Ambien (see also Ambien on thiw site)

The intake of this medication will help the person fall asleep. There is another version of this medication and this is known as the Ambien CR. This newest release of the medication will help a person get to sleep in 15 to 30 minutes. The intake of this medication is not suggested for persons who get a good amount of rest every night- like 7 to 8 hours.

Lunesta (see also Lunesta on this site)

The patient who takes this medication can go to sleep for around 7 to 8 hours. There is a side effect though and this is true for those who can get a good night sleep. The problem is grogginess and this should be avoided

Rozerem (see also Rozerem on this site)

This is a new medication released that can be used to treat the sleeping disorder. This targets the sleep-wake cycle and this means that this will not cause depression. This is best taken by those having trouble getting to sleep. This is safe in a sense that this can be prescribed for use over a long period of time and the person cannot develop dependence on the drug.

Sonata (see also Sonata on this site)

 This is just one of the many sleeping pills out there. This is active in the body for a brief period of time, and you can take one again if you cannot still fall asleep.

The benzodiazepines

These are sleeping pills that are available in the market for a long time now. the intake of these medications are best for persons who want medications that work over time in the system

Other medications for insomnia include:

• anti-depressants
• over-the-counter sleeping aids (see also Over-the-Counter  on this site)

Note:  if you are going to use these medications, make sure that these are prescribed by doctors. It is also best to read the labels and the warnings set by the FDA.

Watch Video: Insomnia

Last update Dec 24, 2009

To get rid of insomnia, you need primarily to find its cause:

• It may be fatigue, changes in weather, problems at work, or in the family, depression, illness, etc
• If the case of fatigue or agitation of the body and its nervous system you need to relax and calm down
• This can be done with the help of some food products, which serve as a good sleeping pill
• They stimulate the production of hormones – serotonin and melatonin, which help you to fall asleep.

At the same time do not forget that some of the products could be allergens and cause  insomnia – such as honey.  So take it into account and be careful if you are allergic to any of them.

5 Products Against Insomnia

Warm milk 
Milk has long proven tool for sleep. This product contains tryptophan – an amino acid that has sedative properties, as well as calcium – it helps metabolize tryptophan. A glass of warm milk at night – and you can sleep peacefully.

Honey 
Honey contains glucose, which causes the brain off oreksinovuyu system and relax (oreksin – neurohormone responsible for the excitation of nerve cells). Add a spoonful of honey into a glass of warm milk or herb tea and drink it before bedtime.

Tea mint or lemon balm
Peppermint has a calming effect and eliminates nervous overexcitation due to the presence in it of the complex biologically active compounds. Melissa also has a sedative and hypnotic properties of light.

Banana 
Bananas stimulate the production of hormones melatonin and serotonin, которіе slumberous, and also contain magnesium, which relaxes the muscles. Fruits are rich in B vitamins, indispensable for insomnia. Also banana stimulates production of endorphins – the hormone of happiness. And when you feel happy, then why not sleep

Almond 
Almonds contain tryptophan is, as already mentioned, an amino acid that helps to calm down. Almonds also has magnesium, which relaxes. Before going to sleep well eat a small handful of nuts.

5 Conditions for Sound Sleep

1. In order not to hobnob with insomnia, try to adhere to the regime. Do not shoot down the body confused and try to go to sleep at certain times
2. Before going to sleep eliminate stimulants: tea, coffee, alcohol. Do not eat a lot at night – with a stuffed stomach you will not fall asleep.
3. Do not you dare do exercises late evening. Gym will also be out of place. Instead of “disconnect”, you still midnight, will continue “to engage in physical activity” – to stay awake
4. Get ready for bed. Adjust yourself to rest, make a sleepy atmosphere: beat pillows, make dim light, turn down the TV sound and so good before bedtime take a warm bath, you can aromomaslami
5. If there is a possibility and you still have strength after work, breathe fresh air before bedtime. In a pinch, you can simply ventilate the bedroom.

•  According to the results of foreign studies, suffers from insomnia fifth of the people on the planet. On a bad dream complain about everything – regardless of where they live and what they do
• The researchers found that women sleep less than men, and representatives of the intelligentsia is worse than the working class
• Many people can not sleep at night from Sunday to Monday – probably think about the coming week, and all that needs to be done.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

According to CDC, the  insufficient sleep and sleep disorders are associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions, such as:

• diabetes
• cardiovascular disease
• obesity
• depression

Those illnesses threaten the nation everage health index. Also, insufficient sleep results in accidents causing substantial injury and disability each year, such as:

• truck
• auto
• machinery-related
• errors and ommisions in office places and factories (by reducing productivity).

