Home Remedies for Sleep Insomnia: Natural Cures for Sleeping Disorders

Sleeping problems affects one in every three people. Some reports suggest that more than half the population above the age group of 60 years suffers from insomnia. Further, women are more likely to suffer from some form of sleep deprivation as compared to men. Estimates suggest that approximately 10 million Americans use prescription medicine for sleeping aid. Further there are a close link observed between obesity and inadequate sleep. Fortunately, there are a host of home remedies and homeopathic treatment therapies that can be used for the effective management of insomnia and other forms of sleeping disorder.

What is Insomnia? Sleeping Disorder Symptoms

Insomnia refers to persistent or acute failure to fall asleep. As per the National Heart and Lung institute insomnia is a condition which is characterized by ‘having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or both’. This condition results in inadequate sleep or poor quality of sleep, both of which have detrimental effect on the overall health of an individual.

Some of the common symptoms associated with insomnia include,

• Sleepiness during the day and lack of energy often represented in the form of chronic fatigue
• Elevated levels of anxiety and apprehension
• Inability to concentrate and focus on specific activities
• Elevated levels of irritability

In general, insomnia tends to interfere with the routine activities of an individual. 20% of all serious car crashes are related to driver sleepiness. Further reports suggest that insomnia increases the risk of falls in elderly individuals.

Causes of Insomnia: Risk Factors for Sleeping Disorders

Insomnia can be classified as primary insomnia- which is not attributed to environmental factors and secondary insomnia- which is often related to the individual’s medical condition, medications, etc. Primary insomnia is not very well understood, but most of the insomnia cases are related to secondary factors. Some of the common causative factors include, 

• Emotional disorders including anxiety, stress and depression are leading causes of insomnia
• Medical and neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disorder are linked with the condition
• Conditions associated with chronic pain including headaches and arthritis are leading causes
• Hyperthyroidism is another factor responsible for insomnia
• Restless leg syndrome and Sleep apnea (i.e. sleep related breathing disorder) can also result in insomnia
• Insomnia is also experienced during menopause and among individuals with gastrointestinal disorders like heartburn and acid reflux disorders.

Sleep Insomnia Cures: Treating Sleeping Problems Naturally

There are several prescription medications available which aid in improving sleep; however there are a host of simple life style tips which one can use to improve the quality and duration of sleep. 

• Take a warm water bath just prior to going to bed. A warm water bath is very relaxing and it improves the circulation of the blood throughout the body, which makes it easier for a person to fall asleep.
• A foot massage just prior to going to be can also be beneficial. Use a foot massager or dip your feet in warm water for about five to ten minutes. This will help improve your chances of falling asleep.
• Don’t exercise just prior to going to bed. Have dinner at least two hours prior to bed time.
• Avoid smoking, especially around bedtime. Avoid alcohol. These are natural stimulants and can interfere with the sleep cycles.
• Meditation with Yoga is considered to help alleviate stress and manage depression. Meditation also helps improve focus and get rid of anxiety and apprehension.
• Try deep breathing while in bed. Deep breathing helps you relax and calms the nerves.
• Using aroma oils like Lavender, Chamomile, Frankincense, etc can help fight sleeplessness. Just sprinkle a few drops of the essential oils on your pillow before going to bed.

Remedies for Insomnia: Natural Cures for Sleeping Disorders

Here are some simple home remedies that can help in effective management of sleeping disorders,

• A mixture of warm milk with a teaspoon of raw honey is considered to be beneficial to induce sleep. Milk and raw honey both act as tranquilizers and have a mild sedative action.
• Decoction of Lettuce seeds is considered to be very beneficial. Lettuce seeds contain ‘Lectucarium’ which has the properties very similar to opium for inducing sleep, but don’t result in excitement. Consuming a concentrated decoction is considered to be highly beneficial in inducing sleep
• Herbs Rauwolfia and Aniseed tea are also considered to be beneficial in the management of insomnia and sleeping disorders.
• Vitamin B complex especially thiamine is considered to play a pivotal role in inducing sleep. Deficiency of Thiamine is a primary factor responsible for sleeplessness in individuals.
• Homeopathic drugs, to be taken only after physician’s consultation, have also been beneficial. Some drugs include Coffea, Passiflora and Valeriana which help relax the mind and induce quality sleep.

