My Insomnia » insomnia http://www.my-insomnia.com Insomnia Causes, Symptoms & Cures Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:47:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 When should I talk to a doctor about my insomnia? http://www.my-insomnia.com/when-should-i-talk-to-a-doctor-about-my-insomnia/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/when-should-i-talk-to-a-doctor-about-my-insomnia/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:28:24 +0000 admin http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=113 Most insomnia is caused by a short-term change in the sleep/wake schedule, as with jet lag, your sleep schedule may return to normal on its own. If you’re under stress at work or school, insomnia usually occurs for a few days to several weeks. But if the condition worsens, or prolongs, you should talk to your doctor. Many people call their doctor even when insomnia lasts just a few days because the condition interferes with their daily life.

Talk to your doctor if you are having problems falling or staying asleep, especially if lack of sleep is affecting your daily activities. Keep a sleep diary for 2 weeks before you see your doctor. Note the time of day you fall asleep and wake up, changes in your daily sleep routine, your bedtime routine, and how you feel during the day.

Your doctor may do a physical exam and take medical and sleep histories. He or she may also want to talk to your bed partner about how much and how well you are sleeping. In some cases, you may be referred to a specialist or a sleep center for special tests.

 

Source:  the Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

]]> http://www.my-insomnia.com/when-should-i-talk-to-a-doctor-about-my-insomnia/feed/ 0 What is insomnia? http://www.my-insomnia.com/what-is-insomnia-2/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/what-is-insomnia-2/#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:41:57 +0000 admin http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=96 Insomnia is a common sleep disorder. If you have insomnia, you may:

  • Lie awake for a long time and have trouble falling asleep
  • Wake up a lot and have trouble returning to sleep
  • Wake up too early in the morning
  • Feel like you haven’t slept at all

Lack of or poor quality sleep causes other symptoms that can affect daytime function. You may feel very sleepy and have low energy throughout the day. You may have trouble thinking clearly or staying focused. Or, you might feel depressed or irritable.

Insomnia is defined as short and poor quality sleep that affects your functioning during the day. Although the amount of sleep a person needs varies, most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night to feel refreshed.

Insomnia can be mild to severe and varies in how often it occurs and how long it lasts. Acute insomnia is a short-term sleep problem that is generally related to a stressful or traumatic life event and lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Acute insomnia might happen from time to time. With chronic insomnia, sleep problems occur at least 3 nights a week for more than a month.

Insomnia tends to increase as women and men age.

 

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.

]]> http://www.my-insomnia.com/what-is-insomnia-2/feed/ 0 Waking up too early is a sign of insomnia? http://www.my-insomnia.com/waking-up-too-early-is-a-sign-of-insomnia/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/waking-up-too-early-is-a-sign-of-insomnia/#comments Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:23:47 +0000 admin http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=90 Most people experience temporary insomnia from time to time. You don’t have to worry about it. Stress at work, loss of a job, or financial problems can cause insomnia. But if it lasts more than a few weeks, you need to see your doctor. Insomnia is more common in females, people with depression, and in people older than 60. Typically, insomnia symptoms includes having trouble falling asleep; waking up frequently at night; waking up too early.

Although older people tend to wake up more frequently and wake up too early, it is a sign of insomnia if it persists even if there are no significant life events to trigger such. As mentioned above, any of the symptoms lasts for more than a few weeks and it bothers you and affects your daily activities, talk to your doctor.

Source: FDA

]]> http://www.my-insomnia.com/waking-up-too-early-is-a-sign-of-insomnia/feed/ 0 Unfortunately women do suffer more insomnia than men http://www.my-insomnia.com/unfortunately-women-do-suffer-more-insomnia-than-men/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/unfortunately-women-do-suffer-more-insomnia-than-men/#comments Sun, 19 Sep 2010 01:44:13 +0000 admin http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=78 It’s unfortunate, but women tend to suffer more frequent insomnia than men. One of the major factor is hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. The second big factor is menopause. Hot flashes and night sweats usually keep women awake at night and sleeps disturbed.

The third one is pregnancy. During pregnancy, women tend to wake up more often due to discomfort or simply to use the bathroom.

Lastly, other health issues such as depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, and restless leg syndrome tend to be more common in women than men.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

]]> http://www.my-insomnia.com/unfortunately-women-do-suffer-more-insomnia-than-men/feed/ 0 Secondary insomnia is the most common type of insomnia http://www.my-insomnia.com/secondary-insomnia-is-the-most-common-type-of-insomnia/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/secondary-insomnia-is-the-most-common-type-of-insomnia/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:43:23 +0000 admin http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=72 The reason this type of insomnia is called secondary insomnia is because it’s a symptom or side-effect of something else. It often is caused by a medical reason such as depression, anxiety, migraine, arthritis, heartburn, restless leg syndrome, stroke, and menopause. Even external influences such as caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and some medicines can cause secondary insomnia.

