Insomnia; why and how to resolve

Insomnia is a sleep disorder, the basic result of which is inability to sleep properly or waking up frequently from sleep. Insomnia is not a disease by itself but a side effect arising from some other problem, be it physical or psychological.

Obviously, since the body does not get sufficient rest due to lack of proper sleep, Insomnia patients feel weak, restive, annoyed and also tend to lose concentration and dynamism.

Insomnia can be a result of anxiety, side effects caused by some medicines, depression, pain, muscular fatigue or stress, mental fatigue, hallucinations, eating disorder, etc.

There are basically three types of Insomnia – Transient, Acute and Chronic.

The most important point to note for treating Insomnia patients is to try to identify why the symptom is occurring. If this can be traced, then the next step is to treat the underlying problem and try to control if not eradicate the same. In many cases, treatment has been permanent.

Medical treatments like taking simple sedatives or sleeping tablets work in most cases but these are only temporary solutions and may not work in the long run. Antidepressant drugs may also help but unfortunately these have many other negative side effects which may result in worse complications.

Non medical treatments like behavioral therapies, relaxation therapies, stimulus control and sleep hygiene techniques and related exercises are also very effective cures for Insomnia cases.

It has been found that in most cases, a mix of both medical and non medical treatments are the most effective in solving Insomnia patients

It is therefore recommended that insomnia persists for more than a month, proper medical advice should be sought. Hospitalization is rare but meditation has been very effective in solving many cases.

There are several medical tests to determine Insomnia cases – psychiatric analysis, polysomnogram, study of sleeping patterns in specialized , Actigraphy, etc.

However, in most cases, following some simple ideas may help in controlling simple Insomnia. Go to bed when you are feeling sleepy, avoid smoking before bedtime, cut down on heavy meals and excessive intake of fluids before going to sleep, put off the TV, drink less alcohol and other beverages like coffee, put off bright lights and control the ambience, maintain a comfortable temperature in the room, skip those daytime naps, and do not take your worries or work to bed, and then maybe you shall be able to sleep more peacefully than before.