Insomnia is the inability to have a proper sleep at night.
There are many causes of insomnia which deprives us of a good night's sleep.
People often rely on sleeping tablets or alcohol to help them fall asleep.
They feel frustrated just tossing and turning in bed and not getting much sleep despite their best efforts to do so.
When we are deprived of sleep, we feel tired in the morning and are often less tolerant as a result.
So what are the causes of insomnia? These may be due to a combination of factors: o Stresses at the workplace and at home One of the major causes of insomnia is stress.
It is very stressful to drive from home to work in the morning and then drive back home again at night.
You can spend a few hours a day caught up in traffic jams.
You get stressed during the office hours because things can often go wrong with so many activities in the office, from staffing problems to meeting unrealistic targets.
Worse still, there may be an impending redundancy situation.
You can get stressed at home because of: * money worries - unable to meet mortgage repayments, children's school fees and nursery care, car loan repayments, inadequate pension to make ends meet, etc.
* family conflict - having an argument with the spouse or partner, and no one is willing to back down * house maintenance problems - electrical, plumbing or drainage emergencies * the ill health of your love ones - elderly parents, children, siblings and close friends * family events - though events like children's weddings and anniversaries are happy events, they are stressful especially when thing don't go according to plan.
* moving home - it's always a stressful time doing the packing and unpacking and especially so if you have young children to look after as well.
* emergency events - such as flooding, fire, earthquakes All these events can keep you awake at night.
It could be one of the major causes of insomnia as you fear the worse scenario may happen.
o No Bedtime Routine It is important to have a bedtime routine for your body to get used to.
If you go to bed at the usual time every night, your mind and body will get tired when the time comes and you'll get a sound sleep as a result of the bedtime routine.
o Having late dinners or heavy snacks before bedtime One of the causes of insomnia is having a heavy meal before bedtime.
Your body is not ready to go to bed with a full stomach and this will keep you awake at night.
Avoid drinking beverages containing caffeine a few hours before bedtime.
Instead, drink hot cocoa, chocolate or milk to help you get a good night's sleep.
Be careful not to drink too much before bedtime or you'll be busy making trips to the toilet at night instead of sleeping soundly.
o Over stimulating your mind before bedtime Use the bed to sleep on.
Avoid watching psychological thrillers on television, doing crossword puzzles or sudoku or other work or entertainment that may stimulate or activate your mind before you go to bed.
Instead, listen to soft music or meditate for a few minutes before turning in.
o Too much napping Sometimes you may feel tired during the day or after a busy day at the office.
Resist the temptation to taking a "short nap" which can sometimes last for more than an hour.
If you're tired during the day, it's more beneficial to meditate for about 15 - 20 minutes than taking a nap.
If you spend too much time napping during the day, you'll not be tired when it's bedtime.
o The bedroom may not be conducive for sleeping Ask yourself what is keeping you awake at night.
It could be: * it's too noisy - traffic noise, noisy neighbours, etc * too much light from outside coming into the room at night * the bed squeaks or the mattress is too soft * the bedroom is too hot or too cold Find out what the problem is and get it fixed.
o Going to bed when you are not tired Pay attention to your body clock and not to the time-piece.
If, as above, you've been napping for over an hour during the day, your body is not tired and is not ready to go to bed.
Don't force it to do so.
If your body and mind are fully awake you'll have problem going to sleep.
Instead for going to bed, relax in an armchair and listen to soft music until you're ready to sleep.
o Lack of exercise during the day Exercise is good for the body and mind.
Even a 20 - 30 minutes walk a day will help you to get a good night's sleep.
However, avoid doing exercises before going to bed as your body and mind will be alert and you'll have difficulty going to sleep after that.
Most people who think that they are suffering from insomnia usually get much more sleep than they imagine.
It's not the number of hours of sleep that you get but the quality of sleep that counts.
Some people can do with 4 -5 hours of sleep and feel totally refreshed after that, while others may still feel tired after sleeping for 8 hours.
The causes of insomnia should be identified and fixed before you can enjoy any quality sleep.
If these causes are ignored, long term sleep deprivation can lead to more serious health problems.