The CDC recently surveyed 20,000 adults in four US states:

• 10% of the respondents indicated they didn’t get enough sleep or rest every single day of the prior month
• 38% said they didn’t get enough rest or sleep in seven or more days in the prior month.

U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

• This organizations estimates that sleep disorders, sleep deprivation, sleeplessness, and excessive daytime sleepiness cost employers $50 billion a year in lost productivity
• American employers are also facing higher health-care costs and worker’s compensation contribution becouse workers’ sleeplessness
• Medical experts believe that most companies have a wrong opinion about their employers’ sleeplessness problems, with some managers thinking that sleep-deprived employees are slackers.

National Sleep Foundation

Darrel Drobnich, acting CEO of the National Sleep Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that promotes greater understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, says studies show people with sleep apnea use the health-care system three times more often than normal.

Watch Video: How to deal with sleeplessness during pregnancy

Just when you need a good night’s sleep the most, it may be impossible to get. Dr. Keith Eddleman, author of Pregnancy for Dummies, explains how to deal with sleeplessness during pregnancy:

Here they are:

Margaret Hilda Thatcher  And in more modern times the name of MARGARET THATCHER has been mentioned as someone who had great difficulty in falling asleep Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925) served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post.  Thatcher at the funeral of Ronald Reagan, June 2004

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald  Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, (1896 – 1940) was an American writer of novels and short stories, whose works are evocative of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1921

Actors and actresses, such as  and Cary Grant and Marilyn Monroe ,were also not immune from insomnia: Archibald Alexander Leach (1904 – 1986), better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was a British-American actor.Marilyn Monroe (1926 –1962), born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer, comedian and model.

.

Common problems with the sleeping environment include:

• Cold bedroom
• Noise
• High fiver
• Hot bedroom
• Poorly ventilated bedroom
• Stuffy bedroom
• Too soft mattress
• Too hard mattress
• Sleeping area distractions
• Wrong mattress

Some possible causes of infant or child sleep problems include:

• Colic
• Dental problem
• Dirty diaper
• Earache
• Hunger
• Indigestion
• Leg cramps
• Not enough exercise
• Teething
• Too cold
• Too hot

Common causes of mild insomnia:

• Anxiety
• Caffeine before bedtime
• Normal aging
• Overeating.

The following list of insomnia causes has been automatically generated by a computer from a large list of other sleep-related disorders:

Insomnia, which is sleepless hours or nights, is the most destructive disorders most of us facing ones or many times. When insomnia hits you on a regular basis, you will have to deal with the following possibilities:

• You do not get asleep right when you get to bed
• Instead, you lay down, turn your body to the left and to the right side, however, sleep doesn’t occur
• Even you manage to fall asleep, you frequently wake up for no particular reason, and start all over again
• Instead of having sleep until morning comes, you wake up long before and without completing your sleep cycle. Once you are awaken, you can’t get back to sleep again.

Possible reasons for Insomnia to consider:

Statistical study of insomnia has reported that the main reason why anyone becoming affected by this disorder is either stress or depression. The next day in the morning becomes even worse than the actual insomnia that was experienced during the sleepless night. You do not have regular clarity in your mind you would love to have. You would tired all day.

Fortunately, other than those symptoms shown above, there is nothing to actually worry about the incidents of insomnia. The following tips maybe applied to concur this insomnia episodes in the future and to make your next day morning a fresh and beautiful one, both physically and mentally.

• Try to avoid a large meal late in the evening. Remember that a large amount of food requires a between 3 to 4 hours to digest in your stomach.
• It is also recommended before going to the bed, to avoid spicy food, as well as food containing sugar, such as chocolates. Most definitely, your sleep might be affected by the content of caffeine stored in chocolate.
• Instead, before going to bed eat single banana, a piece of chicken, or a small slice of turkey. These particular food contains amino acids, which our body converts into serotonin, which induces sleep. From another hand, do not consume to much of these food, which could deprive your sleep.
• You should not take coffee within 3 hours of your scheduled bedtime. Impact of caffeine might deprive your sleep regardless of your affinity to the caffeine. You should also refrain yourself from smoking a cigarette within 3 hours of your bedtime due to the nicotine content in cigarette, which might prevent you from falling asleep and cause insomnia.

