~ Insomnia ~

WHAT IS INSOMNIA.?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which a person experiences poor sleep or has trouble sleeping. Insomnia can involve:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Difficulty staying asleep (that is, waking up many times during the night), without necessarily having had any difficulty falling asleep
• Waking up too early in the morning
• Not feeling refreshed after a night's sleep

In any of these cases the person feels tired the next day, or feels as if he or she did not have

 enough sleep.

 Poor sleep for any length of time can lead to mood disturbances, lack of motivation, 
decreased attention span, trouble with concentration, low levels of energy, and increased fatigue.


About one-third of the average person's life is spent sleeping. Healthy sleep is vital to the human body and important for the optimal functioning of the brain and other organs.
There are three types of insomnia:

1. Transient, or mild, insomnia - sleep difficulties that last for a few days; there is little or no evidence of impairment of functioning during the day
2. Short-term, or moderate, insomnia - sleep difficulties that last for less than a month, that mildly affect functioning during the day, together with feelings of irritability and fatigue
3. Chronic, or severe, insomnia - sleep difficulties that last for more than a month, that severely impair functioning during the day, and cause strong feelings of restlessness, irritability, anxiety, and fatigue.

SLEEP DISORDER

 Common sleep disorders include:

• Insomnia, an inability to sleep or to remain asleep throughout the night
• Obstructive sleep apnea, in which a person's breathing passages become temporarily blocked during the night; this condition is often marked by excessive snoring
• Chronic sleep apnea, a neurological condition in which the brain "forgets" to instruct the body to breathe
• Restless leg syndrome, in which a person has occasional movement and/or uncomfortable sensations in his or her legs, feet, or toes just before they fall asleep
• Hypersomnia, an increase in sleep by about one-fourth of a person's regular sleep patterns
• Narcolepsy, in which a person gets sudden attacks throughout the day and night of drowsiness and sleep that cannot be controlled
• Parasomnias, which are vivid dreams and physical activities that occur during sleep, such as sleepwalking (somnambulism) and episodes of screaming and flailing about (night terrors).

HOW IS INSOMNIA TREATED.?

Physical Relaxation

If you are anxious about falling asleep, certain muscles in your body become tense and sometimes painful, interfering with sleep. Physical relaxation techniques can help.

• Find a quiet, peaceful place in which to practice the following technique about 30 minutes a day:

1. Lie perfectly still until you find the most comfortable position for yourself. Now deliberately tense up the muscles in your arms and legs as tightly as you can. Try to hold this tension for about a minute and then let the muscles relax gradually-first your legs, and then your arms.
2. Now let your whole body feel as relaxed as it possibly can. Take a rest for five minutes and then repeat the procedure twice more.
3. At the end of the session, try to concentrate on the feeling of your muscles and let them go as limp and relaxed as possible for the rest of the period. Try to make your breathing slow and steady as you relax.

Mental Relaxation


Since stress and worry, including the worry about not being able to fall asleep, are often at the core of insomnia, many people have found that mental relaxation techniques can help them to feel less anxious and therefore sleep better.
This method also requires finding a peaceful, quiet place to practice this technique for about 30 minutes a day:

• Try to relax your body first, by finding the most comfortable position for yourself. Then empty your mind of all thoughts by concentrating on one particular object in the room or a particular part of the room.
• After a minute, sit up, and then walk around for a bit. Then return to your position and repeat the exercise.
• Now think of a particularly happy time in your life that you really enjoyed. If you cannot immediately think of something, find a poster of some exotic place or beautiful scenery. Concentrate on imagining yourself in this place for about five minutes.
• Try to feel the sensations first in your neck muscles, and then in your arm and leg muscles, as they gradually become relaxed. After another few minutes, get up and walk around the room a bit. Then repeat the process.

This exercise differs from the physical technique in that it emphasizes controlling the psychological components of anxiety before attempting to relax your body.


Other Techniques


Other relaxation techniques to try include:

1. Yoga or meditation
2. Exercise (shown in studies to be an effective way to achieve a healthy sleep)
3. Mind-body therapies such as guided imagery or hypnotherapy
4. Reading while lying in a relaxed position
5. Listening to music while lying in a relaxed position
6. Having a soothing bath or shower before bed
7. Massage, especially of the neck, shoulder, and leg muscles