Possibilities on Why You Cant Sleep

It's a pain when you can't sleep well at night. Waking up from a poor night sleep can be depressing especially when it's just the beginning of the week. It's hard getting yourself motivated about life and work when you feel fatigued and drowsy. When you can't sleep for nights in a row it can take a real toll on your physical and emotional health.

Tiredness and lack of concentration are common and obvious symptoms of poor sleep. These symptoms alone can make a dramatic impact on your day affecting your productivity and emotional well-being.

Other symptoms include achy and painful muscles, blurred vision, trembling, tension, headaches and palpitations. When your body is shouting signs at you - take note. If you can't sleep for days or weeks go seek professional medical advice. So often people ignore their health problems and it only gets worse.

Don't ignore the signs, if you can't sleep at night. You might just make it worse by prolonging the condition. Each sleep problem is different. Although most people associate lack of sleep with insomnia, there are other reasons why a person can't sleep properly at night.

This is why it's always a good idea to speak to your doctor, so you can eliminate other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and RLS. In some cases the reason why you can't sleep can be temporary; Jetlag, environmental disruptions such as noise, adjusting such as moving home - these are all possible reasons for temporary sleep disruptions.

Temporary sleep disruptions aren't anything to worry about, especially if you're expecting them. However if sleep problems don't reside and you still can't sleep well it's time to take action. Often sufferers of sleeplessness will go see a doctor only months after their first night of sleeplessness.

Tackling sleep problems when you can't sleep at the early stages will make treating sleeplessness a lot easier. In some cases the cause of sleeplessness can be addressed and treated. Leaving sleep problems lie will make causes of sleeplessness harder to find.

Often there is more than one factor causing sleepless nights and even addressing and treating the causes may not solve your sleep condition. This is because insomnia can develop into a learned habit.

When a person can't sleep for weeks or months, they become conscious of their inability to sleep. They begin worrying about sleep and assuming that they will have a bad night sleep. This negative conditioning can become the new cause for sleep problems.

Can't sleep? Tossing and turning through the night? Get rid of your sleep problems by downloading your guide on how to beat insomnia at http://www.howtobeatinsomnia.com/cant_sleep.html.

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The Endless List of Sleep Disorders

The list of sleep disorders never seems to end...read some more on can't sleep disorder. 

Sleep disorders can be classified and grouped in several different categories. Here in this post we look at some of the most common forms of sleep disorders.

Insomnia; this is a sleeping disorder in which the sufferer finds it extremely difficult to fall asleep and to stay asleep. People who suffer from this sleeping disorder find it difficult to sleep. Often because their conscious mind fails to switch off no matter how exhausted and desperate they are in need of sleep.

Other factors that contribute to a poor night sleep are medical, psychiatric and neurological disorders that range from pain to depression to anxiety attacks. These can rob you of your sleep, health and energy.

Although there are some sleep disorders which we have no control such as restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea, insomnia often develops from poor sleep habits and psychological stressors. Poor sleep habits include consuming excessive caffeine, staying up late at night and also going to bed at irregular times.

Environmental, emotional and physical changes are common causes of temporary sleeplessness; a change of job, moving home, a loss of a family member, financial difficulties and even jet lag can disrupt your sleep cycle and throw your natural circadian rhythm off course. People who work night shifts and work while the rest of the world is asleep are most likely to suffer sleeplessness. People who have biological clocks which are not in sync with the environment run a high risk of developing delayed sleep-phase syndrome.

Another factor that can disrupt sleep is snoring. It is all the more difficult for the room-mate or spouse who has to bear it all night long. Narcolepsy is another sleep disorder; in this case the victim may fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly. People suffering from this condition often experience severe anxiety due to the unpredictable nature of their sleep.

Parasomnias are sleep disorders that cause unusual behavior while one is asleep. What makes this sleep disorder so unusual and also dangerous is the fact that the person engages in such activities in which one would engage in a fully awakened state of mind. These activities include walking about the house and even eating!

