August 21st, 2010 | Posted in 3 Various Specific Problems
Insomnia — a term used broadly to define “difficulty with sleeping” — can take many forms. Your insomnia may be characterized by one of these problems primarily, but it most likely will entail some combination of: trouble falling asleep; difficulty staying asleep; frequent wakings; waking up too early; not feeling rested when you wake up.
There are three basic types of insomnia:
1. Transient insomnia lasts only a few nights. It is often caused by jet lag, temporary stress, excitement, illness, or a change in sleep schedule.
2. Short-term insomnia lasts up to three weeks. It often results from more prolonged stress or worries, such as financial troubles, death of a loved one, job change, or divorce. If not addressed, short-term insomnia may escalate into a chronic problem.
3. Chronic insomnia, also known as long-term insomnia, lasts more than a month. It can occur every night, most nights, or several nights each month. Chronic insomnia is often caused by a medical problem; treating the underlying problem may alleviate the insomnia. Chronic sleeplessness may also be caused by bad sleep habits. If you’re not sure why you have insomnia, keeping a sleep diary can help you uncover the source of your problems.
Insomnia can be overcome.
An important step is to determine the possible causes of your insomnia. Health and lifestyle factors could be at the root of your problem. Or you might have a sleep disorder that prevents high-quality sleep. No matter what the cause, there are solutions.
Acupuncture:
In Chinese medicine, it is said that the Mind/Spirit resides in the Heart and at night it returns to the heart to rest. If a person is under emotional strain, worry or anxiety, then the Mind/Spirit remains restless and sleep is difficult.
A particular acupuncture point on the Heart Channel—called ‘Shenmen‘ or ‘Spirit Gate’—is one of the points used to calm the mind and create the peace necessary for sleep.
Insomnia: A Research Document: Why you are alert the next day, despite missing a night’s sleep (Source: Journal of Neuroscience, 2008; 28: 8462-9).
The less you sleep one night, the more likely you are to stay awake the next night. You’re also likely to be alert throughout the day despite the lack of sleep. And scientists have finally figured out why this is. Our sleep-deprived brains produce more dopamine, a chemical that’s found in amphetamine drugs, that keeps us wide awake. But although we remain stimulated, our cognitive performance goes down. Researchers who studied 15 healthy volunteers, who were either allowed to sleep or were kept awake all night, found that the brain started producing dopamine after just one night without sleep.
