INSOMNIA

Insomnia is the most common of all sleeping disorders. It is estimated by the National Institutes of Health (NHI) that nearly 60 million Americans suffer from some form each year and that more women are effected than men. This was further broken down by the Standford University School of Medicine to be 40 million with chronic insomnia and another 20 million with occasional bouts, but nothing systemic. This is due to the numerous causes and symptoms not to mention the range of severity of the condition. Insomnia can be having trouble falling asleep at night, not being able to sleep the whole night, waking up continuously during the night, or just the quality of your sleep isn't good enough to keep you going when you're awake.

There are a lot of factors that can contribute to insomnia, the most common are:

-Stress: Persistent stress from any source can keep you from getting good sleep. Stress can come from any source. Work, school, relationships, family, children, bullying, finances, and just general worry can all cause stress.
-Consumption: Consumption of different foods/drinks can keep you awake. The first to mind is of course caffeine. Caffeine during or after dinner is not recomended if you suffer from insomnia. We all know about tea and coffee, but other foods such as chocolate, some ice cream, sodas, and candy bars all have some caffeine in them too.
-Alcohol: While, after drinking alcohol, you will feel dizzy tired, or simply just pass out, your sleep cycle will not be as satisfying and you are much more likely to have interrupted sleep during the night.
-Inactive Behavior: If you're not active enough during the day, you may have hard time falling asleep at night.
-Irregular Work Times: Shift work for example can lead to insomnia conditions. Regular sleeping times promote better, more fulfilling sleep. Irregular work times or staggered times of work will make a irregular sleep cycle. Excessive napping can also cause insomnia conditions.
-Sleeping Environment: Sleeping environment can be a large factor in your sleep cycles. Temperature, light, size and type of bed, and other objects in your room can affect your sleeping. I will do a specific entry about all of this another time.