Insomnia ¦ Trouble Sleeping: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Remedies for Kids and Adults (Since a few days)

Everybody's different - that's why no advice can be applied to everybody. If you have trouble sleeping, you will need to find out what works for you and what doesn't. The best way to find out about it is to observe, and document it in a "sleep diary".

Make a chart with spaces for:

• The time you went to bed/woke up
• How long and well you slept
• If and when you were awake at night
• How much alcohol and nicotine have you consumed and when
• What and when you ate and drank
• What drugs or medication you took and when
• Stress situations you endured during the day
• Level of activity

You can find online many sleep diaries that you just need to print to use them. One of them can be found here. If you do this for a week or two, you might be able to determine what causes your irregular sleep or inability to fall asleep.

One of the causes for a sleep disorder and trouble sleeping is a poor quality of your mattress. Your mattress might be worn out or just plain wrong for you and it might be time to invest in a new one. Low-quality mattresses can cause you a number of health disorders, insomnia being one of them.

When it comes to mattresses, don't be stingy. Inform yourself to find out what is the best mattress for you and forget about the cost. Of course, that doesn't mean you should buy the most expensive mattress on the market. Just don't let the price stop you from buying a mattress you find comfortable and just to your taste. Perfect mattress can change your life. It is recommended you buy a new mattress every 8 to 10 years.

For tips how to find a mattress that suits you, visit WebMD.com.

When you have trouble sleeping, even a tiny bit of light can disrupt your sleep. Make sure that your room is pitch black, which is one of the ways to sleep well. Then, you can try the following:

• Use heavy curtains that don't let any light through
• Remove any object that emits light (cell phone on a charger, turned off TV that has that standby light, digital clocks with fluorescent digits)
• Put on an eye mask

Ideally, the temperature in your bedroom should be 65-75 Fahrenheit (18-24 Celsius) or whatever temperature you find most comfortable and properly ventilated. If you get hot, your body will struggle to cool you down and make you sweat, which can wake you up and ruin your sleep.

If it gets too cold, you get shivers, your body struggles to keep you warm, and again, wakes you up. That's why it is important that the temperature in your room remains the same throughout the night.

There are many causes of insomnia. One of the reasons for your inability to sleep might be the fact that you don't spend enough energy during the day to be tired enough to go to bed at a reasonable time. If your job doesn't require any physical activity, be sure to include some in your free time. Studies find that moderate aerobic exercise early in the day can improve sleep quality.

As an insomnia treatment, pick your favorite activity that includes moderate aerobic exercise and do it at least 3 times a week. Just make sure that you don't do it in the evening, close to bedtime, to allow your body to wind down before bed.

Studies show that sex and a good night sleep are closely related. One affects the other. Not only does sex leave you tired due to physical exertion (usually men more than women), but it also releases hormones that relax you and make it more natural for you to transcend into sleep.

As an insomnia treatment, engage in sexual activities before bed. Sex can relieve you of stress, depression and anxiety, all of which are often connected to a poor quality of sleep, and can make you sleep better and longer. Reversely, good night sleep can increase your sexual desire and quality of your sexual experience.

A consistent sleep rhythm is absolutely essential for a good "sleep hygiene". Try to go to bed every day at the same time and get up at the same time (+/- 1 hour), even during weekends. This will help your brain realize that at a certain hour, it's time for bed. Plan your everyday activities so that they don't interfere with your sleep schedule.

Make your bedroom a sanctuary. A place that will only be used for sleeping and making love with your partner. Don't work, eat or exercise there. Make sure that when you think about your bedroom, sleeping is first that comes to mind (or second, right after sex).

Researchers have found that foods containing melatonin, serotonin, tryptophan, potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates help to relax the body and mind. Also, high protein foods will help you get some rest by helping in the production of tryptophan. Such foods are all kinds of meat, eggs, dairy products, nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachio nuts), cherries, oatmeal, etc.

Be careful with using the TV or other electronic devices as part of your bedtime routine. Artificial, or blue light, produced by electronic screens, can severely impact your night rest in a negative way, especially when you watch at screens late at night.

