With all of the medical advances that have been made over the past hundred years insomnia is still an issue with 10 to 15 percent of all adults and closer to 25 percent of adults who are 65 and older. Other known facts about insomnia include: there are more instances of insomnia in women than men, many people with insomnia also have depression, and insomnia often is worse during the holiday season.



Nobody likes to have to deal with sleep difficulties. They wear you down to the point that everything else becomes a fuzzy blur. The purpose of this article is to familiarize you with insomnia causes and introduce an approach to insomnia treatment that may assist you with your insomnia.

The causes of insomnia vary from person to person but all of the reasons have a main theme behind them, stress levels. As we age, our health often turns for the worst, this can cause stress and worry. During the holidays, we often think of family or friends we miss, our schedules become hectic and we run into deadlines at work as well as with our personal shopping. All of these things increase our stress levels. College students complain of insomnia around semester finals. As women age, their hormone levels change and they experience insomnia. All of these can be caused by stress.

Stress is not the only cause of insomnia. Other causes include; new surroundings, schedule disruptions, noises, dietary changes, low iron levels, disease, and even extreme temperatures. When you start to see a pattern of insomnia take notes of what you have been doing and you will probably be able to identify a pattern change that is causing your insomnia.

After you have discovered your cause, you still need to treat insomnia. Treatment can be as simple as opening a window, turning on a fan, adding or taking away a pillow or even sticking to a schedule. Whatever treatment you choose, for it to be effective, it must address the underlying cause of insomnia. This is why you should keep a sleep journal. A sleep journal will help you to track changes in patterns that you may not have noticed on your own.

Once you have identified the cause and chosen a treatment it may take a couple weeks for your sleep pattern to get back to normal. If you have had a long term problem with insomnia it may take you longer to get a routine set. Use your journal to keep track of changes that you have made and how they effected your sleep patterns. Stick with a schedule for at least a week, and preferably two weeks, before you decide it isn't working and move on to another change.

Your doctor can help you to find any medical reasons that may contribute to sleepless nights. If you have had insomnia for longer than two weeks, you should discuss any changes in your medical health with a medical professional. Insomnia affects all your health, please take care of this problem.