LOOKING GOOD

December 22, 2009
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Common Causes, Cures and Treatments of Insomnia

Insomnia is caused by so many factors that you can have one
reason or six, each one potent enough to keep a person awake.
When I can't sleep, I consider the following possible causes:

Common cause of insomnia and sleep deprivation disorder

1. Caffeine. Some people get jittery after a single cup of
coffee and others can drink gallons with no discernable effect.
In some situations, drinking moderate amounts of caffeine
(which includes tea and cola, by the way) seems to have no
effect until you've been at it for several days in a row.

2. Stress. If you're worried or tense, insomnia comes along as
part of the package. You can try a couple of techniques to
relieve your tension enough to get to sleep.

a. Promise yourself you'll deal with whatever it is the very
first thing in the morning. If you're like me, putting off
paying a bill or making an unpleasant phone call can worry at
me until I can't sleep. Promising to solve the problem helps
you to temporarily shelve it (but you'd better keep that
promise, or you'll never trust yourself again!)

b. Setting aside a daily time for worry can help you contain it.
Take ten minutes out of each day and worry like crazy. Make
lists of the things you're agonizing over, then rate each item
from 1-10 on a "likelihood of happening" scale. When you find
yourself worrying at other times of the day or night, remind
yourself that you'll worry tomorrow, at 3PM and set it aside.

c. Imagine yourself taking a bundle of worries and locking them
inside a cabinet. Take your time and be thorough. They may try
to wiggle away or sneak out, but gather them all together. You
may decide to put rubber bands around them or have them sedated.
You might want to tie them together and roll them up like a fire
hose. Be as creative as you can when picturing your worries and
the way you're going to handle them. Will you stow them in an
iron-bound trunk? A cedar chest? A garage or barn? Visualize the
type of lock you'll use and see yourself locking the door or
cabinet. Sometimes, just elaborating on this exercise is enough
to put yourself to sleep.

d. If nothing you try seems to work, consider visiting a
therapist to help you learn more about reducing your anxiety.
Medications have proven very effective.

4. Hormones. Insomnia can result from hormonal fluctuations.
Keeping an insomnia diary can help you figure out if sleeplessness
is linked to your menstrual cycle. Sleeplessness is also one of
the symptoms of menopause. If you're generally content with the
way your hormones are performing, you may choose to induce sleep
by having an extra glass of wine at night, or a hot bath. If
hormones are causing you real problems, try herbal remedies or
go have a chat with your ob-gyn about the latest in the medical
community's understanding about women's sexual health.

Cont'd Below...

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5. Sugar. Eating late snacks or desserts can cause insomnia as
your blood sugar races around trying to find something to do.
Replace sweets with sugar-free snacks and see if it helps.
Eating a meal late at night can also cause insomnia, either
because of the rise in blood sugar or because trying to sleep
before your meal is fully assimilated can give you indigestion.

6. Exercise. Studies have shown that when people exercise later
in the evening, they also tend to have a harder time getting to
sleep.

7. Too much alcohol. If you drink a lot, sleeplessness occurs
when the body rebounds from the depressant effect of alcohol on
the central nervous system. This happens to chronic alcoholics,
but also to people who don't usually drink much but make an
exception at a bachelor party and have more than a couple.
Typically, alcohol makes us sleepy, but as the alcohol is
metabolized by the body, the change wakes us up. Too much sugar
can work the same way in reverse, first making us high and
lively, then sending the blood sugar into a crashing low. Sugar
is often a major cause of sleeplessness in children. They get
hopped up on popsicles and won't go down for a nap. When a
grown-up tries to get them to nap anyway, the blood sugar crash
comes along, and the result is a screeching, wailing, but
exhausted child. Fun stuff, huh!

We've all seen the commercials for pain relievers and cold
medicines with "sleep aids", which often consist of either
decongestants or alcohol. There are also herbal remedies,
usually containing chamomile, which is a sleep aid know world-
wide since medieval times. Valerian root smells stinky, even
ground and in capsule form, but it's also effective and gentle.
Of course, there are always pharmaceutical remedies for
sleeplessness, but they should be last resorts, because they
tend to be habit-forming and have other side effects.

If you don't have to go to work the next morning, insomnia can
be pretty manageable. You might find that with punchiness comes
creativity, so I wouldn't rule out getting out of bed to sketch,
bake or plan next year's garden. Also, not having the stress of
counting the hours until you have to get to work can often calm
you down to the point of relaxation. If you're expected at work
the next day, you could call in sick the night before. Then, if
you can't get to sleep, you can stay home and rest the next day,
and if you can get to sleep, you can show up the next day.


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