Do you have a sleep problem?

If you have problems sleeping, you may have insomnia. It is very common.

Common symptoms of insomnia include:

• Being unable to fall asleep within 30-40 minutes of going to bed
• Needing pills or alcohol to help you fall asleep at night
• Waking repeatedly during the night
• Waking too early in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep
• Feeling tired after a night’s sleep
• Feeling tired during the day
• Having headaches, difficulty concentrating and generally feeling irritable

Main Causes of Insomnia

Insomnia can be temporary and may start after a stressful event in your life - family death, unemployment, divorce - or it can be chronic and continue for months or even years. There are a number of possible causes, but they usually include:

• Environmental factors - nigh-time noise, room temperature, uncomfortable bed
• Lifestyle - diet, alcohol intake, irregular hours at work
• Psychological – stress, anxiety, grief, depression
• Sleep disorder – apnea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy
• Other medical conditions which have insomnia as a symptom - under-active thyroid, some cancers

Identifying the cause of your insomnia is the first step to solving your problem. This may not be obvious to you, so it may be worthwhile paying a visit to your GP. They have plenty of experience in dealing with this.

This article was published on Wed 7 October 2009