Why am I suffering from sleeplessness?

If you suffer from sleeplessness, you are in the company of millions of Americans. There are many reasons why people suffer from sleeplessness.

Stress: If your sleeplessness is the result of stress or difficulty relaxing – or turning off your thoughts at night - then is designed to help you. Some people have difficulty sleeping due to habits developed from past routines and irregular hours from shift work, the military, family routines such as caring for a baby, or responding to a spouse’s night time work schedule. Many people also begin to have problems sleeping when there is a change in their level of responsibility such as beginning a new job or career, becoming a parent, transitioning after a divorce or assuming elder care.

Stress is an everyday fact of life. However, stress can create anxiety provoking thoughts, as well as physical changes that interfere with your natural ability to sleep. In an attempt to cope with stress, some people review the past or what happened that day while they are in bed. Other sleep sufferers use their time in bed as productive time to solve problems or plan events that take place in the future. Still others worry about personal problems such as health, money or a recent loss, such as a divorce or the death of a loved one.

While your problems may be serious and your stress legitimate, not getting the sleep you need will only make it more difficult to deal with your problems and responsibilities the next day. Even though we know that worrying about things at night is not going to help us during the day – it’s hard to turn off our thoughts to prepare our mind for sleep. And, it’s more difficult than ever before because technology allows us to work at a higher pace, with greater expectations, and to be in contact with others any 24 hours.

Stop the negative cycle

One primary problem with sleeping difficulties is that a negative cycle gets created. Sleeplessness leads to anticipation and worry about sleeping – making it even more unobtainable. Many people who experience sleeplessness feel worried, fearful or angry when they can’t sleep – and that emotional response keeps them awake the next night.

You may have already had nights when you wondered, “Am I going to be able to sleep tonight?” and you kept looking at the clock – feeling upset and even cheated because you knew you were losing sleep.

The goal of is to stop that negative cycle and help you achieve peaceful sleep.

Medical Causes: Some people have difficulty sleeping due to medical problems, including but not limited to heart or lung disease, kidney problems, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, chronic sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux, asthma, ulcers, epilepsy, neurological disease such as Parkinson’s, chronic pain due to injury, surgery or arthritis, sleep apnea, “restless leg” syndrome or narcolepsy. If you believe your sleeplessness is due to one of the above conditions, consult with your medical doctor.

Underlying Emotional Problems: If you suffer from chronic drug or alcohol abuse, or if you believe your sleeplessness is the result of a significant loss, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress syndrome or panic attacks, address the underlying problem by seeking help from a mental health professional.

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