Insomnia is the inability to sleep and many doctors all over the world are familiar with “Doctor, what will you recommend that will help me sleep better?”

There are literally millions of people all over the world who battle to sleep properly at night and there are also a myriad of reasons why. Stress is a big factor, as is disease, and not forgetting substance abuse, to name but a few.

If you are one of those people who can't seem to get a decent night’s sleep, and you are exhausted just from counting sheep, there are ways that you can cure this ‘dreaded’ condition that leaves you wondering how you are going to cope during the oncoming day.

Let’s look at 5 top reasons why people battle to fall asleep and even stay asleep at night:

1. Not keeping regular sleep and wake cycles
Going to bed anytime you feel like it. Unfortunately, many people have to do shift work and this can also interfere with the body’s circadian rhythms. 

The best sleep comes when a person goes to sleep and wakes up the morning at the same times (more or less) every day.

2. Eating an unhealthy diet
Eating sugary and processed foods or drinking a lot of caffeine at night before you go to bed can be a huge factor why you are unable to sleep well at night. Not only that, your heart and your weight a big knocking too.

The last stages of sleep are hugely affected when you ingest foods with no fiber and unhealthy fats and sugars.

3. Suffering from chronic pain or emotional stress 
Pain and emotional stress can keep you from sleep well at night but not only that, when you do have difficulty sleeping, it can make the stress, depression, and pain even worse – a vicious circle!

It is imperative to treat the underlying problems associated with insomnia.

4. Underlying diseases
Maybe you have an underlying medical problem that you are not even aware of might be the reason you are starting not to be able to sleep well at night. There are many common health problems such as lung and heart conditions which can affect a person’s breathing and these need to be discussed with your doctor.

5. Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea can certainly cause one’s sleep to be fragmented because of possible low blood oxygen levels. This leads to heart disease, hypertension, memory and mood problems.

Not only that, you can’t concentrate properly the next day, and this can cause accidents with other negative effects.

Other reasons people can’t fall asleep:

• Constant limb movements
• People in the lower socio-economic groups
• Chronic alcoholism
• The use of recreational drugs or psychotropic type drugs – often these cause you to need to get up at night to urinate or because they cause the heart to beat faster, causing anxiousness
• The room is not dark enough or airy enough
• When you suffer from chronic pain such as neck pain, arthritis or lower back pain, for example

There are different types of insomnia

Acute insomnia – brief - usually happens because of a stressful event, such as a death in the family, major life changes, and resolves after the stressful time has passed.

Chronic insomnia can last for more than a month and can occur 3 or more times a week. There are heaps of reasons why someone might struggle with this type of insomnia.

Comorbid insomnia: As mentioned above, occurs when there is something else, like a medical condition which might be the underlying reason, for instance like back pain, etc.

Psychophysiological insomnia also falls in this category, where insomnia symptoms are caused by behavioral, psychological or cognitive factors.

Initial insomnia: A person battles initially to fall asleep in the beginning, but doesn’t usually wake up in the middle of the night for instance.

Maintenance/Middle insomnia: A person struggles to maintain sleep, often waking in the night.

Late/terminal insomnia: A person wakes up too early in the morning, and then they can’t get back to sleep.

Some conventional insomnia treatments

Many experts think that when you combine medical and non-medical treatments results, you can arrive at the most successful outcome for insomnia. Check these out:

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) will help to control and even eliminate negative actions and thoughts that keep you awake at night. It is generally recommended as the first option for treatment with people who have insomnia. CBT-I is just as effective for insomnia as many sleep medications.

Apart from helping you to control and even eliminate negative thoughts and anxiousness that keep you awake, it can also help to eliminate the cycle that can develop when you worry so much about not getting enough sleep so that you can’t feel asleep. The behavioral part of the CBT-I helps you to develop good sleeping habits.

Other strategies might even be recommended by your doctor related to your sleep environment and lifestyle to help you develop habits that promote sound sleep and daytime alertness.

Prescription Medications

Prescription sleeping pills from your doctor will help you get to sleep, and stay asleep.  Your doctor will not recommend that you rely on prescription sleeping pills though for longer than a few weeks. You do get some medications, though, that are approved for longer-term use.

The thing is, prescription sleeping pills come with side effects usually, like grogginess in the day, with the increased risk of falling. Not only that, they are habit-forming – your doctor will advise.

Natural and alternative treatments

Change Your Diet with these recommended foods (plus exercise)

• Foods high in tryptophan because this stimulates the production of serotonin which promotes relaxation. Chicken, tuna, and turkey are good ones.
• Complex carbohydrates assist with the production of serotonin. Don’t get confused though between simple carbs and complex carbs. 
  
  Simple carbs can spike your energy levels at night. Healthy starchy veggies like butternut squash or sweet potatoes help release serotonin.
• Raw milk might be problematic for some, but that might be because it is not raw milk. Real milk from grass-fed cows etc. goes a long way in helping you to get a good night’s sleep because it is filled with calcium and other health-giving nutrients.
• Foods high in magnesium because magnesium is known as the “relaxation” mineral, fighting muscle cramps and headaches that might keep you up at night. Green leafy vegetables, sesame and sunflower seeds, raw cocoa, oats, and fermented dairy will boost your magnesium intake.
• The B vitamins such as meat, liver, brewer’s yeast, liver, and green leafy vegetables are all high in B vitamins, which includes the all-important vitamin B12. 
  
  B vitamins support the nervous system and help tremendously in stressful situations. Some people report that their insomnia symptoms diminish when they take B-complex vitamins.
• Melatonin (Take 1–3 mg half-hour before bed) helps promote sleep, best used for a short period of time; otherwise, it can become habit forming.
• Passionflower (Take 500 mg before bed, or in tea form) helps to relax the nervous system.
• Valerian Root (Take 600 mg before bed) – it induces calmness and is a top herb for stress as well.

Use Essential Oils

To improve your sleep, there are some amazing essential oils that help such as lavender and chamomile. Both of these also fight stress and promote relaxation.

Many people choose to inhale vapors to treat anxiety and even general depression. An evening bath with warm water to which some Epsom salts have been added plus lavender oil is known to work well because Epsom salts has plenty of magnesium in it.

Here is a lovely detoxing bath using essential oils:
Take about 20 drops of lavender oil, rubbing it all on your body. Then get into a warm/hot bath with Epsom salts, and relax in the bath for about 20-30 minutes.

If you’ve been dealing with insomnia symptoms for more than 2–3 weeks, and particularly if you can’t explain it, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options. It’s possible that your insomnia is the symptom of something else, and it will be important to identify the underlying cause so you can sleep tight again.