It is the most common type of insomnia that people suffer from. This type of insomnia tends to last longer and usually requires medical attention. It doesn’t usually go away on its own.

Source: Women’s office

]]> http://www.my-insomnia.com/secondary-insomnia-is-the-most-common-type-of-insomnia/feed/ 0 Not all insomia need medical attention. Some go away. http://www.my-insomnia.com/not-all-insomia-need-medical-attention-some-go-away/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/not-all-insomia-need-medical-attention-some-go-away/#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:38:07 +0000 admin http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=69 If you can’t go to sleep, whether it’s life long or triggered by other situations such as traveling, work hour changes, daily stress, stressful events, or other things in life, it might not be a symptom of another medical disorder. It’s called primary insomnia. In other words, it’s plain old insomnia, an sleeping disorder by itself.

A primary insomnia sometimes can end on its own without medical attention. If it was stress related, it’ll go away once the stressful events are over. If it was travel related, it’ll go away once you go back to your normal routine. But if it’s pure life long insomnia, not triggered by external events, it can last for years. Research has shown that some people tend to be prone to primary insomnia.

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

]]> http://www.my-insomnia.com/not-all-insomia-need-medical-attention-some-go-away/feed/ 0 How do I know if I have insomnia? http://www.my-insomnia.com/how-do-i-know-if-i-have-insomnia/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/how-do-i-know-if-i-have-insomnia/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:06:10 +0000 admin http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=64 Insomnia is a common sleep disorder. Many people will experience it sometime in their lives. Some insomnia symptoms are temporary and some are long term. If you occasionally experience sleep troubles, it might not be insomnia. But if you notice the following symptoms for a week, then you need to pay attention and seek help: if you lie awake for hours and have trouble falling asleep; wake up frequently and can’t go back to sleep; wake up at 3 in the morning; feel sleepy during the day. If you have chronic insomnia, you can experience the symptoms for over a month. As a result of that, you will feel constantly irritable and depressed.

]]> http://www.my-insomnia.com/how-do-i-know-if-i-have-insomnia/feed/ 0 Most insomniacs suffer from depression, stress, anxiety http://www.my-insomnia.com/most-insomniacs-suffer-from-depression-stress-anxiety/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/most-insomniacs-suffer-from-depression-stress-anxiety/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:55:02 +0000 admin http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=60 Insomnia for many people is caused by stresses in everyday life. Most insomniacs suffer from depression, stress, anxiety and other psychological problems, though there are individuals who just suffer from it with no apparent reasons.

Some people are not affected by it until it suddenly hits them one day. Insomnia is characterized by lack of sleep, waking up in the night and overall trouble falling back asleep once you’re awake. Insomnia interrupts all stages of sleep, and every stage is vital for a refreshing night in bed. Without Deep Sleep, the REM cycle or any other phase of sleep you wake up feeling groggy.

Most people are able to reduce the effects of insomnia by simply cutting back on caffeine, not eating or exercising before bed and changing their diets. Though these things may help Insomnia is rooted in issues the individual faces everyday. Change in diet will help, but you need to find the source of the stress, anxiety and depression.

]]> http://www.my-insomnia.com/most-insomniacs-suffer-from-depression-stress-anxiety/feed/ 0 Out-Thinking Insomnia – Kicking the Habit! http://www.my-insomnia.com/out-thinking-insomnia-kicking-the-habit/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/out-thinking-insomnia-kicking-the-habit/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:18:37 +0000 admin http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=56 By Sarah Yutta

Often we find that something keeps us from sleeping at night. It could be a tough battery of tests we face, a parent’s worry for their children overseas, business concerns or domestic woes. Whatever. Often enough we eventually adjust to the problems facing us, or even solve those problems, and then we suddenly discover that we have slipped into the naughty habit – for a habit is what it really boils down to – of insomnia. Again, at some point nothing is keeping us awake, – neither physical pain nor emotional distress, – except the very fact that we have become habituated to not sleeping at night. This can be a very serious, maddening, frustrating and damaging situation.

Getting right down to action, we do know what is the problem – a bad habit. How do we eliminate a bad habit?

The truth is that the habit of not sleeping is a lot more difficult to break out of than most habits. Ordinarily there are many devices and drills to break bad habits, but the habit of not sleeping is part that the body has accustumed itself to a different schedule, and part that you have lost the knack of sleeping. This is much more a natural body proccess not working than something like smoking or nose-picking, for instance.

Alright, what are my suggestions?

Number one, I would say, is to accept the fact that you may not sleep much at night, and that if indeed you lie awake muck of the night you may be tired tomorrow. I promise; worrying about it will not make you sleep. So for now, just accept that as a possibility and quit fretting about it.

Point two is, even if you do not fall asleep, you will have the benefit of a relaxing meditation session to invigorate you and give you the energy you need to make it through tomorrow, if you will just lie still in bed. This ought to be glad news to all insomniacs, and knowing this will defuse your anxiety about your situation.