A multidisciplinary approach comprising of correct diet, healthy lifestyle practices and simple home remedies can help in effective treatment of most sleeping disorders including insomnia. 

Insomnia Causes

Sleeping Disorders - The Shocking Truth

To successfully treat symptoms of any sleeping disorder it is necessary to understand the reason behind each particular inability to sleep. First of all insomnia is classified into primary and secondary insomnia.

The causes of primary insomnia are most often related to irregular conditions in a person’s day-to-day life experiences. The causes of primary insomnia are environmental influences and are not related to other health conditions.

In contrast, secondary insomnia is related to other underlying conditions such as health issues, chronic stress, depression or anxiety, pain or discomfort during the night, medication or other substances consumed, like alcohol.

The main causes of insomnia fall into four broad categories:

Cause #1  Lifestyle

Sometimes the way we live is what brings on insomnia.

Work: If you are a workaholic who works more than 10 hours per day or more than 6 days per week, you may be bringing on your own insomnia problem. If you seldom take time out of your busy schedule to relax you may be programming yourself to be an insomniac.

Inconsistent hours: About 60-70% of all shift workers develop sleep disturbances. Working in non-conventional hours such as rotating shifts or maintaining later hours during weekends can make you vulnerable to sleep problems.

Napping: Daytime napping will affect night time relaxation.

Food and drink

Heavy meals: Foods with large amounts of protein (meats, beans) eaten close to a bed time affect the ability to fall asleep.

Light meals: On the contrary, if you go to bed hungry the hunger will keep you awake just the same way as heavy meal do. People that are trying to lose weight frequently wake up.

Sugar: Sugar is used in many foods; ketchup for example contains high amounts of sugar which can keep you awake at night. So make sure to check for the sugar content in the foods you eat leading up to bedtime.

Caffeine: Drinks containing caffeine such as coffee and some sodas can have a profound effect on your ability to fall asleep. There are also some foods that contain caffeine that you may not be aware about. Chocolate has caffeine in it and the darker it is, the more caffeine it has.

Medications: Common and over-the-counter drugs for asthma, colds and weight loss are noted for containing stimulants. Medications taken for allergies, high blood pressure, heart disease, thyroid disease, birth control, pain killers, depression (especially SSRI antidepressants) can lead to insomnia.

Alcohol: Although alcohol may help you fall asleep, it can be a contributor to insomnia. It interrupts your sleep cycle causing you to wake prematurely and preventing you from a full night's sleep.

Tobacco: It has been found that smokers take longer to fall asleep than non-smokers due to the nicotine (a stimulant) present in their bodies.

Exercise Choices

Sedentary lifestyle: If you get little or no regular exercise, you are also at risk of developing sleep problems.

Exercise: Exercising too close to your bedtime can be one of insomnia causes. When you exercise, your blood is being pumped faster, waking up your senses. Exercising releases stimulating brain chemicals which may prevent sleep onset.

Cause #2  Sleeping Environment

Lights and Noise: Unwanted lights or noise may be keeping you from falling asleep or staying asleep.

Extreme temperatures: If the bedroom is too warm or if the air doesn't circulate well these are things that fall under the list of insomnia causes. Rooms that are cooler are easier to sleep in.

Space: A common cause of insomnia symptoms is not having enough natural space to twist and turn in the night. Blocks or objects in your bed can cause disruption to the natural sleeping cycle that can have lasting effects into the next day.

Partner: A lot of people may not know this but a partner snoring can reach 90 decibels - that's as loud as a kitchen mixer. If your partner snores it is likely to wake you up during REM sleep - which is your most restful phase.

Cause #3  Psychological

Stress: Stress from work, family, financial, or social situations contributes to short-term insomnia. Constant concerns can keep your mind too active, making you unable to relax. The effects of this can work in various ways, leading to stress symptoms which change your brain-chemistry or just leading to a 'busy mind' at night which stops you falling asleep.

Anxiety: Everyday anxieties as well may keep your mind too alert to fall asleep.

Learned insomnia: Worrying about having insomnia and then trying too hard or too much to sleep, making it much more difficult to feel sleepy.

Cause #4  Physical / Psychiatric Sickness

Physical health problems: These include sleep apnea (abnormal breathing while asleep), asthma, hyperthyroidism, tinnitus, arthritis, congestive heart failure, prostate problems and indigestion.

