by Eve Mager

Created on: May 27, 2008   Last Updated: May 28, 2008

For those who live with insomnia days can be long, tiring, and even more stressful than they are on a good nights sleep. I am a longtime suffer of insomnia and have struggled with my sleep patterns for about ten years. For me, insomnia was brought on by the high stress atmosphere of college. I suffer from intermittent insomnia but others may suffer from constant or transient (short term) insomnia.

So what is insomnia? Insomnia - to put it briefly - is trouble with sleep. This can be trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep or trouble sleeping deep enough to become rested. Often when I am going through a bout of insomnia I can't fall asleep and when I do I can't stay asleep. I feel like I have been plugged into an electric socket, my body is humming even though my eyelids are drooping and I can barely hold myself up. But no matter what I do I cannot fall asleep I just toss and turn and kick my feet and breath out huffs of air. Insomnia is one of the most frustrating things in my life.

While there is no cure for insomnia there are healthy lifestyle choices, relaxation therapies, and sleep medications that can treat the disorder. If you are a new sufferer of insomnia the first thing to do is look at your lifestyle. Have their been recent changes in your life that have increased the level of stress in your home? The arrival of new baby, a change in relationship status, a change in career, death, or ill health can all cause insomnia. If the cause of your insomnia is external you should first look at external ways of solving your problems. Talk about the causes of stress with a friend of loved one to release any pent up stress, invest in a pair of dark curtains for your bedroom, sleep with ear plugs or an eye-blind.

If your insomnia is more serious there methods of insomnia treatment that natural and easy to add to your nighttime routine. A simple glass of chamomile tea a half and hour before bed is known to calm the nerves which helps to slow down both the body and the brain and signal to your body that it is time to rest. When I am suffering from bad insomnia I use peppermint lotion on my feet and legs as a signal to my body that it is time to rest. This also helps to calm my over-active leg muscles and cures my twitches. Other natural solutions to some cases of insomnia is getting more physical activity early in the day (before noon) so that your body develops a patten of being active in the early day and progressing slowly towards sleep in the evening. Some other food and drink that will help you sleep is turkey and milk and of course you should always stay away from all sources of caffeine and sugar if you suffer from insomnia.

If you have tried all kinds of lifestyle changes, exercise changes, relaxation therapies, meditation and have consulted a licensed medical practitioner you may be referred to a sleeping medication or pharmaceutical therapy in order to get your eight hours of sleep a night. Those who have trouble sleeping are often prescribed Diazepam for insomnia. Diazepam is a pharmaceutical drug that reacts with chemicals in the brain to reduce anxiety and also calm any over-active muscles. If insomnia is severly impacting your life - causing you to walk around in a daze, feel detached from reality, and making you irritable then it is always a good idea to have a check-up with your medical professional for a proper diagnosis. Unless of course you really like counting sheep.

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