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Many a night, people spend tossing and turning, looking for a comfortable position, a cool spot on the pillow, some space to move around, and just some peace and quiet. Insomnia is a major problem in many peoples' lives and one that continues to be a growing problem in our fast paced culture. What is it about one's life that could make sleep a distant daydream? Let's find out by taking a brief look at insomnia.
There are several potential causes of insomnia, the most common of which, is stress. Stress is one of the little mysteries of insomnia, as no one really understands completely why the mind's overwork won't allow the body to relax. Another cause is often the conditions of the room in which one sleeps. These conditions are very easily remedied, and will be discussed in more detail later. One of the more serious, less easily remedied causes of insomnia, however, is chemical imbalance and/or excessive neural activity. This is not a problem that can be solved with warm milk; a doctor's care is often required.
So how does one know if he or she is an insomniac? Besides obvious clues such as tossing and turning so much that your body becomes entangled in a web of sheets, there are other little telltale clues. General restlessness is also a sign, especially before bedtime, when the body should be toning down for sleep. One may also experience great fatigue while in attempting to fall asleep, but still cannot manage to doze off. A racing heartbeat, and racing thoughts as well, may also inhibit one's ability to fall asleep.
These symptoms often point to very simple solutions. In cases of stress, the best defense is actually a rather popular phrase: Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff. Utilizing this phrase as a solution means pinpointing reasons for stress (i.e.: bills, job, etc.) and devising simple, practical solutions for coping with it. It even helps to break the issue down into smaller, less overwhelming issues, which makes the problem look not as bad as it seems, because more often than not, it isn't. Secondly, try to forget the problem at hand. Listening to relaxing music, reading your favorite book, or even getting lost in the mindlessness of children's cartoons, can help to do this.
Simple meditation is a good way to clear the mind and relax the body. Find a quiet, darkened room, but avoid complete silence. Silence often creates a need for the brain to make its own noise, thus, negating the activity at hand. A good "backdrop" for quiet is soft music, or nature sounds, particularly the sound of rain or the ocean. Then, find a comfortable position to relax in, be it in a favorite recliner, on the couch, on the floor, or even in bed. Once a comfortable position has been achieved, think of a pleasant place- a location you enjoy or would like to be now- and imagine yourself there. Imagine everything about the place including the smells, specific sounds (try to identify what they are), particular sights, and even tastes. Look for something to touch, a flower for instance, and imagine exactly how that feels. Memorize the texture, the coarseness or softness, perhaps even the temperature. Let your mind wander as it will until the mind is clear of all thought but that place. Continue to hold those thoughts as you try to fall asleep.
In addition to stress, poor sleeping conditions can contribute to insomnia. If the room is too hot or cold, or an overabundance of bedding is restricting movement, it can be very difficult to sleep indeed. Dripping faucets, streetlights, and lumpy mattresses are also common problems. Again, the solutions to these problems are simple. It can require anything from untucking the sheets and removing some blankets, to getting a small fan. Fans are wonderful sleep aids, as they have a tendency to mask other sounds and create a constant lulling noise. Perhaps dark curtains could block out unwanted light. If no position can be comfortably achieved on your own, then certain pillows can be bought to aid in keeping your body in a comfortable position effortlessly.
Quite often, insomnia can stem from pent up energy. This can be handled by exercising before bedtime, or doing some heavy duty cleaning, the effects of which are pleasing the next morning as well. Sometimes, that excess energy can be burned off with a relaxing bath or shower, a long walk at dusk, and journaling to clear the mind of thoughts that could make the body tense.
Occasionally, none of these solutions work, or you do fall asleep but wake feeling as though you spent all night running a marathon. It may be time to seek the advice of a professional. Uncontrollable insomnia can indicate serious problems such as overactive brain patterns when at rest, and may require medications to control. Diagnosis of this is as simple as an EEG, which is a test that measures brain waves while one is asleep. No pain is involved, and it only requires an eight-hour hospital stay. If the results turn up excessive neural activity, your doctor will discuss with you what can be done to fix it.
Insomnia is not incurable, but it does require work and sometimes even outside help. If at first you've tried the simple solutions to no avail, you don't need to jump in the car and rush to the doctor. Stick with it a little longer. Rome wasn't built in a day, but in dreams, it could be built in a night.
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