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What is Insomnia and What Causes Insomnia?

At the bottom of the page you will find a link to our extensive guide to finding a natural insomnia cure, but first it would be wise to a look at just what insomnia is:



Definition of Insomnia

Insomnia is the failure to get enough quality sleep. In its simplest form insomnia can be defined as difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep or waking after too short a period of sleep.

What Is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder (often referred to as "insomnia sleep disorder") and, most importantly, it is a symptom and not a disease.

So, when we talk about an insomnia cure we are not talking about curing insomnia directly but simply treating the underlying cause of insomnia.

What Causes Insomnia?

The causes of insomnia are many and varied but they can be divided into two groups:

  • Primary Insomnia. Primary insomnia is a sleep disorder for which there is no specific underlying condition and is the most common form of insomnia. Stress, environmental changes (such as noise and temperature), disruptions to your normal sleep pattern (caused perhaps through shift work or long-haul travel), and the side-effects of many medications can all give rise to primary insomnia. Other contributory factors include the excessive use of drugs, alcohol or caffeine and taking naps during the day.


  • Secondary Insomnia. Secondary insomnia can be attributed to a specific underlying physical or psychological condition. These include other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome and circadian rhythm disorder. Other physical and psychological conditions that often give rise to insomnia include depression, respiratory problems (including asthma), heart problems (such as congestive heart failure), arthritis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and hyperthyroidism.

Your guide to a natural insomnia cure

What are the different types of insomnia and who suffers from insomnia?

What are the symptoms and side-effects of insomnia?

What is the treatment for insomnia

Recommended books from

I Can Make You Sleep: Overcome Insomnia Forever and Get the Best Rest of Your...
by Paul McKenna
Amazon Price: $15.61
Customer Review: I'd just like to add my personal testimony that, like most people who left comments here, the book was helpful enough but the CD was VERY helpful in putting me to sleep and helping the quality of my sleep. I have wicked bad insomnia (which is made worse by being bi-polar and having ADHD) and have tried pretty much every sleep pill you can name (Am...
 
No More Sleepless Nights
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Customer Review: I liked this book. It helped me sleep better. The logs were easy to do, made sense, condensed information for me to get a feel for what was going on sleeping and waking. I made them into an Excel spreadsheet.
His reassurances helped me to relax- I am in control, I can function for awhile with less sleep, when I become deprived a certain amoun...
 
Say Good Night to Insomnia
by Gregg D. Jacobs
Amazon Price: $10.88
Customer Review: I felt this book was condescending. I didn't find the logs helpful in this format. The tone was very pompous and self congratulatory. I had better results using the book "No More Sleepless Night."
 
Sound Sleep, Sound Mind: 7 Keys to Sleeping Through the Night
by Barry Krakow
Amazon Price: $16.47
Customer Review: Inadequate sleep is a poorly understood and often underestimated medical problem. This book helps us all analyze unhealthy sleep patterns and identify ways to correct them. I found the content useful for both health professionals and the general public. I highly recommend it to persons with sleep problems and those trying to help them.
 
insomnia - Google News

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2 Sep 2010 at 8:29am

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Study: Insomnia Linked With Premature Death in Men
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The study deduced that women can cope with a lack of sleep far better than their male counterparts, as insomnia proved to have little effect on their life ...
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How to ease insomnia - Times of India
2 Sep 2010 at 5:20am

How to ease insomnia
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The British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP) has released up-to-the-minute guidelines regarding insomnia and other sleep disorders to guide ...
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Military Families Asking Congress to Investigate Seroquel - eMaxHealth
30 Aug 2010 at 9:36am

msnbc.com

Military Families Asking Congress to Investigate Seroquel
eMaxHealth
... to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, but it has not been endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for insomnia. ...
Is The Drug Seroquel Killing Soldiers and Veteransallvoices
Fami...

 
Somaxon: Readers Respond (Angrily) - TheStreet.com
2 Sep 2010 at 6:09am

HotStocked

Somaxon: Readers Respond (Angrily)
TheStreet.com
"As a neurologist who is also board certified in sleep medicine, I don't see a prominent role for Silenor in managing maintenance insomnia. ...
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOMX) Doubts on the Huge RevenuesHotStocked

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The information contained here should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider. The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and in no way should be considered as an offering of medical advice.