Insomnia ¦ Trouble Sleeping: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Remedies for Kids and Adults (Severe insomnia)

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.

If you are not sure why you don't sleep as well as you would like, then a sleep study may help: it will show in precise details  what happens while you are sleeping and help detect the causes of your sleep problems. 

Taking a sleep study in an accredited lab or sleep center is the best way to discover if you really have a sleep disorder. This kind of study is called a polysomnogram and it shows your doctor your whole sleep pattern. It is a scientific way to evaluate your sleep and to find out if there are any problems.

Most sleep centers have nicely decorated rooms that may remind you of a hotel. The environment is quiet and peaceful and most patients fall asleep quickly. It's natural that you might not sleep as well as you do at home. But this will not affect the results.

If you live in the US, you can easily find a sleep analysis center near you at sleepeducation.org.

If your troubles with sleeping persist and you want to learn more ways to sleep well, it might be a good time  for you to see a doctor. Your doctor can run some tests and exclude any health conditions that affect your sleep and identify your lifestyle habits that might interfere with a good night's rest. He can also refer you to a specialist if needed.

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.

If you don't know how to fight insomnia, try light therapy. Light therapy can be prescribed to patients with certain types of sleep disorder. During this therapy, you sit in front of a light box every day for a certain amount of time. The light from this box simulates daily light which is important for a healthy sleep pattern. For some people, it can shift sleep-wake cycle so they go to bed earlier or wake up later than before.

Light therapy is meant to be used for an extent period of time, which means you will have to integrate it into your daily life. The good news is that it won't interfere with your free time as you can read a book, watch TV or be on a computer during light therapy. Light therapy boxes can be bought in a number of places, including Amazon.

Note: While you can perform light therapy on your own, it is highly recommended that you do it under doctor's or therapist's supervision. Consult your doctor to see if you need light therapy in the first place.

If you are not sleeping well, try using sleep tracking gadgets. There are a couple of pieces of technology that can give you insight about what causes your irregular sleep and how to achieve a more peaceful night. Some of them are free (iOS/Android apps), and some cost money (various wristbands and similar gadgets), but all of them can record how much it takes you to fall asleep from the moment you went to bed, when certain sleep phases occur (REM and NREM) and many other things. 

You can then upload this data to certain websites that will analyze collected data and maybe help you determine what causes your restless nights.

Some of the most popular apps and gadgets are:

• Sleep Time (free app)
• Fitbit Charge ($146.00, wristband)
• Sleep as Android (free 2-week trial app)
• Vidonn Wristband (wristband)
• SleepBot ( free app)
• Sleep Cycle alarm clock ($1.07, app)

If you are not sleeping well, try a cognitive therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (also known as CBTi) is a standard approach to curing sleep disorder. It is usually performed by a professional therapist, but not necessarily. With a therapist, you can learn how to create a perfect environment for a good night rest, how to detect problems that are causing your insomnia and how to deal with those problems.

If you don't like seeing therapists, you can use online programs such as Sleepio that serve as a digital sleep intervention. It won't be free (neither is a therapist), but so far it shows great potential for improving the quality of sleep for people who use it. Also, you don't even have to leave your home! 

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.

Does alcohol cause insomnia? Can birth control cause insomnia? How to diagnose insomnia? There are many books out there elaborating on insomnia that can teach you about and offer solutions on how to deal with insomnia, for both long-term and new insomniacs.

Some of the popular books are:

• The Effortless Sleep Method
• Say Goodnight to Insomnia
• Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day
• The Insomnia Workbook
• Sleep Smarter

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 can't seem to sleep through the night and achieve recommended 8 hours of sleep and you are not sure how to stop insomnia, you might want to consider switching to alternative sleeping schedule.

Sleeping 8 hours per day in one block is called monophasic sleep pattern. It is natural and easy to maintain. You can pick when to go to bed and when to wake up. But, some people might not be suited for this kind of sleep pattern and could thrive on a biphasic sleep schedule.