Pain: Some types of pain (muscle, bone, organ pain) can be key insomnia causes.

Emotional disorders: Depression is one of the most common causes of chronic insomnia.

Hormonal changes in women: Menstruation, menopause and pregnancy can trigger insomnia.

Decreased melatonin: To feel sleepy your brain needs to produce a chemical called melatonin, a natural sedative.

Sleeping Disorders - Insomnia Facts and Research

What Is Insomnia?

The Insomnia sleep disorder is also known as Wakefulness or Dysomnia and is an inability to sleep, or to sleep for long enough to get a proper night's rest. When you have trouble falling or staying asleep, you have insomnia.

The majority of researchers recommend that grownups need to sleep between six and eight hours nightly. Most of us work best on eight hours that includes REM time. Up to 20 million people in the United States alone have serious difficulty sleeping nightly.

Insomnia actually takes its name from the Latin word, which literally means “no sleep” or the inability to sleep (“In” means no and “somnus” means sleep). Insomnia is a term used to describe several types of sleeplessness. With insomnia, you experience a significant lack of sleep on a regular or frequent basis.

Insomnia usually takes one or more of the following forms:

Difficulty falling asleep - more common among young people.

Difficulty maintaining sleep (sleeping lightly and restlessly, waking often, lying awake in the middle of the night) - more common in people over 40. In younger people it may be associated with depression.

Waking early and being unable to get back to sleep - this is more common in older people and anyone worrying about something in particular.

There are two broad insomnia categories:

Transient insomnia - lasting for a few nights or weeks only, usually connected to a stressful event.
Chronic insomnia - lasting for several weeks, months or even years.

Insomnia is also classified into primary and secondary insomnia.

Primary insomnia is insomnia that is not caused by health problems. This is the most common type of insomnia.
Secondary insomnia is a symptom of another underlying condition that causes the insomnia. When you receive effective treatment for the underlying condition, the insomnia usually goes away.

People tend to sleep more lightly and for shorter time spans as they get older, although they generally need about the same amount of sleep as they needed in early adulthood. About half of all people over 65 have frequent sleeping problems, such as insomnia, and deep sleep stages in many elderly people often become very short or stop completely.

Insomnia Statistics:

Psychological causes:                     50%
Behavioural causes:
sleep environment                          30%
stimulants or medication                  10%
Physical causes:                            10%

The end result is poor-quality sleep that doesn’t leave you feeling refreshed when you wake up. Insomnia can cause excessive daytime sleepiness and a lack of energy. Insomnia also can limit the energy you have to spend with friends or family. Long-term insomnia can cause you to feel depressed or irritable; have trouble paying attention, remembering and learning; and not do your best on the job or at school. Women and the elderly are the most common targets of this sleep disorder.


Recommended Reading:

Aromatherapy Recipes

A Striking Approach for Insomnia Cure 

Aromatherapy is a relatively new way to combat the verity of sleep problems, and help to ensure that you will fall asleep peacefully, and chemical free. People may not consider aromatherapy as a primary approach to relieving insomnia symptoms, mostly because of its simplicity. Often there are situations where the sleeping disorder is quite serious and will need a medical attention, but everyday problems interfering in your sleep cycle are not hard to overcome with aromatherapy oils.

Aromatherapy products is believed to have therapeutic properties that can heal many illnesses including insomnia. Recent studies have shown that natural, pure essential oils stimulate multiple areas in the brain, including spots controlling endocrine, immune, and limbic (emotional) functions. Essential oils have a direct and strong effect on the deepest levels of the body, emotions, and psyche, through inhalation, pure essential oils have a profound and immediate influence.

Using aromatherapy products for relaxation and insomnia can be a very effective and natural way to help the mind and body to relax. Some of the best herbs recommended for this purpose are Chamomile, Valerian, Lemon Balm, Peppermint, Rosemary and Marjoram.

If you are looking for a natural remedy you should try essential oils and aromatherapy. This option is easy to use and requires very little effort. There are a number of different natural essential oil blends that can be used to ease the restless nights and a variety of applications.

