It is not unusual to experience insomnia at one point in your life. Up to 35 percent of the population at any given time experience insomnia. In general, there are three types, with transient insomnia being the most common and which often lasts from a few days to a few weeks, followed by acute insomnia which can last for up to six months. Chronic insomnia, however, is the most severe case and lasts from anywhere from six months to several long years.

Causes

There are various reasons causing insomnia in general, from the use of stimulant drugs, to excessive coffee drinking and caffeine consumption. Hormonal shifts can also lead to insomnia, and is usual in women with child as well as in teenagers whose growth is disrupting the normal hormonal cycle. For chronic insomnia, however, the primary cause is stress, either from work, home, or school. As such, insomnia is sometimes called a complaint, instead of an illness. Stress related chronic insomnia, however, are often more difficult to treat especially if the stress is brought about by elements deeply ingrained in the lifestyle, such as too much dependence on long term quarrelling within the family or with spouse, and high stress occupations.

What are the symptoms?

In general, the most visible symptom of insomnia is difficulty in sleeping. In some cases, the problem lies with falling asleep, which can take hours before any sleep is achieved. This is often caused by anxiety and too much thinking. Insomnia can also manifest itself in a difficulty in maintaining sleep, and is often called middle of the night insomnia, where the person wakes up in the middle of night because of the slightest disturbances. Finally, there are also those chronically wake up early in the morning even before achieving the needed amount of sleep.

What are the treatments?

The best treatment options for insomnia deal with the type and cause of the disorder. For instance, if the disorder is brought about by excess caffeine consumption, solving insomnia can be as easy and simple as cutting down on coffee. For chronic insomnia, however, some treatment includes the use of hypnotic drugs to stimulate sleep. The difficulty, however, is that the patient may begin to associate sleep with drug use, leading to difficulty in sleeping naturally. Some of the best treatment options are still those that do not use medication. Among these is through sleep hygiene, or ensuring that variables affecting sleep are modified to induce sleep, such as regularizing sleeping hours, ensuring that the area for sleep is conducive, minimizing lighting, adding gentle music to facilitate sleep, and others.

Stimulus control is sometimes used as well, where the insomniac is made to identify the stimulus that induce sleep, and ensure that the stimulus is present to provide the insomniac with sleep. As a last resort, sleeping pills may be used to provide short term relief. These, however, lead to serious side effects such as dependency on the drug for sleep.

If you are experiencing chronic insomnia, it is best to consult a doctor to find the best treatment option for you.