Treatments For Insomnia - Disorder Or Simply Stressed?

"Slept well?" This is one of the most common questions you ask your partner or children in the morning. It is a recognition of the importance of a good nights sleep.



But what is insomnia?



This is the definition that "The National Institutes of Health" in the US has of insomnia "...complaints of disturbed sleep in the presence of adequate opportunity and circumstance for sleep".



To put it in simple words: you have a bed waiting for you, and you have nothing else that demands your attention, but you still find it difficult to fall asleep. Or, you fall asleep but wake up early or repeatedly during the night.



In order to treat your insomnia you first need to have an idea of where the problem really lies. Having a bad night now and then is not the same as insomnia.



We all have nights when we simply do not seem to be able to "switch off" and go to sleep. Maybe we stay up watching a favourite football game, drinking beer, or we are waiting for a late flight, sitting in a cafe; drinking coffee.



Disrupting your normal day/night cycle will cause a disruption in your sleep. That is not really a problem, you will soon be back to normal sleep again.



You do need to asses your problems more in depth if you have trouble with more frequent or severe sleep disruptions. Try to reason through why you cannot sleep - is there any functional or physical reason that prevents you from falling asleep, or keeps waking you up?



Things like late night coffee drinking, working shifts, maybe taking certain medication? Maybe your house is close to a busy railway or highway?



One reason can be you suffer from sleep apnea because you're overweight - what this means your body doesn't get enough air because you snore!



Your brain will then shout to you "wake up or choke to death!".



Still talking about physical reasons for sleep disorders, conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure might affect your sleep, causing insomnia and sleeplessness.



However, by far the most common cause of insomnia is in your head.



If you are worried about money, for example, or in an unhappy relationship, your mind will churn negative thoughts around instead of the calming and relaxing thinking that primes you for sleep.



This is why sleep experts say that one of the first things to try when you have sleeping problems, is to learn to relax and get into a "relaxing" state of mind at bedtime.



Here are some relatively simple ideas to look at: practise yoga, learn to meditate, make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet - all things that help to slow down your mind and make it easier to fall asleep.



Simple things like these may well be all you need to cure your insomnia, unless your sleep disorder is really severe.