Indeed there are far more life threatening and unusual sleep disorders than insomnia, however this doesn't stop the fact that more than a third of all people suffer from this frustrating condition.

Sleep disorders usually have their roots in a medical problem or a prescription drug taken to treat a disease. The common diseases leading to sleep disorders are cardiovascular, neurological, mental, kidney, and gastroesopheal disorders as well as arthritis.

1. Cardiovascular Disorders

The most common cardiovascular disorders that cause sleep disorders are coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure. Both these disorders can cause obstructive sleep apnea.

Congestive heart failure is characterized by the inability of the heart to pump sufficient blood to satisfy the requirements of the body. As a result of this, blood accumulates in the veins leading to the kidneys, and the resulting edema inflicts a lot of damage to the organs of the body.
Coronary heart disease is characterized by the accumulation of fatty deposits in the arteries that carry blood to the heart, leading to a condition known as atherosclerosis.

2. Endocrine Disorders

Sleep disorders are also the result of endocrine malfunction such as thyroid disorder and diabetes. Diabetes affects the way in which the body stores and uses carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. People who do not manage and control their diabetic condition often suffer from restless leg syndrome.

The hormones released by the thyroid gland regulates the energy levels of the body. A person suffering from hyperthyroidism sweats profusely at night and is unable to enjoy a peaceful night's rest.

3. Neurological Disorders

Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, strokes, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease are also responsible for sleep disorders.

Parkinson's disease affects the central nervous system. It's symptoms include difficulties in movement, tremors, unstable posture, slow movements, stiffness in the muscles, and difficulties in walking. Parkinson's disease causes sleep disorders such as sleep onset insomnia and REM sleep behavior disorder.
Alzheimer's disease impairs the intellectual functions of the brain and causes dementia. It also causes a sleep disorder called fragmentation.

Epilepsy affects the normal electrical functions of the brain and leads to short, sudden changes in it that are recurrent. People suffering from epilepsy are more likely to suffer from insomnia. Usually, stroke is associated with obstructive sleep apnea.

4. Respiratory Disorders

Those suffering from a respiratory disorder such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma usually suffer from an accompanying sleep disorder such as insomnia and sleep fragmentation.

The air passages of those suffering from asthma are inflamed. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD, is a group of respiratory disorders that cause untold damage to the lungs and lead to difficulties in breathing.

5. Mental Disorders

People suffering from psychological disorders such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, depression, and schizophrenia also suffer from sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep fragmentation.

6. GERD

In gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly known as GERD, the juices in the stomach flow back into the esophagus, and this leads to sleep fragmentation.

7. Kidney Disorders

In most kidney disorders, the kidneys are unable to filter the waste substances from the blood. They are also unable to maintain a proper balance between salt and water. Such a kidney disorder could lead to insomnia and restless leg syndrome.

8. Arthritis

The intense pain suffered by arthritis patients drives away sleep, resulting in insomnia.

If a sleep disorder is due to a medical condition, the medical condition should be treated first, not the sleep disorder. When the primary cause of a sleep disorder is successfully treated, it disappears, and the patient finds that he or she can enjoy good sleep.

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Sleep Disorders - Which one do you suffer from?

Onset Insomnia has been studied by medical professionals in much details and each one has tried to classify them according to what they thought was the best. But for a common person it becomes a bit confusing to know what type of onset insomnia he is suffering from.

Sleep Disorders - a few more types:

Different types of sleep disorders keep people awake and prevent proper sleep. Sleep disorders range from the common, self-correcting issues to physical and neurological disorders. Sleep disorders prevent people from resting properly whether it's getting to sleep, staying asleep or cycling through the stages of sleep. Sleep is vital to the body's ability to heal, to process information, to digest, to relax and to function. While a person can stay awake for days on end, they will begin to suffer the debilitating effects of sleep deprivation such as a breakdown in cognitive functions, weight gain and a weakened immune system. Sleep disorders are about more than missing one night of sleep here or there, sleep disorders indicate a persistent inability to rest.