There are many causes of insomnia which deprives us of a good night's sleep.
People often rely on sleeping tablets or alcohol to help them fall asleep.
They feel frustrated just tossing and turning in bed and not getting much sleep despite their best efforts to do so.
When we are deprived of sleep, we feel tired in the morning and are often less tolerant as a result.
So what are the causes of insomnia? These may be due to a combination of factors: o Stresses at the workplace and at home One of the major causes of insomnia is stress.
It is very stressful to drive from home to work in the morning and then drive back home again at night.
You can spend a few hours a day caught up in traffic jams.
You get stressed during the office hours because things can often go wrong with so many activities in the office, from staffing problems to meeting unrealistic targets.
Worse still, there may be an impending redundancy situation.
You can get stressed at home because of: * money worries - unable to meet mortgage repayments, children's school fees and nursery care, car loan repayments, inadequate pension to make ends meet, etc.
* family conflict - having an argument with the spouse or partner, and no one is willing to back down * house maintenance problems - electrical, plumbing or drainage emergencies * the ill health of your love ones - elderly parents, children, siblings and close friends * family events - though events like children's weddings and anniversaries are happy events, they are stressful especially when thing don't go according to plan.
* moving home - it's always a stressful time doing the packing and unpacking and especially so if you have young children to look after as well.
* emergency events - such as flooding, fire, earthquakes All these events can keep you awake at night.
It could be one of the major causes of insomnia as you fear the worse scenario may happen.
o No Bedtime Routine It is important to have a bedtime routine for your body to get used to.
If you go to bed at the usual time every night, your mind and body will get tired when the time comes and you'll get a sound sleep as a result of the bedtime routine.
o Having late dinners or heavy snacks before bedtime One of the causes of insomnia is having a heavy meal before bedtime.
Your body is not ready to go to bed with a full stomach and this will keep you awake at night.
Avoid drinking beverages containing caffeine a few hours before bedtime.
Instead, drink hot cocoa, chocolate or milk to help you get a good night's sleep.
Be careful not to drink too much before bedtime or you'll be busy making trips to the toilet at night instead of sleeping soundly.
o Over stimulating your mind before bedtime Use the bed to sleep on.
Avoid watching psychological thrillers on television, doing crossword puzzles or sudoku or other work or entertainment that may stimulate or activate your mind before you go to bed.
Instead, listen to soft music or meditate for a few minutes before turning in.
o Too much napping Sometimes you may feel tired during the day or after a busy day at the office.
Resist the temptation to taking a "short nap" which can sometimes last for more than an hour.
If you're tired during the day, it's more beneficial to meditate for about 15 - 20 minutes than taking a nap.
If you spend too much time napping during the day, you'll not be tired when it's bedtime.
o The bedroom may not be conducive for sleeping Ask yourself what is keeping you awake at night.
It could be: * it's too noisy - traffic noise, noisy neighbours, etc * too much light from outside coming into the room at night * the bed squeaks or the mattress is too soft * the bedroom is too hot or too cold Find out what the problem is and get it fixed.
o Going to bed when you are not tired Pay attention to your body clock and not to the time-piece.
If, as above, you've been napping for over an hour during the day, your body is not tired and is not ready to go to bed.
Don't force it to do so.
If your body and mind are fully awake you'll have problem going to sleep.
Instead for going to bed, relax in an armchair and listen to soft music until you're ready to sleep.
o Lack of exercise during the day Exercise is good for the body and mind.
Even a 20 - 30 minutes walk a day will help you to get a good night's sleep.
However, avoid doing exercises before going to bed as your body and mind will be alert and you'll have difficulty going to sleep after that.
Most people who think that they are suffering from insomnia usually get much more sleep than they imagine.
It's not the number of hours of sleep that you get but the quality of sleep that counts.
Some people can do with 4 -5 hours of sleep and feel totally refreshed after that, while others may still feel tired after sleeping for 8 hours.
The causes of insomnia should be identified and fixed before you can enjoy any quality sleep.
If these causes are ignored, long term sleep deprivation can lead to more serious health problems.
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