Insomnia

Insomnia is probably one of the cruellest conditions anyone can suffer from.

When you mention to friends and family that you are suffering from insomnia they usually shrug it off, and say something like, have a hot bath before bed, have you tried a warm glass of milk, or even, go take a pill.

There is very little sympathy for the person who is suffering, and this problem is often not taken very seriously.

There is nothing worse than lying in bed and not being able to fall asleep, you try counting sheep, you try different positions but still your mind is racing and your body just connot get comfortable. You look at the clock as hour after hour goes by without any sleep.

Then it starts reaching the early hours of the morning, and you start working backward from the time you have to get up for work to the time it is now, trying to work out how much sleep you can fit in, if by some miracle you fall asleep this very second.

Then the panic and anxiety sets in as you lie there thinking,’ I’m ever going to fall asleep? I don’t have enough time to fit the sleep I need in before I have to wake up and start all over again. I’m going to have to start a new day running on empty.

Not being able to sleep effects every part of your life. Your body is not given the chance to recover from the day before  and your mind is not given a chance to switch off and filter through the day’s thoughts, ideas and activities. So you end up on this roller-coaster, where the anxiety of not being able to sleep, leads to no sleep which leads to more anxiety and so the cycle continues.

Causes of insomnia are pletiful but feeling like a zombie the next day is inevitably  the result, a mere but shadow of your former  self. You become short tempered, snappy, and very emotional and you may have the attention span of a gold fish. These are symptoms of insomnia and they start to take an effect on the relationships you have, your work, your family life or social life. It just takes control.

So who ever says that this condition is not a big deal has obviously never suffered from it.  It is a serious condition that needs to be treated with concern.

There is no obvious or immediate cure for insomnia The general view attached to this condition, is that it is not really a major issue, that needs to be addressed. About one third of the world population experience insomnia each year and only about 5% will ever seek medical help. People need to realise this is a very common condition where medical help is completely warranted.

There are some tips and remedies for insomnia you can follow to avoid sleepless nights. Preventing insomnia is very dependent on your ability to relax, and learn the techniques needed to aid restful sleep.
Get into a sleeping routine where you have set times to sleep and wake up, and do not take naps during the day. This will help to set your body clock, so stick to it.

Use your bed only for sleep and not for TV or for reading, form associations in your brain that bed is for sleeping. If you find it difficult to sleep rather get out of bed instead of fight it, which causes more stress and anxiety. Go back to bed when you feel tired again. Turn your bedroom into a peaceful, dark and quiet area.

Treatment For Insomnia can be complicated as often its a combination of problems rather than one single one. It is very important that once you have tried some of these techniques, that if you are still suffering from insomnia, go and seek medical advice!  Sweet dreams.