Your husband snores lightly beside you, leaving you envious of his ability to shut everything off and sleep soundly. You spend the next several minutes trying to decide what it is keeping you from getting your rest. While this happens often, you deny it’s really a problem, even though it’s all you can do to stay awake during your lunch hour.
What Is Insomnia?
Insomnia, as defined by Womenshealth.gov, is too little or poor-quality sleep. Categorized by problems falling asleep, staying asleep through the night, waking up too early in the morning, and tiredness during the day, Insomnia can be a serious sleep disorder. Without treatment, it can cause poor overall health, illness and/or accidents, and depression. It can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition.
Women and older people are most likely to suffer from Insomnia. Women’s sleep can be disturbed with menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. Insomnia can be a normal part of aging for everyone, but often with the elderly, there is a medical cause.
Is Melatonin the Answer?
In a word, No. Melatonin is produced in the brain to regulate sleep. If you aren’t sleeping, you might think a Melatonin supplement is the answer. While it may be helpful on a short term basis, in laboratory tests, success rates have been inconsistent and long term effects are still being studied. You would be better served by working on the underlying problem causing your sleep disturbance.
Common Causes of Insomnia
- Stress
- Jet Lag
- Depression or anxiety
- Medications such as for colds, birth control, blood pressure and others
- Environmental issues (partner who snores, light, noise, cold, hot)
How to Overcome Insomnia and Get Some Sleep
If your insomnia is chronic, occurring more than 3 nights a week for a month or more, see your doctor. If your insomnia is more of the sporadic variety, you may be able to help yourself get your body back on track. Stress, jet lag and some environmental issues may correct themselves. If you’ve begun taking a new medication and find you can’t sleep, ask your doctor if another medication will work better for you. Other things you can do include:
- Develop good sleep habits – go to bed and get up in the morning at the same times every day.
- Don’t eat or drink caffeine and alcohol too close to bedtime
- Exercise regularly, but not right before bed.
- Don’t watch TV or read in bed – make the bedroom only for sleep and sex
- Relax before bed – read a book, do Yoga, or listen to music (don’t do these activities in the bedroom)
- Make the bedroom comfortable – room darkening curtains, control temperature, ear plugs or white noise machines to block noise
If you’ve tried a combination of the above ideas and you still can’t sleep, call your doctor to discuss other ideas and possible medications.
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