Biphasic sleep pattern is common in Mediterranean countries and Latin America. It includes 4-6 hours of "core" sleep per night and one afternoon nap that usually lasts 30-90 minutes, or more if needed. Some studies show that, for some people, biphasic sleep pattern could lead to higher quality sleep, improved mood, work efficiency, and other health benefits. 

Biphasic sleep pattern could be a better option if you cannot stay asleep the whole night, suffer from a substantial dip in alertness during the day, have a work schedule or other obligations that prevent you from sleeping 8 hours straight.

Before trying prescription pills (or any kind of pills) consult your doctor.

Prescription sleeping pills will probably help you fall asleep or stay asleep longer — or both. Taking prescription sleeping medicine has risks and benefits that differ on the various prescription sleeping pills. To find which is the right prescription medication for you, your doctor will ask you several questions in order to get a clear idea of your sleep patterns. 

Insurance companies usually have restrictions on which sleeping medicine is covered, and they may ask you to try other approaches to your insomnia first. The most common types of prescription sleeping medicine used today include:

• Doxepin (Silenor),
• Estazolam 
• Eszopiclone (Lunesta)
• Ramelteon (Rozerem)
• Temazepam (Restoril)
• Triazolam
• Zaleplon (Sonata)
• Zolpidem (Ambien, Edluar, Intermezzo, Zolpimist)

AGAIN, always talk with your doctor before using a new treatment for insomnia.

Magnesium has an important role in the quality of your sleep. It reduces activities in your brain and makes it less "rowdy" and makes it easier for you to fall asleep. Even the slightest lack of magnesium in your body can cause you problems with your sleep.

You can order magnesium supplement at Amazon.

Before trying any supplements, consult your doctor.

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.

Can depression cause insomnia? Possibly, it can. If it does, to fight against insomnia, you need to win the fight against depression, first. St. John's Wort is a plant that works as an antidepressant and as such can relieve your anxiety and help you sleep better. You can order St. John's wort pills at Amazon.

Always check with your doctor if you are trying any herbal remedy.

There are glasses specifically designed to block blue light that can cause you sleep problems. It is emitted by most electronics (computers, TVs, cellphones, even certain lightbulbs).

If you are spending all day or all night (or both) on a computer, consider wearing blue light blocking sunglasses to protect your eyes and increase the chance of a good night sleep.

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.

Consider over-the-counter sleeping pills as a quick solution to help you fall asleep. You should use them only occasionally when other methods are not available to you, for example, when you are traveling. Constant use of sleeping pills will raise your tolerance to them and will eventually make them useless.

You can pick from dozens of types at Amazon. Consult with your doctor before trying any medication.

Vitamin B-6 has a very important role in regulating your sleep-wake cycles. Deficiency in vitamin B-6 can disrupt your sleep pattern or even cause you insomnia. You can order it at Amazon.

However, taking too much vitamin B-6 can also cause you problems with sleeping so it is not advised to use it on your own. Consult your doctor to find out if vitamin B-6 deficiency is what's causing you insomnia.

Always talk to your doctor before trying any supplements.

Several studies have shown that valerian root can help you reduce anxiety and make it easier for you to fall asleep with it's mild sedative effects. But you usually have to take it for 10-15 days before you notice any improvements in the quality of your sleep. 

You can order various valerian root preparations from Amazon.

Before trying any supplements, consult your doctor.

Stress, disease, and poor diet will all drain magnesium from your body. Most people are deficient of this mineral. Magnesium helps to relax the muscles and nervous system.

Best type is magnesium citrate or malate as they are easiest to absorb. Avoid magnesium oxide as this type has the lowest absorbance and can give you stomach issues. 

Experiment with dosage but don't go over 1000mg per day. If your initial reaction is diarrhea consider this normal and a sign that you were deficient. Magnesium itself does not irritate anything but relaxes the intestinal walls, hence the faster intestinal transit time or loose stool. Lower dose and build up slowly.

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