If you are suffering from insomnia it is imperative to learn some of the primary facts about insomnia. To begin with, it is crucial to know that insomnia is not thought of as a disease, but a condition that could be a physical symptom or an emotional or possibly even mental problem that brings on the insomnia that you experience. Some of the problems that can result in insomnia are extreme stress, depression, alterations in your environment, your eating habits or other medical concerns like restless legs syndrome. So, basic facts about insomnia that you should look into include: what it means, the different kinds of insomnia that you can experience and what treatments are available. So What Really Is Insomnia? The definition of insomnia is that it is a condition wherein a person has problems regarding his/her patterns of sleep. Falling asleep, being unable to remain asleep are examples of disrupted sleep patterns. Some insomniacs have trouble falling asleep and remaining asleep. Whatever problems the insomniac is having, the real facts about insomnia tend to be that disrupted sleep is very upsetting to someone suffering from insomnia. Sleep deprivation is the end result of insomnia and the insomniac feels extremely fatigued because of it. Types Of Insomnia You Should Know About Further facts regarding insomnia is that it has been discovered that two different types of insomnia exist. One type is primary and the other is secondary. The usual type is secondary insomnia. The disturbed sleep in secondary insomnia is caused by another condition, disease, etc. Some of the problems that can lead to secondary insomnia are pain, schedule changes, changes to a person's environment and depression. Also, secondary insomnia can be caused by the use of diuretics. Diuretic medications, of course, can be a problem, but coffee and alcohol are also diuretics to be avoided by insomniacs. When nothing else is the cause of insomnia, it is primary insomnia. In this case, it is a problem in and of itself and not caused by any other conditions. Long-term, stressful events can be the root of primary insomnia. Treatment And More Facts About Insomnia When secondary insomnia claims to be the type of insomnia involved, the treatment usually involves the removal of the cause of the insomnia. If the insomnia sufferer is accustomed to drinking a lot of coffee, greatly reducing the amount consumed each day could be all that is necessary to reverse the sleeplessness. But if primary insomnia causes the problem, there could be a serious illness or emotional problem at the root of it. So it might be necessary to combine strict diet with physical and emotional regimens to bring effective relief. If such a regimen is not effective on its own, prescription drugs may be needed. This type of treatment involves the use of drugs that induce sleep, such as the benzodiazepine group. Valium, Xanax and Serax are members of this group of drugs. Christopher Jay has much more information available at Tips for Insomna.com Discover more facts about Insomnia and find some answers today. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_J |
Friday, November 16, 2007
Insomnia - Simple Facts About Insomnia
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Insomnia - Dealing with Insomnia: 10 Essentials You Must Take Care Of
If you don't get the basics right, you can easily end up sabotaging your efforts to beat insomnia. Here are 10 things you must set up correctly in order to promote healthy, restful sleep. These 10 factors are not listed in any particular order, because different people seem to slip up on different sets of factors. When you take care of all 10, you greatly increase your chances of dealing successfully with insomnia problems. #1. Establish a regular sleep schedule. This may seem very basic, but many who suffer from insomnia don't do this. Go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. Stick to your wake-up time even if you couldn't fall asleep on time. If you lose sleep during the night, you can't make up for it by sleeping later in the morning. #2. Avoid daytime naps to compensate for sleep lost at night. Sleeping during daytime tends to confuse your body's natural rhythms. #3. Control irritating noises in the bedroom. For instance, if you have a clock that ticks loudly enough to disturb you, get a digital clock. You might want to experiment with ear plugs to block out outside noise. If that's inconvenient, use something that can generate 'white noise', like a fan. That will screen out much of the outdoor noise. #4. Experiment till you find a sleep posture that's comfortable for you. Then assume this posture as soon as you get into bed. That way, your mind will tend to associate this posture with sleep. #5. Create a relaxed, cozy and harmonious environment in your bedroom. Avoid TV, computers, etc in your bedroom. Its best if the bedroom is used only for sleep, so that the right associations are created in your mind. #6. Be sure to wear clothing that's comfortable and loose. Tight clothes tend to disrupt sleep. #7. Your mattress should be free of lumps or sags and should provide adequate spinal support while being comfortable. And make sure it's large enough to easily accommodate you; if not, get a larger one. #8. Use crisp, clean bedding. The number of blankets you use should feel comfortable for you -- don't use too many or too few. #9. Keep your bedroom as dark as possible while going to sleep, because light at night can disrupt your body clock. If outside light filters in, use heavy curtains or blinds. You may also want to try using eye masks; there are many well-designed ones available in the market. #10. Maintain the right room temperature. Many experts believe this is between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. You may need to experiment to find out what's best for you. In any case, a room that's too hot or too cold doesn't do much good for your sleep. Take care of these 10 factors and you'll go a long way towards improving the quality and duration of your sleep. Peter Walters is a successful author who has written extensively on overcoming insomnia with natural remedies, effective sleep aids, other ways to overcome sleep problems and many other related topics. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Walters |