Apnea Sleep Disorders

Apnea sleep disorders are related directly to respiratory issues. Hypopnea syndrome indicates very shallow or slow breathing while sleeping. The shallow breathing can sound like wheezing or mild gasping and reduces the level of oxygen saturation in the blood. The heart must pump harder to get enough oxygen. Obstructive sleep apnea is typically caused by a physical defect or weakness in the soft tissue of the throat. While sleeping, a person with OSA will periodically cease breathing due to the soft tissue collapsing and blocking the airway. They will experience an arousal to waking, gasping and choking for air. The arousal episodes occur several times during the night although the patient may only remember one in five of the waking episodes. Obstructive sleep apnea may be corrected by surgery. Central sleep apnea is caused by a neurological problem. The brain fails to send the right messages to the muscles controlling your breathing. Causes of central sleep apnea are related to neurological diseases, stroke, surgery and spinal damage.

Primary snoring differs from the snoring associated with apnea disorders. Most people snore at one point or another. Physical causes of snoring include a deviated septum, hypertrophy of the adenoids, swollen tonsils, tongue enlargement and a small oropharynx. Colds and allergies also cause snoring. Snoring alone is not indicative of a sleep disorder, but snoring can keep other people awake.

Movement Disorders

Movement disorders interrupt sleep patterns and the ability of the body to achieve the different stages sleep because physically they are moving or acting. The physical action may wake them up or prevent them from sleeping. The most well known movement sleep disorder is restless legs syndrome (RLS). RLS causes an irresistible urge to shift or move the legs. People who experience RLS complain of a creepy, crawly or pins and needles sensation. RLS patients often suffer from periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) which causes sudden jerking of the arms or legs while sleeping. Occasionally a person's leg or arm will twitch as their muscles relax, but PLMD causes persistent and involuntary motions that can jerk them awake. Bruxism is the grinding or clenching of the teeth while a person is sleeping.

The disorder can cause dental problems, headaches and general soreness of the jaw. Somnambulism is another movement disorder that is neurological in nature. Sleepwalking can cause a person to get up and engage in day to day activities without any knowledge of what they are doing. Sleepwalkers experience unexplained injuries and physical tiredness related to not resting properly. The last sleep movement disorder involves a lack of movement or sleep paralysis. The paralysis affects the physical body temporarily just before falling asleep or upon waking. A person with sleep paralysis usually experiences visual, tactile or auditory hallucinations and are usually suffering from narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a disorder where a person falls asleep suddenly and inexplicable, during normal waking hours.

Other Sleep Disorders

Other sleep disorders that affect people include rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD), delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), night terrors, parasomnia and situational circadian rhythm sleep disorder. RBD causes patients to act out their dramatic or violent dreams while sleeping. For example, a person dreaming about punching a monster in a bad dream may physically lash out with a first. Night terrors are different from nightmares in that they cause severe, abrupt arousal from sleep experience terror. A child who experiences night terrors may wake screaming and unable to accept comfort.

Many patients who experience night terrors do not remember them upon waking, but do experience daytime sleepiness and stress associated with the physical terror response. Night terrors are considered a parasomnia as is sleep walking and talking during sleep. DSPS involves an abnormal circadian rhythm. The natural circadian rhythm involves waking in daylight hours and sleeping at night. A person with DSPS experiences difficulty sleeping at night and being awake during the day. A natural recourse for DSPS patients is to work off hours in order to facilitate their career with their waking hours. Situational circadian rhythm sleep disorder is different in that it is experienced by individuals with a normal circadian rhythm who are impacted by external, environmental factors. A person working third shift regularly who struggles to stay awake when they want to sleep.

Identifying Sleep Disorders

If a person suspects they are suffering from a sleep disorder, it is important to bring the information to the attention of a physician. Everyone experiences an occasional sleepless night, but persistent daytime sleepiness, difficulty sleeping or snoring may indicate a sleep disorder.

