Insomnia and What You Can Do To Sleep Better

Insomnia is a disorder that causes a prolonged inability to sleep. This is a broad overview of insomnia and how serious it can be. Insomnia is a condition that occurs when someone who has previously been a good sleeper suffers from chronic (at least several weeks) sleeplessness.

Women are twice as likely to suffer from insomnia as men. Some research suggests that certain social factors, such as being unemployed or divorced, are related to poor sleep and increase the risk of insomnia in women. Also, insomnia tends to increase with age.

There are three types of insomnia. The most common type is psychopysiological insomnia. This is also known as conditioned or learned insomnia. Many times this is triggered by a traumatic experience like a death or loss of job. This type of insomnia can be battled by changes in the sleepers sleep rituals. For example, rearranging of the bedroom. Conditioned insomniacs associate the bed and sometimes the whole bedroom with sleeplessness. By changing the room in some way, maybe paint the walls or rearranging the furniture, the mind will work to relieve itself of the psychological block to sleep.

Idiopathic insomnia is a lifelong condition that is also known as childhood onset insomnia. Sufferers of this disorder tend to be in good health and there is no obvious life event that could have acted as a trigger. Scientists believe that sufferers of this kind of insomnia have problems in the sleep-wake centers in their brains. The condition is difficult to cure, and most recommend that the same calming sleep patterns used with other insomnia disorders be used.

The third type of insomnia, sleep-state misperception is diagnosed when someone seems to be asleep, but that person will tell you that they are awake. Very little is known about this type of insomnia and it is often not recognized as a sleeping disorder at all.

If you are having problems sleeping, try some of these techniques called Bootzin Stimulus Control.

-- Go to bed only when you feel sleepy
-- Keep your bed as a place for sleep and sex only
-- If you do not fall asleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed and do something else
-- Return to bed only when you feel sleepy
-- Set your alarm and wake up at the same time everyday
-- DO NOT sleep in
-- Do not nap during the day.

By following these guidelines, you will be able to establish a good sleeping pattern that can help you get a great night's sleep. But if insomnia persists, check with your doctor for underlying physical, medication or physiological problems.

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You can get more information on sleep disorders, including insomnia and sleep apnea at: Insomnia

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