Number three; prepare your mind. Tell yourself in your brain “I will sleep well tonight”. Visualize yourself actually resting and sleeping deeply. Choose a quiet time to focus on these thoughts and review them again and again. Make it a practice to think these thoughts often, until you begin to convince yourself of their truth.

Four, prepare your body. If you succumbed to the urge to nap and just snoozed for an hour at eight p.m., you are not allowing your body’s sleep mechanism to work. Make sure you are nice and tired when sleep time rolls around, so avoid any naps. Take a walk or exercise (well in advance of your scheduled sleep hour) to increase your fatigue. This stuff is great!

The number five; be alert to moments of opportunity when you are more sleepy and feel yourself drifting off. Grab those moments and even if you are in middle of a chapter, put down the book and cash in. You may have to wait long hours until the feeling strikes again, so don’t hesitate.

Six is – Assume the position; lie comfortably. Close your eyes loosely. Secret tip; roll your eyeballs upwards. This seems to affect our minds and predispose us to sleep.

There are many great ideas out there on getting your entire environment moving towards sleeping like darkening the home, keeping to a regular schedule, eating valarium and so on. These ideas are tried and tested, do search the internet for them and use them. And in conclusion, the problem began when insomnia turned into a habit. The resolution therefor, will be to turn sleeping into a habit. This will not take years. In thirty to forty days you will have not only broken the insomnia habit, but replaced it by a powerful sleep habit, that will guarantee you happy and restful sleep. And it gets easier as it goes along – day one will be harder than day five, and so on.

So take heart, for indeed you will overcome this challenge.

Sarah Yutta, Sleep expert
Learn how to cope with your insomnia no matter what.
Even more – get a good night’s rest TONIGHT!!
%101 guaranteed! Wanna know how?
visit http://copingwithyourinsomnia.com/
and you can also download a free ebook to enjoy – or even give away!!

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

]]> http://www.my-insomnia.com/out-thinking-insomnia-kicking-the-habit/feed/ 2 Insomnia Basics http://www.my-insomnia.com/insomnia-basics/ http://www.my-insomnia.com/insomnia-basics/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:54:04 +0000 megdilts http://www.my-insomnia.com/?p=54 In laymens terms, Insomnia is a medical condition characterized by the patient’s inability to sleep or rest his/her mind for a reasonable time. The common symptoms include trouble falling asleep, waking up frequently at night and finding it difficult to go back to sleep again, waking up very early before dawn, or feeling non-refreshed even after an apparent 7-8 hrs sleep at night. The direct outcome of this condition is that the patients,during the day, will appear sleepy and fatigued, may have troubles concentrating or thinking clearly, and very often, behaves depressed and irritable. However, thanks to the developments happened in the medical domain, insomnia is completely curable now, the only important aspect being to diagnose the exact cause of insomnia with precision.

Types of Insomnia

Insomnia is classified into three types – Transient, Acute (Short-Term) and Chronic. Transient Insomnia lasts from a single night to few weeks and after that everything will be normal. Sleeplessness caused due to a short term anxiety or jet-lag can be grouped under transient insomnia. If such sleeplessness occurs again and again, then that condition is referred to as intermittent.

Acute Insomnia lasts from three weeks to six months, but the patient experiences no symptoms or episodes after that. If sleeplessness occurs for at least three nights a week and the pattern continues to over a month or more, then it is considered to be Chronic Insomnia. It is the most severe form of insomnia one can get.

Causes

Insomnia can be primary or secondary. Primary insomnia is caused naturally and is in no way related to any health issue or disease. Secondary insomnia is the result of some medical condition – such as asthma, cancer, arthritis – fear, stress, anxiety, medications, or a poor sleeping environment in one’s bedroom (partner snoring or any other irritating sound or noise constantly disturbing the sleep).

Some other causes of insomnia include sleep apnea, parasomnia, mania, hypomania, gastroesophageal reflux disease etc. It can also be a symptom of an approaching depression or hyper-thyroidsm.

Treatments

As mentioned earlier, insomnia may be the result of a variety of factors. Hence its treatment also includes diagnosing the exact cause of sleeplessness, and addressing the issue precisely. For example, if insomnia is caused due to some underlying mental illnesses, it must be cured before the patient could again able to sleep peacefully. In some cases, doctors may prescribe sleeping pills to bring back the sleep, but such a methodology is not advisable for longer periods. Relaxation therapy, meditation, acupuncture, aromatherapy, reconditioning, and sleep restriction techniques are also invariably suggested for insomnia, but its effectiveness may vary from person to person.

About The Author

Jason Rickard is the owner of http://www.yourfavouriteshop.com – Offering White Noise and Relaxation CDs – Visit http://www.hapahapa.com for more articles.

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