Create a technology-free bedroom. The lure of the screen is too strong for many to turn off. If you simply must watch TV late at night, at least decrease brightness so it's affecting you less. 

If you’re not really tired, don’t force it. Tossing and turning can cause sleep anxiety. If it is late at night, and you cannot fall asleep, get out of bed and do something relaxing. If you wonder how to deal with insomnia, try meditation for insomnia, listen to soothing insomnia music, or walk around. When you start getting sleepy, go to bed. If you don't fell asleep in the next 20-30 minutes, get out of bed and try again.

If you are not sure how to deal with insomnia, try wearing ear plugs. Outside noises like traffic, neighbour's pet, loud party on the floor above you, all that can interfere with a good night rest. To cancel out agitating noises and enjoy a complete silence, use earplugs.

You can order them at Amazon. There are many types, so learn which ones works best fo you.

If you don't know how to stop insomnia, try This type of gentle yoga will help you relax and make it easier for you to sleep. You don't need any previous yoga experience. Check this video for instructions:

Meditation is a well-known technique for reducing stress. And with reduced stress, sleeping becomes much better. Make meditation part of your bedtime routine. For meditation techniques visit life.gaiam.com.

Keeping your brain active and entertained during the day is a great way to improve your intelligence, memory and even reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. But, late at night, that is the last thing you want to do. A "busy" brain in the evening hours tends to stay busy at night as well and prevent you from sleeping.

In the evening, avoid watching complex movies, reading challenging books or engaging in activities that stimulate your brain (such as playing chess, or discussing the origin of the universe with your friends). Focus on light reading, or simple house chores.

A 2009 study from the University of Sussex showed that just six minutes of reading can reduce stress by 68% as it clears the mind and gets the body ready for sleep. When our mind is engaged in a world of words, the body relaxes, the tension evaporates, paving the way for sleep.

Just make sure that the reading material is not work-related or too complex as it can engage your brain too much and make it harder for you to fall asleep. Read something light, something that you find relaxing.

Sometimes, our day gets so hectic that we forget about our problems. And then they sneak up on us, occupy our brain and mess with our sleep.

Each day, no matter how busy you are, dedicate 20-30 minutes, or more, to problems that are bothering you. It is less likely they will obstruct your rest at night if you resolve them, or at least contemplate about them, early in the day.

Having a 15- or 20-minute nap could give you that extra energy to perform better and successfully get through the day, especially if you are sleep-deprived.

But napping too long can interfere with your night rest, so don't nap more than 20 minutes or after 4 PM. For the benefits of napping and tips on how to make the most out of it, visit WebMD.

Even though the role of melatonin is complex and still not studied enough, it is certain that it affects the quality of your sleep. Don't spend an entire day inside. Go out and expose yourself to natural light as much as you can. That brings balance to your melatonin level, which can help you sleep easier at night. 

Lowering intensity of lights in your home signals the body that bedtime is near. You don't have to be in total darkness for hours, but you can install lights with adjustable level of brightness.

Avoid light bulbs (especially fluorescent and energy saving light bulbs) that have harsh, bright light. They often emit blue light that can affect the quality of your sleep. Look for light bulbs that are labeled "soft" and have a color temperature rating of less than 3000 Kelvin such as this one.

Alcohol may help you to fall asleep, however, it can disrupt your sleep cycles and make you restless at night. You don't have to completely abstain from alcohol, just don't drink it after 6 PM.

Even couple of beers late at night can cause you problems due to multiple visits to bathroom and dehydration that forces you to get up and have a glass of water in the middle of the night.

It is usually a bad idea (for insomniacs, anyway) to exercise right before bedtime, because you get all fired up (adrenaline is high, heartbeat is elevated), and all that makes it really hard for you to fall asleep. But, it seems that certain leg exercises can relieve your brain and appease your mind by redirecting blood to legs. Try some leg lifts or squats.

Milk doesn't have any substances that would help you fall asleep. It does have tryptophan, an amino acid that can induce sleepiness, but not nearly enough to be effective.

But, having a glass of warm milk can have a psychological effect on you. It can calm your mind and remind you of the good old days, when your parents or grandparents would give you warm milk before bed. All that could help you fall asleep easier.