Insomnia and Anxiety

Chamomile Roman 10 drops

Sandalwood 15 drops

Lemon 5 drops

Insomnia and Busy Mind

Cistus 5 drops

Lavender 15 drops

Insomnia and Restlessness

Vetiver 10 drops

Clary Sage 10 drops

Lemon 10 drops

Insomnia and Exhaustion

Valerian 5 drops

Lemon 10 drops

Mandarin 10 drops

Insomnia and Nightmares

Lavender 15 drops

Chamomile 5 drops

Mandarin 10 drops

Insomnia and Fitful Sleep

Marjoram 5 drops

Lavender 15 drops

Lemon 10 drops

Insomnia and Noise

Lavender 10 drops

Lemon 15 drops

Vetiver 5 drops

Here are some simple insomnia cures you can try:

1. Aromatherapy massage or body oil. Combine 50 drops or 1/2 teaspoon of the essential oil of your choice together with 4 ounces of carrier oil. Massage it into your solar plexus (just between your ribs) in an anti-clockwise direction. This is very calming.

2. Aromatherapy compress. This is considered as one of the easiest aromatherapy application. All you need to do is to add about 5 drops of essential oil blend to a cold or hot cup of water, dip a soft cloth in the mixture and apply to the forehead or back of the neck.

3. Aromatherapy bath. Add 8 to 10 drops of the essential oil of choice to the warm bath water. Add the oil only after you have finished running the water and make sure you mix it well so that it was not sitting on top of the water in a oily puddle.

4. Aromatherapy foot or hand bath. Add 10 drops of chosen essential oil to cold or hot water in a medium-sized basin. Stir the essential oil evenly to blend well with the water.

5. Aromatherapy pillow case. Put several drops of the essential oil blend on a tissue and place it inside your pillow case. Do not forget to replace the tissue nightly.

6. Aromatherapy diffuser. Use several drops of chosen essential oil blend in the diffuser; this should be done in the evening while you are getting ready to sleep. Never leave your diffuser on throughout the night; it must always be attended as it is a heat source.

As a holistic therapy, aromatherapy is believed to benefit both the mind and the body. As far back as the time of the Egyptians, fragrant oils were used for bathing and massages. Once you treat yourself with aromatherapy, you may start sleeping like a baby without any external aid.

The Power of Subconscious Mind

There's No Silver Bullet For Insomnia 

By Phil Tsang 
Are you spending your nights tossing and turning? Not being able to sleep is something we all could do without. It's a fact that we humans are sleeping less than we used to. With the stresses of life, it's probably the last thing we need.

What's ironic is that although we have reduced the amount of hours we sleep per night, we can't seem to make use of those precious hours. Instead we spend the night restless and sleepless. Regardless of what we try, whether we take sleeping pills, count sheep or improve or sleep hygiene, we still end up with a poor sleep.

You may have searched for free insomnia advice and always find the same rehashed information that you've seen time and time again. It is possible to find quality information on the Internet about insomnia and sleep disorders, but what it really comes down to is implementing the advice.

There is no magic bullet for insomnia and sleeplessness. It takes time to overcome a sleep problem, especially if you have suffered for a long time, but it can be done. Most of us believe that there must be some sort of instant cure for insomnia. It's this ideology that we've developed from society that there must be a fast way to accomplish anything.

Fast meals, diet pills, fast trains, instant ab machines, the list goes on. We're a nation obsessed with convenience; we don't want it in 10 minutes, we want it in 5. Perhaps our minds and bodies are not suited for such a fast paced life. It's hard to believe that our ancestors were hunters and gatherers living in caves (probably sleeping better too!).

There's no doubt that a high proportion of the population feels the pressures of life. Anxiety and depression are becoming as common as the cold. With more people relying on medication to tackle their sleep problems, the mentality that insomnia quick fixes are the answer becomes more ingrained into society.

Big medical corporations only feed the public's need for fast answers. Silly when you consider that insomnia develops into varying degrees and forms. It's almost impossible to get away from the lures of so-called 'cures for insomnia' but what else can we do when we're desperate, sleep deprived and desperate for good sleep?

Believe it or not, the answer lies within you to beat insomnia. Yes, your subconscious is the key. It's the subconscious mind that makes us the way we are. Your emotions, thoughts and reactions are all derived from your subconscious mind. It's here where we are able to learn, create and develop ourselves further.

Through alternative therapies we can make a direct connection with the subconscious mind and make subtle changes to the way we think and feel. Consider the simple fact that the mind without negative thoughts, we are instantly happier. The subconscious mind carries many negative habits that we have ingrained through our lifetime.

