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Insomnia and Sleep DisordersSleep disorders include a variety of conditions that impede getting a good nights sleep, leaving you tired the next day. Sleep apnea and Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) are two such conditions, but insomnia is by far the most prevalent. What is insomnia? Insomnia can be defined as sleeplessness or the inability to sleep properly, to such an extent that it leaves you still tired the next morning, making it difficult to function normally. What are the symptoms of insomnia? Insomnia can manifest itself in several ways - you can have trouble falling asleep, you can wake up repeatedly throughout the night and have a difficult time falling back to sleep, you can wake too early in the AM, or you can simply have broken sleep that never lets you get fully rested, meaning you wake up in the morning still feeling fatigued, and you are groggy and sleepy during the rest of the day. In this guide, we will take a look at insomnia cause and symptoms, what kind of insomnia drugs there are, cures for insomnia, and more.
Why can't I sleep? How insomnia works..Most adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep per day, with that amount slowly declining as people age. Of course other factors affect levels of fatigue and need for rest, such as physical exertion, stress, etc. but those sleep requirements work well as a general guideline. When insomnia strikes, it can take several forms. For some people, it is transient, lasting just a night or for a short period of time, and then gone. For others, insomnia is chronic and occurs several night per week, over and over. When insomnia has a known medical or environmental cause, it is called secondary insomnia. For example, you might be going through a stressful situation such as a divorce or loss of a loved one, or you might be suffering from depression, or your partner may snore too loudly, or you might have a cough or lung condition that keeps you from falling deeply asleep. Whatever, there is a reason why you can't sleep. Primary insomnia is the other type - where you simply can't sleep and there is no medical or environmental reason for it. The main symptoms of insomnia are not being able to fall asleep, being fatigued and having trouble staying awake during the day, and being unrefreshed after a nights sleep. Women tend to suffer more from insomnia than do men, and it is also more common in elderly people than in young people.The sleep cycle itself is fairly well understood. When you are awake, specific chemicals in your system and in your brain make you more alert and active - chemicals like adrenaline and noredrenaline. There are also chemicals that make you feel sleepy, when brain activity slows down, such as the amino acid gamma aminobutyric acid, or GABA. For normal people in a normal sleep cycle, the sleepy chemicals kick in at the end of the day, making falling asleep and staying asleep easy. When you have insomnia, this chemical adjustment does not happen properly, leaving you with a "wired" brain well into the night and morning, making it nearly impossible to fall asleep and stay asleep. What causes insomnia? Axiety and stress, as we have mentioned, tend to be the most common causes. Other factors that lead to insomnia problems include women during pregnancy, sufferers of chronic pain, stimulants like caffeine or nicotine, and too much alcohol prior to sleep (sometimes puts you to sleep, but can lead to restless sleep later). Insomnia Cures - Insomnia Medication and Drugs - Sleeping PillsThere are a number of folk remedies for sleeplessness - things like drinking warm milk before bedtime, taking a warm bath, listening to calming music, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, putting a fan in the room to increase circulation, going to bed on a regular schedule, not eating meals too close to bedtime, having a firmer bed, having a softer bed, avoiding watching TV or reading in bed to keep the bed only for sleep, doing more physical activity and exercise, avoiding napping, keeping the room darker, etc. Some of these are common sense, some of these are personal preference, and some of these are more placebo then anything else, trying to fool your mind into sleeping. Once people give up on these home cures for insomnia, they often seek medical advice or sleeping pills to get the rest they need. Some popular drugs used for treating insomnia include Rozerem, Ambien, Lunesta, Dalmane, Halcion, Restoril, and Sonata. Rozerem (Rozerem.com) is made by Takeda Pharmaceuticals and is a non-controlled substance, meaning it is less likely to lead to dependency or abuse and can be used long term. Rozerem stimulates melatonin receptors, which is usually produced at night and aids in sleep. Sonata is made by King Pharmaceuticals. Sonata is designed to work fast, helping you fall asleep in 30 minutes or less, and can be taken even if you have only 4 hours of sleep ahead of you, while most of the other drugs recommend you not take them unless you have a full 8 hours of sleep afterwards, since they keep you feeling tired for a longer period. Sonata has a half life of just 1 hour, so it leaves your system more quicly than other sleeping aids. Lunesta, Ambien, and Sonata are all members of the nonbenzodiazepine sedative family.Lunesta (Lunesta.com), made by Sepracor, is one of the newest insomnia drugs available. Like all the drugs mentioned above, Lunesta is available only by prescription, so you will need to see your doctor first. Lunesta is to be taken just before bed, and not with alcohol, and is meant for times when you have a full 8 hours of sleep available, otherwise you may feel drowsy the next day. That is probably the most common complaint people have about taking sleeping aids, is that they feel tired or hung over still the next day. Lunesta enhances GABA activity, working with the natural sleep chemistry and rhythm in your body. Lunesta comes in either 1, 2, or 3 mg tablets -- your doctor will decide the proper dosage for you. Unlike some other sleep aids, people taking Lunesta have not been seen to build up a tolerance for the drug, meaning that it remains effective even after long periods of usage. Check out their site - they have some useful tools like a sleep calculator, sleep diary, and sections on causes of insomnia, insomnia treatments, and more. There are also a number of OTC (over the counter) drugs available for treating transient insomnia, like Tylenol PM, Excedrin PM, Unisom. These medications tend to make you sleepy and fall asleep fast, but they do not help keep you asleep for a full 8 hours and they are not meant as long term treatments for chronic insomnia. Their main ingredient is often antihistamines which can leave you feeling drowsy for a long period of time. Keep in mind that sleeping pills are designed as sedatives and depressants and should not be taken without a doctors supervision and consultation.
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