Insomnia - Treatment for Insomnia
In most cases, insomnia itself is not an ailment, rather it is the symptom of another medical problem and should be treated as such. While there are many overthe-counter products that can put you to sleep at night, but it's a quick fix or temporary solution. This quick fix when used for a long period of time can cause side effects that may lead to other health problems. Some of the common side effects are dizziness, forgetfulness, constipation, dry mouth and dry throat. These products contain antihistamines, typically used for treating allergies and can cause drowsiness. Most of the over-the-counter products for treating insomnia are not intended for long-term use and they can interfere with your daily activities. More serious side effects include the development of drug tolerance, requiring a larger dose to have the same effect. Some sleeping pills may have a negative reaction with other drugs and may cause withdrawal symptoms when their use is ended. Some Tips To Help You Sleep Easy At Night And Keep Insomnia At Bay: 1. Develop your sleep rhythm - always wake up at the same hour. For instance, if your wake up time is 7am in the morning, then discipline yourself to wake up at 7am every morning no matter what time you get to sleep at night. If you sleep at 12 midnight, wake up at 7am. If you sleep at 3am, wake up at 7am. After a while, your body will develop a consistent sleep rhythm or pattern. If you have the discipline to keep the rhythm and never allow it to get disrupted, you will be able to sleep easy at night. 2. Take 200-300 mg of magnesium citrate daily with dinner - magnesium is a mineral (natural substance) that helps the body to make serotonin which in turn produces melatonin, which is a hormone that promotes sleepiness to the brain. 3. Exercise regularly - the best time to exercise is early morning or early evening (before dinner time). If you must exercise in the evening, remember to do it four hours before your bed time. Take a brisk walk, jog or swim for 30 minutes. If depression is making you to lose sleep at night, download this FREE stress buster report. It will give you some great tips to help you sleep well at night and keep depression at bay. Leon is an Infopreneur dedicated to sharing his online discoveries across the net. You can visit his blogs at Health Buzz Zone and Leon's Self-Development Blog. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leon_Lioe |
Insomnia - How To Live With the Effects of Insomnia
Do you currently live with the effects of insomnia? Are you an insomniac currently? Or perhaps you do live with an insomniac? In any case, you will know how difficult life can be when somebody is not able to get enough quality sleep. Here are a few tips that you can perhaps use if you are living with someone who is suffering the effects of insomnia. Common Sense and Healthy Living Lifestyle It just makes sense that poor health habits will only make the effects of insomnia worsen. Therefore eating nutritious food and getting regular exercises will certainly help insomniacs as well as the ones who love them. Eating a lot of sugar will also disturb your sleep cycle, because it will be bringing your insulin levels up and down. A sugar crash also makes you grouchier. You will feel a great deal and sleep better if you simply avoid eating a lot of sugar. Certain protein foods contain tryptophan, which helps you to sleep; milk and turkey are good examples of this. Protein also helps to keep your blood sugar level more even, so that you can avoid those sugar highs and crashes, and by adding protein to your diet, it may help both your sleep and your mood. Exercise helps develop good sleeping patterns by reducing stress and simply by tiring you out. Therefore, if you are suffering the effects of insomnia, regular exercise may help you. If you are living with an insomniac, regular exercise may help you tolerate him or her a little better, because exercises helps your mood. And not to mention that it also gives you an opportunity to get away from him for a little while. Grace and Space For Yourself Give yourself ' or your insomniac friend ' grace and space while he or she suffers from the effects of insomnia. We all miss some sleep every now and then. If you are not the insomniac, you can certainly be more empathize with them. Remember not to be more easy of yourself. Cut back on your schedule until you are sleeping better, however schedule overload is stressful and can certainly make insomnia worse. As much as possible, give yourself extra time to complete those projects and deadlines. One of the effects of insomnia we are all familiar with is giddiness due to these deadlines. Giving yourself some extra time will decrease your stress, and may even help your insomnia problem. If you are the insomniac, try to give other people a little space and grace yourself. You know you do not feel good right now. You are suffering the effects of insomnia, but your friends and family do not necessarily have to suffer with you. This is a good time to reduce your social contacts. Avoiding others is one good way to help them not deal with the effects of your insomnia. When one member of a family is suffering the effects of insomnia, everybody will feel it. By taking care of yourself and by giving everybody a little of grace and space, you can all help each other until the grouchy bear can sleep well again. Tango Pang is the author of many insomnia publications at http://www.insomiasite.com. Head over to Insomnia Remedy if you are still wide awake at night. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tango_Pang |