subject: Insomnia Treatment Options [print this page] Having sleepless nights that last for more than a week? Trouble sleeping until the sun rises to greet you a good morning? Many of us have experienced sleeplessness, most commonly known as insomnia, at some point in our lives. In fact, statistics show that around 30% to 50% of the population is suffering from this symptom, where 10% are actually chronic insomniacs. Contrary to the popular belief that insomnia is a disease, medical science classifies it more as a symptom and not a definite diagnosis. Insomnia is basically the lack or difficulty in sleeping, either initiating such or maintaining it or both. It can be caused by inadequate sleep hours or a poor quality of sleep that an individual gets in a day. Although insomnia cannot be defined by the number of hours of sleep, we all know how it feels and how it affects our performance if we have one sleepless night after the other. A lot of people do not seek medical advice for insomnia because they are unaware that there are effective medical and behavioral options for insomnia treatment.
Whether they are transient, short-term or chronic insomnia, there are medical and non-medical treatments available to relieve you of sleeplessness and prevent it from progressing.
In order for an insomnia treatment to be truly effective, the focus should be directed in finding the main reason or underlying trigger that causes it. Once it is determined, it is important to control and manage it since this is the only way to successfully eliminate insomnia. The causes of insomnia are usually different according to its classifications. Transient and short-term insomnia, which lasts for less than a week or around one to three weeks, can be caused by jet lag, working in shifting schedules, too much noise, uncomfortable temperature, stressful events in life (death, unemployment, divorce and the like), acute illness, and withdrawal from alcohol or drugs and other substances. Chronic insomnia, on the other hand, is commonly caused by psychological problems such as anxiety, schizophrenia, stress, depression and bipolar disorder. Medications like over-the-counter solutions for colds and asthma, high-blood pressure and anti-depressant pills also have certain effects on sleep and can also cause insomnia. Common stimulants like caffeine and alcohol can also result in poor sleep.
Non-medical insomnia treatment or behavioral therapies are effective in preventing the symptom. These include the following:
Sleep hygiene Oversleeping and forcing yourself to sleep is a big no. Sleep just enough to feel rested.
Relaxation therapy Meditation prior to sleeping can help treat insomnia. Dim the lights and play relaxing music before going to bed.
Stimulus control Avoid watching TV, eating, reading in bed and taking long naps during day time.
Sleep restriction Set rigid bedtimes and rise times. This way, you will be forced to get up even when you feel sleepy so you can sleep better the next night since you were deprived of more sleep the night before. Sleep restriction has been proven to be effective in most cases.
