights.) Move your clock so you can’t see it unless you sit up and look for it.

Melatonin is a supplement that you can take to help you overcome insomnia. However, you can help your own body to produce melatonin by sleeping in total darkness. Our bodies need the darkness to start producing Melatonin. This is a hormone that your pineal gland in the brain produces that helps you sleep soundly. If there is light on any part of your body, the pineal gland will not release any Melatonin.

Now for noise . . . it’s easy to block outside noise, just use earplugs. Look for the soft or moldable earplugs. But what many have trouble with is tinnitus – an internal high or low pitched noise. Many people report success with a noise machine which produces a white noise or nature sounds. This seems to help block the constant noise in the ears and you’ll sleep better.

You should also take a good look at what you sleep on. How old is your mattress? Does it sag in the middle? It may be worn out. I believe most mattresses are rated to last for 7 to 10 years. Do a little research on the type of mattress you should be sleeping on. There are many choices available.

As you can see, some simple changes in your daily routine and habits can often result in improved sleep … leaving you more rested and able to function better during the day. Now that you know to what to look for you can improve your sleep problems and overcome insomnia on your own.

By Christine Hasinger,  BSN., DOM

Sleep Problems. . . If you are tossing and turning all night long, no matter how hard you try to doze off, you’ll definitely wind up  grumpy, foggy and unfocused the following morning. 

Poor slumber leads to mood swings, fatigue and even a diminished attention span.  You may feel tired even as you wake up in the morning and have trouble concentrating on tasks.  If you have a hard time getting some sleep no matter what you do, then you may have a sleeping disorder called insomnia. . .

Thirty percent of your life is spent in bed.  This is such a regular part of our being that we tend to take it for granted.  We only realize its value when we’re already suffering from insomnia.

Good sleeping habits are important because they enable your brain and body to function normally. You generally require sleep at night and during the mid-day if you are very young, old or ill.

Every one of us requires a different length of slumber to continue their normal functions the next day.  However, most people require at least seven hours every night.  Some of us only get four hours and still feel great while others may need up to ten hours of sleep per night.

Your body automatically recognizes the time to snooze because it considers lesser amounts of light as a signal to the brain to produce melatonin, a chemical that causes sleepiness.    During this time, the three major chemicals that keep you alert, including serotonin are automatically deactivated.  Haven’t you noticed that you get drowsy earlier during the winter months when it’s dark by dinner time.

Insomnia is generally known as a sleeping disorder but it can be grouped into three types.  Mild insomnia is a sleep disorder that lasts for a few days only and does not result in any defect in a person‘s regular functions.  The mild form of insomnia may be normal and not debilitating.  However, longer periods of insomnia can have serious effects on a your physical and psychological make up.

When should you ask for help for if you have insomnia?

Insomnia tends to result in poor concentration, focus and can make you more prone to accidents.   This disorder can lead to a poor social life and failed relationships because insomniacs are easily stressed out, generally depressed and have little patience.  Sleep disorders may be related to heart illnesses and severe headaches during the day.

Moderate insomnia may just be a result of too much thinking or pressure in your work or personal life.  However, when your insomnia attacks become more frequent and lengthier affecting your life to where you are depressed and irritable then perhaps it is time to seek help from a professional.

Chronic insomnia can last for months and can severely affect a person’s normal functions.  Most insomniacs do not seek the advice of specialists even if they have already lost some weight and are losing control of their lives because they think it is normal phase.  However, insomnia is different from sleep deficiency, a condition where a person can get some sleep but feels he does not get enough of it.

Sleeplessness is a common occurrence with almost thirty percent of adults experiencing this every year.  However, only five percent get medical advice.  This is a sad fact considering that four out of ten people who have insomnia are also prone to psychiatric disorders.  Another glaring fact is that seven out of ten depressed people suffer from this disorder as well.

Research shows that while insomnia is generally caused by stressors and anxiety, it may also be caused by increasing use of cocaine, alcohol and sedatives, as well as physical deformities or pain.    Normal problems like unemployment, relationship problems, and other daily activities are also said to contribute to sleep problems.

If you are someone that tosses and turns all night, has trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep or just wakes up too early and doesn’t feel rested then perhaps you have insomnia.  For the mild to moderate insomniac there are many self-help manuals and products available.  This article gives self help tips on how to overcome insomnia. If you think you have a sleep problem beyond the occasional night of insomnia, you should also seek the advice of a health professional.