Insomnia – Worrying About It Will Not Help You Sleep

Most people require 8 hours of sleep a night in order to funtion optimally during the day. Of course there are some people who can thrive on far less, but these people are few and far between. For the rest of us, 8 hours is essential--and insomnia, therefore, can wreak havoc on our waking lives. Insomnia is generally the inability to drift off to sleep at the end of a day. People with insomnia may lie aw [...]Most people require 8 hours of sleep a night in order to funtion optimally during the day. Of course there are some people who can thrive on far less, but these people are few and far between. For the rest of us, 8 hours is essential--and insomnia, therefore, can wreak havoc on our waking lives. Insomnia is generally the inability to drift off to sleep at the end of a day. People with insomnia may lie awake bed, their heads swirling with thoughts. Sleep can seem like a far-off promise that is never realized. Insomnia can also come in the form of early waking--you may wake up early in the morning and then be unable to go back to bed. Both types of insomnia prevent you from getting the rest you so desperately need. It's no surprise that insomnia has significant effects, ranging from tiredness (of course) to being easily irritated to lack of physical coordination and the inability to preform during the day. The incidence of insomnia seems to increase in elder folks, especially those over the age of 60. This may be a side effect of retirement and the change in daily habits, such as going to bed earlier and waking up earlier in the morning. People with chronic medical problems have a tendency to sleep poorly. So do people who have battled depression or who have anxious or nervous personalities. Some external factors such as changes in circumstances can bring on insomnia - pretty much anything anxiety producing can induce insomnia. Other causes include: noise; hot weather (when hardly anyone gets a good sleep at night); any change in your environment (for example when you have moved house or are on holiday most people will at least experience strange dreams from being in an unfamiliar place); medication; and jet lag of course is a common cause. Luckily most of these things only cause short bouts of insomnia and most people return to normal in a relatively short amount of time. If you suffer from insomnia , make sure you are not drinking caffeine or alcohol or smoking before bedtime. Also avoid taking long naps during the day. All these things can and will affect your ability to sleep well at night. Also, don't obsess over your insomnia, which will only make it worse. Finally, there are certain steps you can take to increase your ability to go off to dreamland. Relaxing exercises can help--meditation is particularly effective. Try taking a warm bath, and perhaps filling your bathroom with soothing aromatic candles. Lavender oil is quite calming. Yoga and deep breathing help to quiet the mind. Warm milk may also help. If all else fails and you do wind up laying in bed unable to sleep, simply get up. Do something-- watch TV, read a book, etc. You'll be much likelier to get tired doing these things than by staying in bed.

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