Insomnia Answers. If only I could get some sleep!

Insomnia is a disorder that steals your Quality of Life!

Types of insomnia

Professionals distinguish between various types of insomnia. They differ in their cause and in the manners in which they are treated. These types may be referred to as:

Chronic
- Primary
- Secondary
Intermittent
Transient or short-term

Chronic insomnia may be either Primary or Secondary in nature. Primary insomnia is not related to any other health problem, and may be treated as its own problem.

Secondary insomnia is a consequence of some other illness or disease. Examples of such insomnia-inducing problems include arthritis, asthma, and cancer. With secondary insomnia, your doctor will concentrate on curing or relieving the underlying problem, knowing that curing that problem is very likely to resolve the insomnia too.

Intermittent and transient insomnias last from a single night to a few weeks. They typically resolve themselves without medical intervention.

Transient insomnia may be the result of excitement or stress. You may, for instance, experience episodes of sleeplessness before an important job interview, a vacation trip, or following an argument with someone close to you. Being away from home can also lead to episodes of lack of sleep.

The symptoms of insomnia can be observed by yourself or by others.

You may notice – or your family or friends may notice – one of more of the following symptoms of insomnia:

Difficulty falling asleep. If it routinely takes you more than 20 minutes to fall asleep, insomnia is a possibility. Strangely enough, you may also want to be concerned if you always fall asleep instantly, as this may be a sign that you're not getting enough sleep.
Difficulty staying asleep. There are a number of reasons you may not be able to stay asleep. Among them is the consumption of too much caffeine late in the day. Or, consuming too much liquid of any kind, which can result in your sleep being interrupted by "bathroom breaks."
Waking up tired or feeling sleepy during the day. Getting insufficient sleep may lead to you feeling anxiety, frustration, or irritability. Exercise – perhaps as little as a brief walk each evening – may be enough to help you get enough sleep.
Depression. Depression is a serious illness all by itself, and also sometimes accompanies insomnia. If you are not sleeping as well as you should, your doctor will want to rule out depression as a cause of it. Some doctors prefer to treat depression-related insomnia with sedatives.
Chronic Illnesses. This is a chicken-and-the-egg question. First, having insomnia may make you more susceptible to any number of chronic illnesses. Second, having a chronic illness may make you more susceptible to insomnia. If you have insomnia, your body may be weaker and less able to fight off illnesses. Or, if you're suffering from a chronic illness (e.g., arthritis or fibromyalgia), you may find in more difficult to sleep.
Anxiety. Here we have yet another chicken-and-the-egg situation. If you're suffering from anxiety, you may lose sleep over it. Alternatively, if you're not getting enough sleep, this sleeplessness may lead to symptoms of anxiety.
Irritability. If you notice yourself reacting with more irritability than usual, insufficient sleep may be the underlying cause. Closely related might be obstructive sleep apnea.
Headaches. Headaches can be both a symptom and a cause of intermittent insomnia.
Need for stimulants. If you suffer from insomnia, you may find yourself increasingly needing caffiene or other stimulants to help you get through your daily tasks. Unfortunately, consuming too many stimulant drinks during the day will likely increase your sleeplessness experience.
Napping. Insomnia can lead to such a depth of tiredness that you find yourself napping during the day. You may even find yourself dropping off to sleep at your desk, while watching TV, or while driving. If you find yourself falling asleep at the wheel, pull over immediately and take your nap while parked!

Most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night. But that number varies widely, and insomnia is not defined by the number of hours of sleep you get.

You can help your doctor diagnose insomnia

Before you discuss your suspected insomnia with a doctor, keep a sleep diary for a couple of weeks, writing down your sleep patterns, your daily routine, and how you felt during the course of the day. After you've shared this sleep diary with your doctor and have discussed the nature of your concerns, your doctor will probably do some or all of the following:

Get your medical history if s/he doesn't already have it as part of your medical records
Give you a physical exam
Refer you to a special center for more extensive, specialized tests
Talk to your bed partner to see whether he/she has noticed changes in your sleep patterns and in how well you are sleeping

Are you at a higher risk for insomnia?

Changes in your health or in your life situation can dramatically increase your risk of sleeplessness:

Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from insomnia.
Perimenopausal women – those approaching menopause – are somewhat more likely to have difficulty falling asleep. Their sleep may also be disturbed by night sweats and hot flashes.
Your ability to get a good night's sleep will also likely be affected by pregnancy.
Insomnia tends to increase with age. That is, the elderly are more likely to suffer sleeplessness than are the young.
You are more likely to suffer sleeplessness if you are unemployed.
Going through a divorce seems also to lead to higher incidences of insomnia.

What can you do?

Before you take your problems to your doctor, you should be looking for things that you may be doing to yourself that is disturbing your sleep patterns. You might, for instance, reduce alcohol or caffiene consumption before bedtime to see whether this makes it easier for you to get enough sleep.

Over-the-counter sleep medications may be helpful. But before using them for extended periods of time, talk to your doctor about the risks associated with sleep medications – even over-the-counter sleeping pills.

Relaxation therapy seeks to lower inherent stress and tension. Then your body is better able to embrace sleep.

Retraining your mind tries to teach your mind and body that bed is a place to sleep or enjoy sexual activities. But you may find that you are helped if you don't use your bed as a place for reading, watching TV, or lounging. Your goal is to reach the point that when you go to bed both your body and your mind know that it's time to go right to sleep.

Sleep restriction, working under a doctor's supervision, is another method that involves retraining your body and mind. With this method, you spend less time in bed and get up-and-out at your planned wake-up time. You may go to bed later, or get up earlier. You sleep well for a brief period of time, and gradually increase the amount of time you spend in bed until you are finally sleeping well through the night.

Stop napping after 3:00 p.m. You need to be sleepy when it comes time to go to sleep.

Strive for regularity. Get into the habit of going to bed at the same time each night, and of getting up at the same time each morning.

Avoid stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine late in the day.

Exercise regularly. Exercise several hours before bedtime, and get in the habit of exercising several days a week.

Eat early! Eat at least two to three hours prior to bedtime. You want the food to be well into the digestive process before you get into bed.

Establish a routine so your body is trained to go to sleep following certain activities. This might be a routine of reading something before bed, or bathing, or watching TV briefly. Your body learns that when you've read your book or taken your shower, it's time to go to sleep.

Remove distractions. Ensure that your bedroom is a suitable sleep environment. If light is a problem - perhaps because you have a job requiring you to sleep during the day - then try using a sleep mask or heavy drapes and shades. If noise is a problem, try earplugs or a form of white-noise or music that'll keep the distractions out of your bedroom.

Get out of bed if you haven't fallen asleep within 20 minutes or so. Don't just lie there wondering why you can't sleep. Instead, get up and engage in some light activity until you do feel sleepy and then go back to bed.

Don't worry. If you're in the habit of lying awake at night worrying about tomorrow, you should instead get into the habit of making to-do lists before bed. Let these lists substitute for in-bed worry and let them also be part of the routine that tells your body it's time to sleep.

If your difficulties sleeping, or your symptoms of sleeplessness, last for more than a few weeks, you need to discuss with your doctor whether there is an underlying medical cause that needs to be addressed. If, for example, your sleeplessness is a complication of arthritis, then it is the arthritis that needs to be redressed or mediated so that you can then sleep more comfortably.