When you exercise any those suggestions, you would get a good night sleep by fighting insomnia, and you will get up fresh and restful when the morning comes. 

Several tips to fight insomnia:

• Relax before your bedtime by going for a walk, reading newspaper, or just do something that isn’t tense.
• Use earplugs if your bedroom is noisy.
• Check medication you normally take and see if they are not nervous system stimulants.
• This is highly important: your bedroom must be well ventilated and the temperature must be cool but not cold.
• Check your mattress: it should be firm and soft, but not sagging.
• If you wear any night clothe, make sure it is comfortable and not too tight.
• Try to refrain yourself from even short naps during the day.
• Do not do any physical exercise within 3 hours of your regular bedtime, however, exercise regularly, which will tire you out and help you to fall asleep.
• Do not watch TV or read before going to sleep if it has stressful content.
• Make sure to schedule your bedtime and morning awakening as regular as possible just to improve your sleeping routine.
• Remember: glass of warm milk with teaspoon of honey before your bedtime helps to have a healthy sleep. The same is advisable for an apple before going to bed. In fact, an apple will become your sleeping trigger within a week or so.
• If you have a habit to take a bath in the evening, try to relax in it before going to bed.
• If you like listening to your favorite music then select most relaxing one and listen to it before going to bed.
• Please do not be discouraged by the fact that you snore during the night. Usually, you fall asleep as soon as you start snoring, However, if snoring persist and breaks your sleep or prevent you from falling asleep, please see a doctor.

Watch video: Why fight insomnia when you can use it to your advantage

It’s here, the solution to your insomnia. You will be surprised by how easy it is to get good sleep. Insomnia will soon be a thing of the past.

Insomnia pattern is commonly associated with the science of etiology. Insomnia starts with a difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night. It is usually associated with anxiety disorders.  

Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia

This type of insomnia can be described by the difficulty of coming back to sleep after being awaken in the middle of the night, or become awaken too early in the morning. Middle-of-the-night insomnia is also called nocturnal awakenings.

Middle and Terminal insomnia

Middle insomnia is when awakening happens during the middle of the night with the difficulty of maintaining sleep. Middle insomnia is usually provoked by pain disorders or any other medical illness.

Terminal (or late) insomnia is referring to early morning awakening with inability to go back to sleep.

Scientists now say that lack of sleep fuels more than anxiety

For some reason we do not treat sleep properly. Sleep is not just helpful to our wellbeing, it is important for our survival. Normal mind and body functions directly related to the quality of sleep. However, getting sufficient sleep is a difficult task for majority of people. In this interview with Ellen Beth Levitt, a sleep expert describes the different stages of sleep, and talks about the causes and latest treatments for insomnia:

Video: Sleep and Insomnia

In this interview with Ellen Beth Levitt, sleep expert Dr. Steven Scharf talks about the following topics:

• Sleep hygiene
• Definition of insomnia
• Causes of insomnia
• When to see a sleep specialist
• Insomnia treatments
• Sleeping pills
• Cognitive therapy
• Melatonin

Causes

Insomnia could be triggered by the following events:

Drugs and Disorders

Psychoactive drugs and stimulants, including certain medications and herbs, such as: caffeine, cocaine, ephedrine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, MDMA, methamphetamine, and modafinil. For a family of fluoroquinolone antibiotic drugs, please see fluoroquinolone toxicity, which is associated with more severe and chronic types of insomnia. For elderly women it is recommended to familiarized yourself with hormone shifts such as those that precede menstruation and those during menopause. Other life problems like fear, stress, anxiety, emotional or mental tension, work problems, financial stress, unsatisfactory sex life, individually and in combination, could be cause mental disorders, such as: bipolar disorder, clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), post traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and others.  

Internal Time Clock

Malfunction of the circadian rhythm, usually related to shift work and jet lag, can cause inability to fall asleep during one part of the day with demonstration of excessive sleepiness at the other times of the day. Jet lag is noticed in people who happen to travel through multiple time zones, being unable to plug themselves into rising and falling of the sun, which no longer corresponds to the body’s internal time clock. Typical circadian rhythm sleep disorder experienced by shift workers is also a type of insomnia.

