How to Cure Insomnia
 Insomnia is a
sleep disorder. Sleep is a state of consciousnesses, which
gives your body time to rest and build up your strength.
It is characterized by an inability to sleep and/or
inability to remain asleep for a reasonable period.
Insomnia affects all age groups. Among older adults,
insomnia affects women more often than men. The incidence
increases with age.
Insomnia can be a symptom of physical disorders, although
for most of us it's the result of tension, stress and anxiety
-- and of course the more anxious we get about our insomnia,
the worse it gets. It is often caused by fear, stress, anxiety,
medications, herbs, caffeine, depression, bipolar disorder or
sometimes for no apparent reason. An overactive mind or
physical pain may also be causes. Insomnia may be classified by
how long the symptoms are present.
Transient insomnia usually is due to situational changes
such as travel and stressful events. It lasts for less than a
week or until the stressful event is resolved. Short-term
insomnia lasts for 1-3 weeks, and long-term insomnia (chronic
insomnia) continues for more than 3 weeks. Chronic insomnia
often results from depression or substance abuse. It is
important to know that nearly everyone has problems sleeping at
some time or other and it is thought that a third of people in
the UK have bouts of insomnia.
Newborn babies can sleep for 16 hours a day, while children
of school age need an average of 10 hours. Adults usually need,
on average, 7 to 9 hours sleep a night. As we get older, it’s
normal to need less sleep. Most people over 70 need less than 6
hours sleep per night; and they tend to be light sleepers.
Three types of insomnia first is transient insomnia second
is acute insomnia and last is chronic insomnia. It is not
defined by the number of hours you sleep every night. Poor
sleep quality can occur as a result of sleep apnea or major
depression. Transient insomnia lasts from one night to a few
weeks.
Most people occasionally suffer from transient insomnia due
to such causes as jet lag or short-term anxiety. Acute insomnia
is the inability to consistently sleep well for a period of
between three weeks to six months. Chronic insomnia is regarded
as the most serious; persists almost nightly for at least a
month.
Chronic insomnia can lead to mental health problems such as
depression, or misuse of alcohol or other medicines in order to
gain sleep. Sleep apnea is a condition that occurs when a
sleeping person's breathing is interrupted, thus interrupting
the normal sleep cycle. With the obstructive form of the
condition, some part of the sleeper's respiratory tract loses
muscle tone and partially collapses.
People with obstructive sleep apnea often do not remember
any of this, but they complain of excessive sleepiness during
the day. Central sleep apnea interrupts the normal breathing
stimulus of the central nervous system, and the individual must
actually wake up to resume breathing. Sometimes perimenopausal
(the time leading up to menopause) women have trouble falling
asleep and staying asleep; hot flashes and night sweats often
can disturb sleep. Pregnancy also can affect how well a woman
sleeps.
Treatment of insomnia should be individualized based on the
nature and severity of symptoms. Most cases of insomnia
inability to sleep or inability to sleep well at night.
Lormetazepam, a short-acting benzodiazepine widely used for the
treatment of insomnia.
Rozerem is the very first insomnia treatment medication
on the market that acts as a melatonin receptor agonist.
Rozerem is just one of the many insomnia medications available
on the market today. It is important that you discuss with your
health care provider if prescription medications are right to
treat your insomnia. Benzodiazepines drugs are relatives of
diazepam (Valium) marketed as sleeping aids. Other drugs such
as ethchlorvynol (Placidyl) are likely to produce neurologic
side effects when taken.
Barbiturates were formerly the standard sleeping pills, sold
under such names as Seconal and Nembutal. Nonpharmacologic
treatments for insomnia are considered effective if they
decrease sleep onset latency or increase total sleep time by 30
minutes. Most treatment studies use patient-reported sleep
diaries to measure outcome.
Criteria used include total sleep time, sleep-onset latency,
and number of nocturnal awakenings. A meta-analysis of 48
individual studies of behavioral therapy found stimulus control
therapy to be effective and to be superior to progressive
relaxation, imagery training, and paradoxical intention.
Develop a regular sleeping schedule. Avoid daytime naps and
stimulating activities just before bedtime. Avoid alcohol- it
is a leading cause of poor sleep. Drink a cup of warm milk.
Juliet Cohen writes
articles on health doctor and skin disorders. She also writes
articles on health disorders.
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