Sleep Difficulties and Insomnia: A Practical Guide


On average, we need about seven to eight hours of sleep per night to function optimally. In today's fast and high burden on the society, a third of the population reports difficulties with sleeping, and about 10% of people reporting chronic insomnia, a condition with trouble falling or staying asleep , wake up in the middle of the night or even in the early morning hours, the persistently poor sleep quality, and ease of operation the next day.

There are many reasons why people have difficulty sleeping. A high degree of stress, anxiety and / or depression are often the culprits. Other possible causes are health problems or conditions, chronic pain, the use of certain medications, eberm�iger consumption of alcohol, nicotine or caffeine, or the existence of a complex sleep disturbances (such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome).

To address sleep difficulties, it is important to identify the specific cause. It is advisable to look at your family doctor for medical problems the cause could be poor sleep.

sleep, when problems are depression, anxiety, or high levels of stress counseling with a psychologist is a good idea how psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy therapy has been shown very effective in decreasing anxiety and depression, and helping people to improve how they cope with stress. Certain drugs, the fear and depression may also from your doctor. If an underlying depression or anxiety disorder is treated properly , sleep problems often improve.

Some people have sleep disturbances or insomnia in the absence of other psychological problems, such as depression or anxiety. In these cases, that a psychologist can still be very helpful how certain psychological interventions have proven to be effective in addressing poor sleep directly. psychologists can teach you to learn how to relax, how to deal with stress, and improve your sleep hygiene "(or habits). psychologists can also other behavioral abnormalities strategies to help with the orientation of insomnia. About 75% of people with sleep disorders significantly improved sleep after such a psychological treatment.

family doctors often prescribe hypnotic drugs to help people sleep. These medications are often helpful for people who are in a stressful time. It is recommended that only those drugs in the short term as they become addictive and less effective, if you do at night over long periods. In addition, some of these drugs can to drowsiness and difficulty concentrating on the following day. Over the counter sleep complemented were generally found to be ineffective.

As a general rule, insomnia medication can be helpful in the short-term, but less effective in the course of time, while psychological treatments are effective in the long term.

For more information on sleep disorders and insomnia, go to National Sleep Foundation Web site.

Dr. Jeremy Frank-www.drjeremyfrank.com