Insomnia : Signs and Suggestions

Trouble falling asleep? Wake up after sleeping for a while? You may be suffering from insomnia whose symptoms vary from person to person. Insomnia is a common problem that approximately half of American adults report experiencing at one time or another.

Following are the common signs which point out towards insomnia.

1. Inability to sleep properly at night:

If you are taking a long time to fall asleep, more than 30 minutes, you may be suffering from insomnia. If however, you find you fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow, but you are waking up many times at night, or waking up early and being unable to get back to sleep also indicates towards insomnia.

2. Depressiondefine:

Insomnia could be due to depression. If you are not sleeping properly it may be you are suffering from depression. However, insomnia can also cause depression.

3. Waking up feeling tired:

Many people sleep at night but wake up feeling tired and un-refreshed. This can lead to frustration and irritation.

4.Irritability:

Irritability means excessive feelings of annoyance or frustration. It could be a sign for diagnosing insomnia, if you feel you are more irritable than you may be not getting proper sleep. Some other causes for irritability may include other sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea.

5. Headaches:

Headache is a symptom of insomnia and alongside, could be a cause too.

6. Stress and Anxiety:

The level of stress will shoot up due to insomnia. Both, anxiety and stress are often side effects or symptoms of insomnia. If you find you constantly worry without reason, you may suffer insomnia.

7. Daytime fatigue or sleepiness

Suggestions

• exercise daily

• do yoga every day

• if you are feeling sleepy, stay up until a reasonable bedtime

• if you can't sleep, get up and only go back to bed when you're really sleepy again

• sleep for at least 7-8 hours sleep (though individual needs do vary)

• wake up in the morning at the same time each day

• think positive thoughts before bedtime like "I can sleep"

• have a warm bath

• try to relax physically, mentally for an hour before hitting bed