Insomnia: How Can it be Successfully Treated?

by Beth Munoz

Posted on Monday 27th of October 2008

It seems like certain groups are more prone to the affects of their lifestyles than others. Take, for example, the creative type. These are the people who spend hours at a time trying to figure out what their next masterpiece will be. Or perhaps they spend hours reading a good book at a café. Regardless of their situation, chances are that they've had a few sleepless nights in favor of their art.

However, that does not necessarily mean that they are suffering from insomnia. In this case, they are probably having sleepless nights because they want to, not because it is something that happens despite diligent efforts to go to sleep at night.

Specifically, insomnia is marked by months of not being able to sleep. However, it can also include being able to go to sleep, but not actually being able to stay asleep. Obviously, the less rest a person gets, the less they are able to maintain the everyday duties, like working and taking care of a family.

In a court of law, if a person has gone without even just a couple of days of sleep, never mind having been actually diagnosed with insomnia, their testimony can be discounted. This is because without sleep, the brain does not properly function. In fact, the person can actually go so far is to start suffering from insanity because of their lack of proper sleep.

So, what kinds of things can be done to treat insomnia? Well, first of all, the person is going to have to take a look at their overall lifestyle. It seems rather negative to say, but if a person is using drugs (illegal) that can definitely give them this sleep disorder. In such a situation, the person should definitely start to realize that they need to seek professional medical help in the form of rehabilitation. Indeed, even if they could sleep, they should go to rehab anyway.

Of course, there is also the caffeine issue. You might even belong to the group of people who cannot seem to get their working day started without first getting their "cup 'o Joe" each morning. However, caffeine is not just a component in coffee. It is also a stimulant, and builds up in the bloodstream to such an extent that it can actually harm your sleep pattern. So, if you value your rest, you should definitely switch to decaf – it pretty much tastes the same anyway!

Something else that you will have to take into consideration is the side effects of the various medication that you might be taking for another medical condition. If this does, in fact, turn out to be a side effect of this, you will need to talk to your doctor about possibly changing your medication's dosage or the actual medication.

Some people decide to combat this sleep disorder with hypnosis, since sometimes this sleep problem can be caused by various behavioral issues. There is also the possibility of being prescribed a sedative, but since that can become addictive, that might not be a good choice. Regardless, if you think that you might have this problem, talk to your doctor about a safe treatment plan.