by Micah Reeves

Created on: July 25, 2007

Dyssomnia is a general term for sleep disorder. Some sleep disorders are Narcolepsy, Bruxism, and Sleep Apnea. Once the diagnosis of a sleep disorder is made, treatment can begin. Although sleep orders vary greatly, the most common treatment for most of these disorders are as follows:

First, make your sleeping area for sleep only. No television or radios to hinder your goal of a good night sleep. The bedroom is for sleep and sex, if that is an option in your life. Keeping the bedroom as calm as possible will help immensely for good sleep.

Secondly, keep caffeine to a minimum during the day and have the last caffeine drink at supper time. This is assuming that dinnertime is around 6pm at night. Excess caffeine from coffee, or soda will hinder sleep. Some people stop drinking anything after 6pm at night so they will not have to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night also.

Thirdly, exercise is good for a healthy lifestyle for anyone but it helps with sleep too. Twenty to 30 minutes of walking will help you get to sleep, and stay asleep. If exercise is new to you, start with 5 minutes and build up to 30 minutes. Any kind of aerobic exercise will help with sleep issues, not just walking. Biking, dancing, and swimming are some other options.

Fourthly, eating habits can be detrimental to your sleep. It's better to wait a couple hours after a large meal before trying to go to sleep. The body is working to digest the meal for the next couple hours after eating and this speeds up metabolism. Also, high sugar desserts should be limited to a couple hours before bedtime also. Sugar is a stimulant just like caffeine and will have you screaming for sleep if you try to sleep right after eating a tasty piece of chocolate cake, or ice cream.

Fifthly, go to bed and get up at the same time each day. Setting up a routine will help your body adjust to when it should be sleeping and awake. You will find after 2 weeks of doing this your body will be well adjusted to the schedule and sleep will come much easier at night.

Lastly, medication is sometimes required for some sleep disorders. Having an alcoholic drink is not recommended because dependency can occur. If medication is needed, make sure your doctor prescribes it, is aware of your symptoms and can monitor the proper dosage for you. Be aware of any side effects that can happen and how you feel in the morning after taking it. Report any side effects to your doctor if you have any.

Have a good nights sleep.

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