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The Most Common Types of Can't Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders are disorders that interrupt a person's normal sleep patterns. In order for a sleep disorder to be classified as such, it must take place on a more or less regular basis. Occasional or rare sleep disruptions do not constitute as sleep disorders. Some sleep disorders cause problems with mental and emotional functioning while others manifest themselves in physical ways.

Some of the most common sleep disorders include bruxism, delayed sleep phase syndrome (PSPS), hypopnea syndrome, behavioral insomnia, jet lag (or desynchronosis), narcolepsy, night terror (or sleep terror disorder, also referred to by its scientific name which is Pavor nocturnus), parasomnias, periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) and rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD).

Other types of sleep disorders include restless legs syndrome (RLS), shift work sleep disorder (SWSD), sleep apnea, sleep paralysis, sleepwalking (also known as somnambulism) and snoring. Sleep experts break down sleep disorders into three categories. These categories include:

Dysomnias Parasomnias - Medical or Psychiatric Conditions 

# Dysomnias...

Dysomnias take in a vast array of sleep disorders that are connected to either insomnia or hypersomnolence. Three subcategories of dysomnias are intrinsic (meaning that the origin comes from within the body), extrinsic (meaning that its origin is related to environmental or a variety of pathological reasons) and thirdly, disturbances related to the circadian rhythm of the body.

Examples of dysomnias include insomnia, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, hypersomnia, recurrent hypersomnia, periodic limb movement disorder, posttraumatic hypersomnia, "healthy" hypersomnia, circadian rhythm sleep disorders, delayed sleep phase syndrome, advanced sleep phase syndrome and non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome.

# Parasomnias...

Parasomnias include sleep disorders such as REM sleep behavior disorder, sleep terror, sleepwalking (also called somnambulism), teeth grinding (or bruxism), sleep enuresis (bed-wetting), sudden infant death syndrome (or SIDS) and sleep talking (also referred to as somniloquy).

Psychiatric or Medical Problems

The third and final category of sleep disorders is psychiatric or medical problems that could serve to disrupt regular sleep patterns. Examples include psychoses (such as schizophrenia), mood disorders, anxiety, depression, alcoholism, panic, and sleeping sickness (which can be caused by the Tsetse fly). Please note that snoring is not considered a disorder on its own although it can be the symptom of a greater health problem and it can lead to more serious problems such as sleep apnea.

Factors Involved

There are varieties of factors that can cause a sleep disorder to begin. Lifestyle changes often play a role such as in those who work shift work (shirt work sleep disorder or abbreviated to SWSD). Other problems that can wreck havoc with consistent sleep patterns include pain or problems with the neck, shoulders or back, sciatica, noise in the environment, incontinence, a room that is too cold, too hot, too dark or too light and a variety of drugs, prescription or otherwise. A number of different drugs can affect sleep in its various stages and often taking sleeping pills or sedatives can make problems even worse because it disrupts the normal sleep pattern even more.

If you snore or find yourself extremely tired throughout the day and unable to concentrate on ordinary daily tasks it would be wise to go see your doctor. As well keeping a diary about your sleep habits can work as a helpful tool when it comes to diagnosing a sleep disorder.

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Different types of onset insomnia

Let us first find out what insomnia or can't sleep disorder is...

A person who is not able to sleep or is in a state in which he cannot remain sleeping for an optimum time for proper rest is said to be suffering from insomnia or can't sleep disorder.

According to medical experts and doctors it is necessary for adults to sleep for at least six to eight hours at night. And as an independent estimate more than 50 million people across the globe are suffering from this can't sleep disorder.
 
Insomnia is derived from Latin word which when segregated means no sleep ( In - NO and insomnia - sleep ) but the term insomnia is used to describe many types of sleeplessness.

The different conditions of insomnia can be broadly classified as:

# Sleeplessness or not able to sleep which is mostly prevalent in young people which may be due to fatigue, work pressure, mental tension, etc.