And just as you can ingrain negative habits and learn how not to cope with life's struggles, you can do the opposite. Instead of wanting to scream and curl up into a ball when faced with life's challenges, you can learn how to attack them with confidence. Instead of reacting negatively in a situation, you can choose to let it pass.

Just as you learn to walk, read, ride a bike and cook you can keep learning to do positive things that can have a huge impact on your life. Learning how to deal with insomnia and even cure it is very possible.
For most insomniacs a change is needed in how to overcome insomnia. Stop believing that there is an instant cure for everything. It's been fact that sleeping pills are no more effective than a sugar pill and many who suffer from chronic insomnia end up becoming long term users.

If you want healthy sleep, you need to really pay attention to your lifestyle and more importantly make gradual changes. No one knows you better than you do. Your thoughts, your emotions, your worries and anxieties can be controlled be you. Forget about curing insomnia overnight; focus on implementing positive sleep habits and reaching to the heart of the cause.





Click here and beat insomnia today. Visit www.howtobeatinsomnia.com/main.html today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_Tsang
http://EzineArticles.com/?Theres-No-Silver-Bullet-For-Insomnia&id=1693055

Pure Sleep - Four Stages of Sleep and REM

The Mystery of the Sleep. 

While sleep is still something of a mystery, researchers have determined that there are distinct stages of sleep that a person goes through if they get a full night's rest. The exact function behind each is still being studied, but scientists have come up with at least a few reasons behind the stages. When you sleep, your brain goes through 5 different stages of sleep.

Usually sleepers pass through five stages: 1 - 4  Non-REM sleep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. These stages progress cyclically from 1 through REM then begin again with stage 1. Each stage of sleep exhibits a different brain wave activity and each serves a different purpose.

Non-REM sleep. The brain is quiet, but the body may move around. Hormones are released into the bloodstream and our body repairs itself after the wear and tear of the day.
There are 4 stages of non-REM sleep:

Stage 1

Pre-sleep - the muscles relax, the heart beats slower and body temperature falls.

This state has many names such as day dreaming, zoning out and many others. It is the first step of falling asleep. In this stage, a person is still somewhat aware. Sounds may be enhanced and the awareness is being shifted inwards. During stage 1, sleepers may suddenly feel out of balance as if they were falling, or make jerky movements with their whole body.

This is also the most effective stage of sleep when taking a nap. It allows the brain to rest and replenish without shutting down the body. Most people who sleep normally stay in this stage for five minutes or less, but someone with insomnia might stay for much longer.

Stage 2

Light sleep - we can still be woken easily without feeling confused.

Stage 2 is categorized by sudden bursts of brain activity. This is the period when the body is shutting down. It may be accompanied by random arm and leg movements. The on-off transition into deeper sleep ensures that the body is in a safe and secure position before completely shuts off.

In this stage the heartbeat and respiration slow and become very regular. The body relaxes more deeply. Sleepers can still be aroused, but not so easily as when they're in stage 1. Most people spend about 30 minutes in stage 2. Stage 2 accounts for about 50% of all sleep time.

Stage 3

Slow wave sleep - our blood pressure falls, we may talk in our sleep or sleep walk.

This is known as deep sleep and is very hard to rise from. During deep sleep, blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate are at their lowest of the day. Blood vessels are fully dilated and blood is allowed to flow to areas that are normally turned off. Muscles are able to be nourished and repaired.

Stage 4

Deep "slow wave" sleep - we become very hard to wake.

Stage 4 is categorized by the deepest, most restorative sleep and if awoken from may result in grogginess. This is when the body has completely shut down and is rejuvenating.

During a normal night, sleep stage 4 which is for really deep replenishment of the body, is only reached during the first few cycles of sleep. It may even never be reached if the body is kept inactive.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. It comes and goes throughout the night, and makes up about one fifth of our sleep time. During REM sleep, our brain is very active, our muscles are very relaxed, our eyes move quickly from side to side and we dream.

Stage 5

REM sleep is the most fascinating stage of sleep and is associated with dreaming. Scientists still do not know what true purpose it serves and there is much debate about it. The most credible explanation given so far is that it allows our brains to go through the day experiences and process what was learned.

During REM sleep, your eyes move rapidly back and forth under closed eyelids. Here, person is temporarily paralyzed, apparently Mother Nature's safeguard to prevent the physical acting out of dreams.

