This article describes five causes of insomnia that rob you of your precious sleep that you desperately need to keep healthy and alert.
Insomnia Cause #1: An over-active mind.
You may sometimes fret over something when you're trying to fall asleep. The reason for this is that you can't focus your thinking when trying to drop-off in the same way as you can when you're awake.
People have little control over their thoughts. They may be going in and out of a light stage of sleep, even though they think they are awake.
The solution is to get up and go to another part of the house - but leave the lights off. You should then be able to go back to bed and fall asleep.
This is a strategy that has be researched and is known as stimulus control and helps in you not associating anxiety with your bed.
Another technique is before retiring to get into the habit of writing down all of your worries and concerns, no matter how trivial you think they are, on a note pad you have placed on your bedside table together with a solution or plan of action.
If you wake up and you struggle to drop off again due to your mind racing with worry and concern or something you've remembered you need to act on then just reach for the note pad and get it all down on paper. You will then be calm knowing everything is under control and be dropping off again in no time.
Insomnia Cause #2: Sleeping in at Week-ends.
One of the worst things you can do is have a really late night and expect to "catch" by laying in the next day.
It is really prudent that you keep to a regular sleep routine. Make sure you retire to bed at night and rise in the mornings at the same time.
The author of "The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night's Sleep," Lawrence Epstein, M.D. says that your body's internal clock is controlled by a cluster of nerve cells in your brain that regulate your body temperature and appetite. Irregular sleep routines upset this inbuilt body clock thus resulting in surface rather than deep, refreshing healthy sleep
The solution is to not sleep more than an extra hour if you have had a late one the night before. And perhaps a 'catnap' in the afternoon - but no more than 30 minutes or so.
Insomnia Cause #3: A Bedmate.
A lot of people may not know this but a partner snoring can reach 90 decibels - that's as loud as a kitchen mixer. If your partner snores it is likely to wake you up during REM sleep - which is your most restful phase.
The solution is to ask your partner to sleep on his, or her, side rather than on their back. If the snoring isn't too bad your bed partner could try over the counter products to ease the condition. If that doesn't work then you could invest in some high tech earplugs. If that fails you may need to raise the issue of separate bedrooms. A persistent loud snorer will need to seek treatment.
Insomnia Cause #4: Your hormones.
Women suffer from fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone before and during periods. And this affects sleep.
The solution is to take a hot bath a couple of hours before retiring. Try a bath of lime flowers or seaweed. Both are sedatives and will help you relax and wash your cares away.
Also avoid caffeine after lunch and alcohol at least 3 hours before retiring. Try a chamomile herbal tea, a sedative helpful for anxiety and sleeplessness, as a caffeine substitute instead. And if this doesn't work you can consider hormone therapy.
Insomnia Cause #5: Eating Too Little.
If you go to bed hungry the pangs will wake you up as hunger will keep you awake just as much as a heavy meal will do. People that are trying to lose weight frequently wake up.
A solution to the problem is to make sure your evening meal isn't too light.
Also try to save some of your calories for a high protein snack just prior to bedtime. Protein produces greater satiety than carbohydrates and fat.