# Sleep restlessness where it is difficult to maintain sleep as the person keep getting up from his sleep and find it difficult to go back to sleep again often spending the rest of the night awake. This kind of insomnia is more common in people over forty years. Some younger people it may happen which could be mostly due to depression

Insomnia can be classified broadly into two categories:

Transient insomnia - which can be said to be a temporary one as it not long lasting and remains for a few nights or weeks only. This may be due to some unusual stressful event.

Chronic insomnia - which lasts for a long time and may affect a person for several weeks, months or even years also known as long term insomnai.

Alternatively insomnia may be termed as primary and secondary insomnia.

Primary insomnia is the most common type of insomnia which is not caused by health problems. The changes in job schedule, work pressure or jet lag may result in such type of insomnia.

Secondary insomnia is a symptom of another underlying condition due to some health issues that causes this can't sleep disorder. When you receive effective treatment for the underlying condition, the insomnia usually goes away.

As people get older they are not able to sleep soundly and as they sleep for a shorter spans, although they still need the same amount of sleep as was required in the younger days of their lives.

If we take a look at the overall statistics the patterns are amazing:

More than 50 percent of the cases of insomnia are due to psychological causes whereas the other 50 percent are due to behavioral causes which includes the sleep environment, medications & drugs and other physical causes.

Overall the final outcome is a poor quality sleep which leaves you unrefreshed in the morning that directly affects your normal working and causes daytime sleepiness and limits your energy level. A long term insomnia results in depression, irritability and loss of memory. The most common targets of such disorders are women and elderly people.

It's time to wake up now!

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Are you sleeping well?

Are you getting the amount of sleep that your body system need? After a long hectic daily routine our body systems need rest to recover whatever the losses in energy had taken place during the day. And if you are not getting a good night sleep things will go against nature and problems in our health will start happening.

Sometimes we are not able to get sleep and this is the initial stage of insomnia or can't sleep disorder. It may seem a matter of not much importance  but in the later stages of this can't sleep disorder it can really cause big problems.

Basically insomnia is not getting a good sleep. It mainly occurs when there are long spells of wakefulness at night. It is normally believed that the duration of sleep is the main factor that is responsible for this but as a matter of fact the duration does not matter but it is the quality of sleep which matters. If one is sleeping soundly for a few hours that would be better than long hours of interrupted sleep.

Effects of insomnia :

There are many effects and side effects of insomnia but the majors ones are

    * Low mental efficiency
    * Depression
    * Forgetfulness
    * Anger and irritability
    * Lack of proper judgment

Causes for insomnia

The digestive disorder and constipation directly affects our sleep. Apart from this the problem in our respiratory system which takes care of the oxygen intake is also responsible for making us spend sleepless nights. Our relationships which are in trouble, loss of job, financial matters, anxiety, etc also directly affect our sleep and cause insomnia.

Simple cures for insomnia

There are many natural and herbal cures for insomnia but I will list some normal home cures for insomnia here which will definitely help you get rid of insomnia.

Reforms in diet : One of the home cure for insomnia is the changes in your diet which you can easily bring about. Just avoid all types of negative foods like fried food and sweets. Avoid tea or coffee especially at night. Try to take lots of fresh juices and coconut water. This will really help your digestive system. Honey taken with water before going to bed is really soothing to the nerves.

Personal hygiene will also help you out of insomnia. Foot bath with hot water for about 15/20 minutes followed with cold one before going to bed is really helpful. A spinal bath with cold water is also helpful.
Do avoid high pillows as they causes stiffness and tension in the neck muscles and also impede the normal flow of blood to the head area. Nigh clothing should be light and soft.

A common insomnia panic is use of sleeping pills and sedatives which should be completely avoided as the use such cures  for insomnia is really harmful in a long run as these mainly suppress the symptoms and not cure the causes of insomnia.  I hope these simple and natural cures for insomnia will give some relief.

Stay tuned for some more on insomnia.

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