REM sleep accounts for about 20-25% of total sleep time in a normal adult.

Sleep Cycles

During sleep, the brain cycles from sleep stage 1 to sleep stage 5 numerous times. Each sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes.

Early in the night, the brain spends more time in sleep cycles 3 & 4 and proceeds to spend more and more time in REM sleep.

In order for our sleep to be effective we must have enough time to allow for several cycles of Non-REM and REM sleep. If we miss out on any of these stages of sleep then our sleep is less restful. When considering how to get a good night sleep it is important to look at lifestyle, diet, exercise and other factors that affect our sleep.

Required Amount of Sleep

How Much Sleep Do You Need? 

An American study linked life spans with sleep amount and found that those who sleep 4 to 7 hours live the longest, with those sleeping less than 4 or more than 9 hours living shorter lives. The National Sleep Foundation however maintains that 8 hours of sleep is optimal, claiming improved performance in tests, reduced risk of accidents and a better immune system. It is important to mention this does not apply to children and adolescents, particularly children who require as much as 13 hours a night.

Just how much sleep you need each day will depend very much on your age and your state of health. But sleep is not simply about the time that you spend sleeping, but is also very much a question of the quality of that sleep. So, if you are getting the right amount of sleep and are still getting up each morning feeling tired and going through your day unable to concentrate fully, and perhaps being a little irritable, then there's a very good chance that you're not getting enough deep sleep and could well be suffering from insomnia.

Infants. Newborn babies clearly need the greatest amount of sleep and will normally sleep in cycles of about four hours waking when it's time to be fed and changed. Infants require about 16 hours a day. From 6 months to about 3 years, children`s sleep requirement decreases to about 14 hours.

Children. Surprisingly enough older children and even teenagers should also be getting a similar amount of sleep and ten hours sleep a day for children is a good figure to aim for.

Teenagers. Teenagers need about 9 hours of sleep a night. For many years it has been thought that teenagers, who were sleeping for more than eight hours a day were simply lazy, but this is in fact far from the truth. Bearing in mind the level of activity that most children are involved in each day, both at school and in their free time, and the fact that their bodies are growing and changing rapidly, there is a genuine need for more than the traditional eight hours of sleep to be given the best conditions for development.

Adults. Most adults need about seven to nine hours of restorative sleep a night, although the amount ranges from 5 to 10 hours of sleep each day depending on the individual. Our biological clocks run on a 25 hour cycle, rather than the 24 hours we have tuned our daily lives around. This is why it is easier for most people to go to bed later, than it is to wake up early.

Pregnant Women. One exception in the case of adults is that of pregnant women. Women in the first trimester of pregnancy, and sometimes throughout pregnancy, need significantly more sleep than usual. Pregnant women should generally increase their sleep during this time by about two or three hours.

Missing the odd few hours of sleep here and there will not do you any harm but if you find that you're regularly falling short on sleep then this can have serious consequences. We all suffer from the occasional insomnia, but insomnia that continues for more than a month or six weeks can have a marked effect on your health and general quality of life.

Sleep Problems

The Reality of Sleep Disorders

According to the National Institutes of Health, 50 to 70 million Americans are affected by chronic sleep disorders and sleep problems that can significantly diminish health, alertness and safety. Untreated sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, heart disease, stroke, depression, diabetes and other chronic diseases, implicated with an increased mortality rate.

Until the 1950s, most people thought of sleep as a passive part of daily lives. Now we know that brains are very active during sleep. Some scientists evidently said that during sleep our brains consolidate and organize memories of what we have seen and done during the day. When these memories are merged and organized, we will able to access the information that is required to solve any particular task.

Sleep problems can take many forms and can involve too little sleep, too much sleep or inadequate quality of sleep. Research has identified over 100 varieties of sleep disorders (sometimes referred to as somnipathy), each with a different cause.

Sleep experts break down sleep disorders into the next three categories:

1. Dysomnias
2. Parasomnias
3. Medical or Psychiatric Conditions

Dysomnia is a category of sleep disorder which includes insomnia, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, hypersomnia, recurrent hypersomnia, periodic limb movement disorder, posttraumatic hypersomnia, circadian rhythm sleep disorders, delayed sleep phase syndrome, advanced sleep phase syndrome and non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome.

