What is insomnia?

According to Wikipedia, Insomnia is an inability to sleep and/or to be incapable of remaining asleep for a reasonable period. Insomniacs typically complain of being unable to close their eyes or “rest their mind” for more than a few minutes at a time.
It may be short term or chronic.  Finding the underlying cause of insomnia is usually necessary to cure it.

Common causes of insomnia 

Aging, i.e. growing older: A common misperception is that the amount of sleep one requires decreases as he or she ages. The ability to sleep for long periods, rather than the need for sleep, appears to be lost as people get older. Some elderly insomniacs toss and turn in bed and occasionally fall off the bed at night, diminishing the amount of sleep they receive.

An overactive mind can come about if a person is worried about the future or upset about the past.  If you are running thoughts over and over through your head, it’s hard to get to sleep, or go back to sleep if you wake up.  These thoughts lead to the feeling of stress or anxiety and that keeps you from sleeping.

Caffeine, nicotine, sugar, certain medicines, other pills/drugs and any other stimulants.
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders include jet lag and the sleepless-ness suffered by many shift workers.  Jet lag is seen in people who travel through multiple time zones, as the time relative to the rising and falling of the sun no longer coincides with the body’s internal concept of it.

Dehydration causes stimulants, hormones, and cellular waste to build up in the blood rather than being flushed out, causing irritation, aches, and headaches (and hyperactivity in the case of stimulants). Drinking a cup or two of water can cause sleepiness within an hour or two.

Exercise deprivation. i.e., Lack of exercise – Exercise makes people tired/sleepy.

Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease causes repeated awakenings during the night due to unpleasant sensations resulting from stomach acid flowing upward into the throat while asleep.

Mania or Hypomania in bipolar disorder can cause difficulty falling asleep. A person going through a manic or hypomanic episode may feel a reduced need for sleep. Sleep deprivation can worsen a manic episode, or cause hypomania to develop into mania.

Medications: Insomnia is a common side-effect of some medications, and it can also be caused by stress, emotional upheaval, physical or mental illness, dietary allergy and poor sleep hygiene. Insomnia is a major symptom of mania in people with bipolar disorder, and it can also be a sign of hyper-thyroidism, depression, or other ailments with stimulating effects.

Pain can produce insomnia and finding effective ways to treat pain can provide relief.

Parasomnia includes a number of disorders of arousal or disruptive sleep events including nightmares, sleepwalking

REM is a behavior disorder, in which a person moves his/her physical body in response to events within his/her dreams. These conditions can often be treated successfully through medical intervention or through the use of a sleep specialist.

Online Resources

• 100 ways to sleep better from Prevention.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]