All about Insomnia Symptoms, Tips, Relief and Treatment

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder among all ages, especially among senior citizens. The patient should remember or write down all the insomnia symptoms he/she experiences and discuss with the physician to help in making a correct diagnosis. The most typical of all insomnia symptoms is difficulty in sleeping. Encounters with anxiety and/or depression are two main symptoms associated with insomnia. Insomnia symptoms include poor concentration and short memory. Insomniac people usually awake prematurely during sleep and have trouble falling asleep again. Insomniacs feel irritability without any obvious cause. It is especially experienced during the day. People suffering from insomnia frequently experience decreased alertness and mental sluggishness.

Insomnia symptoms may last for a little or longer time, depending on the type of insomnia. In case of Transient Insomnia, the symptoms last for a few nights. In Short-Term Insomnia, the symptoms stay for two to three weeks. If they last more than three weeks, the patient is suffering from Chronic Insomnia. Health experts also sometimes distinguish between primary and secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia is characterized by symptoms of difficulty in falling asleep, waking several times during sleep, and fatigue. These symptoms last for a month and has unknown cause. In secondary insomnia, there is a known underlying medical condition. Depression is major cause of secondary insomnia.

To diagnose the condition of sleeplessness as insomnia, the physician makes sure that the symptoms are not being caused by other sleep disorders or other disease or side effects of any medication. Along with the symptoms of insomnia, other disorders may be detected in the same patient; these include mania, depression, phobias, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Help for Insomnia

It is often possible to fight insomnia with simple home remedies; however, when the insomnia crosses two weeks and you start feeling groggy, disoriented, acutely irritated and totally lost, it is time you go for professional insomnia help.

The treatments available for insomnia are varied and very efficient. Reaching at the right diagnosis is quite problematic, which involves a battery of tests and long-drawn assessment studies. This is why people usually avoid asking for professional insomnia help unless it becomes too much to bear otherwise. Most of the times, the homemade cures will dramatically improve your condition; however, in case you still experience this problem, it could be an indication of some serious health problem which would necessitate a doctor's opinion. You should always keep in mind that prevention is better than cure. A timely medical intervention may save your life.

Tips for Insomnia

Insomnia tips no 1 - Do not sleep or even take a cat nap (those 10-20 minutes forty winks), if you are prone to insomnia attacks. Maintain strict timings both for sleep and for your meals.

Insomnia tips no 2 - Eat your dinner at least four hours ahead of your bed time. For example, if you normally retire at 10:30 pm, have your dinner at 6:30 - 7:00 pm latest. Often insomnia is aggravated by digestive problems, and hence, it is best to avoid the problem altogether.

Insomnia tips no 3 - Avoid any drink that influences sleep, such as coffee in any form, alcohol, and even tea (unless it is medicated). In case you must have your regular cup of coffee, at least ensure that you take it before a minimum of four hours from your bedtime.

Insomnia tips no 4 - Introduce daily exercise in your routine. In case you are not too fond of physical exercise, you can simply take a walk for about 30 minutes daily; try to gradually increase it to one hour or so for best results.

Insomnia tips no 5 - If you find that you cannot sleep, do not fight it. Sleep usually comes after your body relaxes completely. The best thing to do is get up from the bed and do something that you enjoy (reading, listing to music, writing letters to dear ones, etc) aiming to relax your mind and body.

Treatment for Insomnia

Majority of people suffering from sleep disorders turn to pills and medications. This proves to be working at first, but gradually some problems arise that need serious consideration before one starts with a particular kind of sleeping pills or medication. These days, both over the counter medications and prescriptions pills are used for insomnia treatment.

Over the counter medications for insomnia are usually ineffective in log term insomnia treatment. First of all, they do not ensure the quality of sleep enjoyed by healthy people. They give about 5 % duration of deep sleep while in healthy sleep this duration is 10 % to 25 %. Secondly, over the counter drugs for insomnia mostly work by the action of antihistamines (anti-allergic chemicals) present in them. These include chemicals like diphenhydramine citrate, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, and doxylamine succinate. While antihistamines do cast a sedating effect, they are not to be used by people with prostate problems, angina, heart problems, and urinary problems. Antihistamines can add to the intensity of these conditions. Finally, over the counter drugs have a number of side effects like: drowsiness and dizziness (that may remain for twenty four hours), memory lapses, dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, and urinary retention.

Various types of medications, collectively called hyptonics, are prescribed for insomnia treatment. Hypnotics generally fall in three categories: benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepines, and antidepressants. Most of the health experts agree on using insomnia medications for a short period only. In all cases of using over the counter drugs or prescribed medications, it is important that the patient educate him/herself well on the possible side effects.

Autor: Cindy Heller

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit pet insurance plan to learn more about pet health insurance marketing plan and florida pet health insurance.

Added: December 9, 2008
Source: http://articlerich.com/Article/All-about-Insomnia-Symp~

Restless Legs Syndrome or Growing Pains?

Restless Legs Syndrome is a common sleep disorder, which affects roughly 1 in 10 adults. Characterized by an uncomfortable and sometimes painful, itching or prickling in the legs and an uncontrollable lust to the legs, Restless Legs Syndrome is one of the most common causes of insomnia.

He is generally regarded as a problem when you reach the age of fifty and usually get worse as we get older is. It is also the "poor relation" of sleep disorders and unlike insomnia, sleep apnea or narcolepsy, all studying in medical school and fairly well understood by doctors, Restless Legs Syndrome is relatively little attention. One study even goes so far as to suggest that in no less than 3 out of 4 cases the condition is diagnosed, even when the patient presents with all the symptoms of the disease.

This lack of focus on the problem, and the general acceptance of it as a problem of middle-aged and elderly, perhaps hides the real extent of the problem and in particular masks the fact that Restless Legs Syndrome May and play an important part in Lives of our children.

For many years now children have been complaining of symptoms during the night, which we have so easily brushed from growing pains. In addition, our children are often unable to make still more than a few minutes, and we simply those on normal childhood hyperactivity. The truth is, however, that a significant number of our children are indeed suffering from Restless Legs Syndrome.

The cause of Restless Legs Syndrome remains something of a mystery, although a good picture of the disorder is now beginning to appear and two elements of this picture should be seen as a wake-up call to the medical profession.

The first element in the picture is that of a genetic basis for Restless Legs Syndrome. It is now recognized that this condition runs in families with a study showing that as many of half of all cases show a family history. This is again enforced by the recent chromosome studies to identify a specific gene, which is probably an important role in susceptibility for Restless Legs Syndrome. Perhaps most important of all, however, a report published by the Mayo Clinic at the end of last year which showed that in a study involving more than 500 children nearly three-quarters of people with Restless Legs Syndrome had a family history of the disease.

The second element in the picture is that of an iron deficiency in the hospital. A series of studies by respected institutions such as John Hopkins University, have shown that low levels of iron are common in cases of Restless Legs Syndrome. It is no wonder that more than eighty percent of children in the Mayo Clinic study with Restless Legs Syndrome also showed low iron levels.

So what does all this mean? Well, it's easy. If your child is having trouble sleeping and complaining of discomfort at night, especially in the legs, perhaps there is a little more to make sure that only growing pains. Likewise, if your child is constantly running around or jumping up and down, then perhaps discomfort in the legs, rather than hyperactivity is the cause.

Growing pains are normal in children, as well as periods of excessive activity, and the odd night here and there is certainly nothing to fear. But if your child's growing pains appear night after night, then there is a good possibility that they are not growing pains at all, but are the symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome.

Copyright 2005 Donald Saunders

 

Donald Saunders is the author of a number of health related publications including:

"How To Get A Good Night's Sleep - Simple Solutions To Help You Rest"
Pick up your free copy today and discover the natural cure for insomnia or visit our website to learn more about restless leg syndrome

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donald_Saunders

Chinese Medicine and Insomnia

Chinese medicine has been in constant practice for over 5,000 years. It has withstood the test of time. Western medical practitioners have only recently been even remotely interested in the concepts of Chinese medicine, but they are beginning to recognize it now as viable medicine.

According to Chinese medicine, insomnia is caused by an imbalance of yin and yang that stems from the liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, or heart. All of these organs are dependent upon one another, so all of them are suspected of causing the problem of insomnia. The organ that Chinese medicine concentrates on first is the liver. The liver, they say, filters all of the blood in our bodies between the hours of 1 AM and 3 AM. A weak liver many times is listed as the cause for insomnia.

Chinese medicine recommends taking Chinese Bitters in the morning and Coptis or Curcuma at night for people who have insomnia. They say that these natural herbs are helpful in improving the quality as well as the quantity of sleep for most people.

Depression brought on by stress destroys the balance of yin and yang and disrupts Qi. Stress causes the liver to weaken. Also those who have a damaged gall bladder or who have had their gall bladder remove are in danger of weakening their liver. Chinese Bitters and Coptis or Curcuma can help with these conditions as well.

Restoring Qi and the balance of yin and yang are essential for a good night's sleep. All of the organs must be in harmony, and the liver must be functioning at its top form because it must work harder at night. By taking the herbs Chinese Bitters and Coptis or Curcuma, you can restore the balance of yin and yang and cause your liver to function as it should.

Autor: Jeff Austin

For more important information on getting a good night's sleep be sure to visit www.sleep-good.com where you will find advice and tips on insomnia restless leg, sleep apnea, snoring, and more

Added: December 1, 2008
Source: http://articlerich.com/Article/Chinese-Medicine-and-In~