Why Insomnia Is Stealing Your Sheep

Recent studies with insomnia patients concludes that 30% of American adults never discuss their sleepless nights with family doctors. Insomnia has many risk factors that are often overlooked and not treated in accordance with the cause. Major factors that are related to insomnia disorders are:

*Bad relationships with family members and relatives
*Overworked in the workplace
*Stressful household with too much maintenance
*Seriously Ill family members
*Low social status
*Mental and psychiatric disorders (depression, anxiety)


In relationship with the major factors comes a negative attitude and thought process. Having a negative attitude often leads thinking patterns to imagine unpleasant images of the world. Those studied with good sleep patterns reported that they imagined random and meaningless images proir to sleep. Effectively getting your mind ready for sleep takes discipline and a routine. Any issues that are causing you to dwell deep into thought before sleep should be confronted before getting into bed. Talking to someone about your issues a few hours before sleep will give you a piece of mind and help you relax before bed. We are fragile by nature when it comes to obstacles in are life, so try the buddy system and discuss things on your mind with someone outside of whatever issue is haunting you.

The strongest of all factors causing insomnia are psychiatric disorders. In most cases, depression is number one in accompanying insomnia. Depressed patients 90% of the time, are also suffering from insomnia. Research has shown that insomnia may be extending depression beyond its treatable recovery time. Gender plays a role also, females are more likely to suffer from insomnia in earlier years of their life. As each gender ages, both are affected equally by loss of sleep.

Sleepy Foods For Insomnia

Sleeping easily is actually a learned behavior. Although sleeping is a natural pschological phenomenon, we sometimes are a little too "wired" to sleep easily. There are some "sleepy foods" that can help bring us to a good nights rest. These foods are for light cases of the no sleep blues, so its not a cure for chronic insomnia. I suffer from anxiety, depression, and insomnia regularly, so I have a few natural approaches I take. My first line of defense is a herb called St Johns Wort which actually does work quite well. I take this three times a day and its effects aren't sleep inducing, but rather calms my nerves. Secondly, I go to the grocery store once a week and get some ripe bananas. Bananas have melatonin, serotonin, and magnesium which is a natural muscle relaxant. If your not to fond of bananas, try warm milk. Milk contains tryptophan (yep, the same sleepy turkey amino acid) which acts as a sedative. The calcium in the milk will also help the brain process the tryptophan. Believe it or not, a petite baked potato helps clean up acids that can conflict with natural tryptophan levels in your body. Honey helps also and can be added to a cup of tea. The small amount of glucose in the honey will actually help your brain shut off orexin, which is a neurotransmitter linked to alertness. Feel free to post any remedies you may have.

Insomnia Signs And Symptoms

Are you one of the 65% of American adults that gets less than 8 hours of sleep at night? The ability for most adults to fall asleep and stay asleep is ever more challenging. Having frequent episodes of restless nights can soon lead into bouts with insomnia. Prolonged insomnia can have dangerous and mental health implications.


Signs and Symptoms

* Feeling unrefreshed after a night of sleep
* Extreme difficulty falling asleep when being tired
* Difficulty concentrating, daytime drowsiness, fatigue, irritability
* Anxiety as sleep approaches


The origins of insomnia are debatable, but such things as alcohol, stress, and caffeine are contributors. Individuals that suffer from depression and anxiety, likely have associated cases of insomnia. Although these disorders tend to be partnered up with insomnia, 50% of cases have no identifiable cause.

Other Known Contributors


* Substance abuse
* Disrupting the circadian rhythm - change in work shift, traveling across time zones
* Menopause
* Hormonal Changes-menstrual cycle
* Aging
* Medications
* Snoring Partners


Insomnia can have serious implications on your health. Mental and physical impairments can grow into quite serious conditions if sleep deprivation becomes chronic. inadequate rest impairs your ability to function normally. It becomes increasingly difficult to handle stress, control emotions, and most importantly deteriorates the immune system. The ability for the brain to respond quickly and concentrate also has its dangers. Daily tasks such as driving your car can become serious concerns. Decision making abilities are compromised and your brain may start having difficulties generating new problem-solving ideas.


Treating insomnia ranges from a natural approach to taking prescribed medications. Physicians more than likely will recommend a change in lifestyle before medications are prescribed. Sleep aid medications can become addictive and the patient may become too dependent on them. A natural approach is first used to rule out any possibility of the patients lifestyle as the root of the disorder. Some patients will try polysomnography, which is an overnight sleep study supervised by doctors. Once a diagnosis has been clarified by a physician, you will be suggested which route of therapy to take.