Insomnia includes having trouble falling or staying asleep. It is one of the most common medical complaints. With insomnia, you usually awaken feeling unrefreshed, which takes a toll on your ability to function during the day. Insomnia can sap not only your energy level and mood, but also your health, work performance and quality of life.

How much sleep is enough varies from person to person. Most adults need seven to eight hours a night. More than one-third of adults have insomnia at some time, while 10 to 15 percent report long-term (chronic) insomnia.

You do not have to put up with sleepless nights. Simple changes in your daily habits can resolve insomnia and restore your needed rest.

Symptoms

1)Difficulty falling asleep at night
2)Awakening during the night
3)Awakening too early
4)Not feeling well rested after a nights sleep
5)Daytime fatigue or sleepiness
6)Irritability, depression or anxiety
7)Difficulty paying attention or focusing on tasks
8)Increased errors or accidents
9)Tension headaches
10)Gastrointestinal symptoms
11)Ongoing worries about sleep

Causes

Insomnia most often stems from some other problem, such as a medical condition that causes pain or use of substances that interfere with sleep. Common causes of insomnia include:

1)Stress
2)Anxiety
3)Depression
4)Medications
5)Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol
6)Medical conditions
7)Change in your environment or work schedule
8)Poor sleep habits
9)Learned insomnia
10)Eating too much late in the evening
11)A change in sleep patterns
12)A change in activity
13)A change in health
14)Increased use of medications

Western Medicine Treatment

Changing your sleep habits and addressing any underlying causes of insomnia can restore restful sleep for many people. Good sleep hygiene -- simple steps such as keeping the same bedtime and rising time -- promotes sound sleep and daytime alertness. If these measures do not work, your doctor may recommend medications to help with relaxation and sleep.

Behavior therapies

Behavioral treatments teach you new sleep behaviors and ways to make your sleeping environment more conducive to sleep. Studies have shown behavior therapies are equally or more effective than are sleep medications. Behavior therapies are generally recommended as the first line of treatment for people with insomnia.

Behavior therapies include:

1)Education about good sleeping habits
2)Relaxation techniques
3)Cognitive therapy
4)Stimulus control
5)Sleep restriction
6)Light therapy

Medications

Taking prescription sleeping pills, such as zolpidem, eszopiclone, zaleplon or ramelteon, also may help to sleep. However, in rare cases, these medications may cause severe allergic reactions, facial swelling and unusual behaviors, such as driving or preparing and eating food while asleep. Side effects of prescription sleeping medications are often more pronounced in older people and may include excessive drowsiness, impaired thinking, night wandering, agitation and balance problems.

Doctors generally do not recommend relying on prescription sleeping pills for more than a few weeks, but several newer medications are approved for indefinite use.

If you have depression as well as insomnia, your doctor may prescribe an antidepressant with a sedative effect, such as trazodone, doxepin or mirtazazine.

Over-the-counter sleep aids contain antihistamines that can induce drowsiness. But antihistamines may reduce the quality of your sleep, and they can cause side effects such as daytime sleepiness, dry mouth and blurred vision.

Adopted from Wei Laboratories, Inc.