Internal Bodily Functions

Estrogen is considered to play a significant role in women’ mental health (including insomnia). A conceptual model of how estrogen affects mood was suggested by Sippe G Douma from Delft University of Technology. Based on his extensive literature review, related to an activity of endogenous, bio-identical and synthetic estrogen with mood and well-being. Mr. Douma and his colleges concluded that any sudden estrogen withdrawal, fluctuating estrogen, and periods of sustained low levels of estrogen is primarily cause for significant mood lowering. Recovery from depression postpartum, perimenopause, and postmenopause, observed clinically, was shown to be very effective after levels of estrogen were stabilized and/or restored.

Gaining Control Over Sleep Problems

Learning sleep strategies can not only assure restful nights but can also help you waking up without blurry sensation during morning hours. Learn all things you need to do before going to bed to make all the difference in your life.

Video: Sleep and Insomnia Part II

In this interview with Ellen Beth Levitt, a sleep expert Dr. Steven Scharf covers the following topics:

• Why we need sleep and how much
• Sleep stages
• REM vs. Non-REM sleep
• Dreaming
• Circadian rhythms
• Shift-work strategies 

Types of insomnia

Three types of insomnia have been commonly classified, even there are several different degrees of insomnia. There are transient, acute, and chronic insomnia, as described below:

Transient insomnia lasts from days to weeks. It is usually caused by another disorder, such as: changes in the sleep environment, by the timing of sleep, severe depression, or by stress. It results in sleepiness and impaired psychomotor activities that are similar to those of sleep deprivation.

Acute  insomnia is inability to maintain regular sleep pattern for a period between three weeks to six months.

Chronic insomnia lasts for years at a time. It can be caused by another health problem. It could also be a main disorder. Chronic insomnia demonstrates itself in different ways, such as: sleepiness, muscular fatigue, hallucinations, mental fatigue, distress, panic disorder, etc. However, people suffering from chronic insomnia often demonstrate elevated alertness and awareness. Occasionally, people with chronic insomnia can see things almost “in slow motion”, whereby different objects appear blended to one another. In this case a double vision might be noticed.

Insomnia Statistics

About a third of the population, as many studies have shown, at any given time is having considerable sleeping problems. Between 8% to 12% of the population suffers from chronic insomnia. It becomes a serious sleep difficulty for many people, which could last for months, unless some dramatic changes would have to be implemented into people’s behavioral day-to-day life pattern. Unless it has been done on time, insomnia can sneak up on you gradually.

Insomnia occurrence is responsible for events, such as: employment or school-related stress, relationship problems, illness, or the death of a loved one. These days it is hard to find someone who has never had a sleepless, or seemingly sleepless, night. It seems that the occasional sleep disturbance is a part of our life. However, most sleep problems are acute or transient and do not sustain more than a few nights.

Transient Insomnia. Most of us are capable of dealing with these transient occurrences of insomnia. If sleep problems become more or less constant, you start to feel like you are losing touch with a very important part of your life. According to many sleep researchers, the most important reasons for having proper sleep are comprehensive: to combine, restore, refresh, and rejuvenate different bodily functions including memory, learning, mood, immune processes, growth, and state of mind.

Sympthms of Insomnia

It is also obvious that consequences of insomnia are similarly influential. Other than low energy and fatigue, you may feel frustrated, agitated, preoccupied, anxious, or even depressed. You may also experience difficulties in concentrating, lower reaction time, falling asleep with no visible reason, especially while driving, reading, watching television, sitting in a class or in a meeting. You could become less productive or feel more irritating, emotional, and unreasonable.

Impact of Insomnia. In general, any trace of frustration or anxiety, which you begin to feel, can make even more negative impact on you, especially when in bed. At this time, the anxiety can agitate you and keep you away from relaxing enough to fall sleep. Here a vicious cycle can be energized. 

Insomnia Medications

There are five medications that belong to a class of sleep medication called benzodiazepines that have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of insomnia. These medications are called hypnotic medication or sleep medications. Below is a brief discussion of medications that are commonly used for sleep disorders:

                        Dalmane (flurazepam)

                        Doral (quazepam)

                        Halcion (triazolam)

                        ProSom (estazolam)

                        Restoril (temazepam) and many others 

Paying the Price of a Poor Night’s Sleep

Everyone needs sleep, but just how much differs for everyone. Watch and listen to sleep experts talking about the kind of sleep we need, and what happens when we do not get enough sleep: