I grew up the son of an over the road truck driver who never knew when he was going to be able to grab a few hours of sleep. This was very hard on my dad because without a regular sleeping schedule you will never get the quality sleep that we all need to function well and feel our best. These irregular sleeping patterns eventually caused my dad to have insomnia to the point where he hardly ever got more than 3-4 hours of sleep at a time and therefore spent most of my childhood exhausted and difficult to get along with.
Insomnia Side Effects
There are many symptoms of insomnia but the most common are difficulty falling asleep, waking frequently during the night, waking up too early, waking up tired, racing mind, being tired during the day, fatigue, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, anxiety and irritability.
Treatments for Insomnia
The most used treatment for insomnia is prescription and over the counter medications. Many people find them helpful but they are in no way a long term solution to the problem. All medications have other affects on the body that range from addiction issues to organ and tissue damage. You should never consider any insomnia medication as a solution unless all other avenues have been explored.
Insomnia Tips
There are several things you can try that may help treat insomnia such as changing your sleep environment or schedule, being more active during the day, changing your diet, eliminating stimulants such as caffeine, going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday regardless of how well you slept and even meditation can be helpful.
Insomnia Facts
Often times insomnia is merely a symptom of a different condition such as depression, pain, anxiety, stimulant use or a side effect of certain medicines so you should always talk to a professional about your problems before attempting any therapies on your own.
Insomnia CD
One of the newest innovations in insomnia therapy is an “insomnia CD”. These are not to be confused with relaxation therapy such as sounds of the ocean or rainforest. These CD’s take advantage of the brain's automatic response to synchronize it's brainwaves with any steady rhythmic pulse it can see, hear or feel. The user listens to precisely calibrated pulses of sound that match the brainwave rate of a peaceful, sleepy mind. After just a few minutes the user's brain begins to produce brainwaves at the same slowed-down rate. Many people have found this new therapy to be very beneficial.