Parasomnias include Sleep walking, Sleep talking, Sleep terrors/nightmares, toothgrinding and bedwetting. These are not considered to be dangerous unless you are sleeping next to the person! Such disorders may be attributed to any number of mental disorders or may be due to Mood disorders, Anxiety, Panic, Depression or excessive alcohol intake.

Medical or Psychiatric Conditions, the third and final category of sleep disorders that could serve to disrupt regular sleep patterns, includes psychoses (such as schizophrenia), mood disorders, anxiety, depression, alcoholism and panic.

Among the all above most common types are insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy and restless leg syndrome.

Insomnia denotes a mix of trouble with falling asleep, an inability to sleep once disturbed, or waking up early in the morning. Causes include improper sleeping arrangements, smoking, anxiety, depression, stress, excessive sleeping during daytime, medical conditions, and so on. All of this results in lower energy level, fatigue, and dark circles around the eyes.

Sleep apnea occurs when the throat muscles relax to the extent of causing breathing to slop. This results in loud snoring and improper breathing. This can lead to heart failure.

Narcolepsy refers to drowsiness in the daytime that causes uncontrollable sleeping. Some persons experience hallucinations during this state.

Restless leg syndrome denotes an itchy, tingling sensation in the legs that causes discomfort. People feel relieved when they move their legs. Continuous leg movements make the person unable to sleep well.

Insomnia Symptoms and Signs

How To Recognize Insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is misunderstood by millions. While some people think that by staying awake they will get sleep disorder, others have various myths about this problem.

Insomnia symptoms in some people may not be so obvious and vary by individual. Some may not have a hard time falling asleep, but they display insomnia in a different way. Some may wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty going back to sleep. Most of the time, insomniacs have very unsatisfying and poor quality sleep.

There is various causes, ranking from environmental, to psychological, to physical. Any given insomnia symptom can stem from one or more of these factors. However, there are a few easily recognized symptoms and signs that lend themselves to a diagnosis of insomnia.

5 Symptoms of Insomnia you should be looking for:

Symptom #1: Difficulty falling asleep. Insomniacs lie in bed for hours in frustration, tossing and turning. Because of the poor quality of sleep they are tired for most of the day.

Symptom #2: Frequent wake ups. Insomniacs tend to wake up in the middle of the night and they are not able to go back to sleep. If they do manage to go back to sleep, it is often unsatisfying.

Symptom #3: Wake up too early. It is called terminal insomnia. Many people with terminal insomnia have no trouble getting to sleep when they go to bed. They have little trouble staying asleep either. They just wake up too early in the morning.

Symptom #4: Reverse sleeping pattern. Insomniacs have a hard time staying away during the day. They tend to take naps, but they still end up with little or poor quality sleep during the night.

Symptom #5: Feeling Anxious And Depressed. Anxiety and depression is another of the main symptoms of insomnia with nine out of every ten sufferers suffering with one or the other.

5 Signs of Insomnia you should be looking for:

Sign #1: Tiredness. This isn't your normal kind of tired. This is a true feeling of exhaustion and not wanting to do anything but sit on your couch and relax. If this feeling is always present, there is a good chance you have insomnia.

Sign #2: Irritability. You may become irritable because of your insomnia. It's not that some particular person is annoying you; it's just that everyone and everything around is an annoyance.

Sign #3: Poor Memory. You can recall what have happened, but you can't get into any ditails about it. It's as though there are pieces missing from your memory. It's more of a "I remember, but I don't really remember" kind of feeling. This is definitely one of the most annoying signs of insomnia.

Sign #4: Lack of Concentration. You can do necessary tasks and have short conversations with people, but you're only half way "there". In other words, you're not at all focused on the task at hand, whether that be working on your project or having a conversation with a friend. To summarize: the lights are on, but no one is home.

Sign #5: Impaired Reaction Time. Everything you do will be as you are in slow motion. This is probably one of the most severe signs of insomnia, as it not only impairs your physical reaction time, but it also deteriorates your mental reaction as well.

When It May Be Not Insomnia

As we age, our sleep tends to become lighter and last shorter. This is why elderly people often find themselves tossing and turning in bed in the middle of the night or in the early morning hours. As we grow older, our body tend to have a lower physical need for sleep, but most elderly people believe that they must sleep a certain amount of time. Thus, their sleeplessness is not really insomnia, but their body actually telling them it does not need more sleep and rest than it already had.