- Up late, even when you want to be asleep?
- Waking up in the middle of the night for no reason?
- Dragging through the day, yearning to get back to bed, but when you get there, you can’t sleep?
It sounds like you are suffering from insomnia.
You may think insomnia is just about having a hard time getting to sleep. In fact, insomnia is a sleep disorder that is defined by difficulty falling and staying asleep.
Typically, people with insomnia have one or more of the following symptoms:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep
- Waking up too early in the morning
- Feeling tired upon waking
Sound like you? Read on….
Insomnia Comes in Two Flavors
There are two different kinds of insomnia.
Primary Insomnia
Primary insomnia is defined by a person having sleep problems not directly associated with any other health condition or problem.
Secondary Insomnia
Secondary insomnia is defined by a person having sleep problems because of something else like a health condition, pain, medication they are taking, or a substance they are using or abusing.
Health conditions that may cause insomnia include asthma, depression, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn.
Insomnia May Be Acute or Chronic
Acute insomnia is short-term and may last from one night to a few weeks.
If you are having trouble sleeping at least three nights a week for three months or longer, you are suffering from chronic insomnia.
Acute insomnia may be caused by:
- Significant life stressors like a job loss or change, a loved one’s death, divorce, or moving
- Illness
- Emotional or physical pain
- Disruptive factors in your sleep environment like noise, light, or extreme temperatures
- Medications used to treat colds, allergies, depression, high blood pressure, and asthma may interfere with sleep
- Interferences in your regular sleep schedule like jet lag or switching from a day to night shift
Chronic insomnia may be caused by:
- Depression or anxiety
- Chronic stress
- Pain or discomfort
- Hormonal imbalances
What Side Effects Might You Expect If You Are Suffering from Insomnia?
You may:
- Experience sleepiness during the day or a feeling of general tiredness
- Find yourself unreasonably irritable and emotional
- Have difficulty with concentration or memory
Are You Troubled by Your Trouble Sleeping?
It may be time to talk with an expert. Many people take sleep for granted and don’t take it as seriously as other aspects of their health.
If this describes you, it’s time to put sleep in front and center. When you talk with your doctor, consider the following to get the most out of your conversation.
- Precisely what is troubling you when it comes to sleep?
- Do you have trouble falling asleep?
- Is it hard for you to stay asleep?
- Do you wake up too early?
- How many times a week does this happen?
- What is your sleep schedule?
- What time do you go to bed and wake up?
- How many naps do you take during the day?
- And how long are they?
- Does your work schedule or your weekend schedule require you to adjust your sleep at all?
- What do you do when you can’t sleep? What’s working and what’s not?
- Do you lie awake, feeling anxious or worrying?
- Describe your sleep environment.
- Do you sleep alone or with a partner?
- Is your room dark and quiet?
- Do you feel comfortable in your bed?
- Are there disruptions during the night?
- For example, young children, pets, or sirens?
- How long has this trouble been going on?
- For as long as you can remember, or is this something new?
- Can you remember when it started?
- Have you had any significant changes (a move, a new job), or any stressful circumstances in your life recently (a breakup, financial troubles)?
- Do you have any medical conditions?
Diagnosis: It’s a Process
Many different tools are used to diagnose and measure insomnia symptoms. Expect your practitioner to ask you questions in the office, have you fill out logs and questionnaires, and perform blood tests.
They may even ask you to do an overnight sleep study. All of these tests will guide your doctor to the underlying cause so that they can create the right treatment plan.
Here are some approaches your practitioner might take when making a diagnosis:
1. Start a sleep log.
Record details like your bedtime, wake up time, how sleepy you feel at various times during the day, and more. Keeping track of the details of your sleep will help your doctor get the big picture as well as understand the specific details.
2. Take a sleep inventory.
This questionnaire gathers information about your health, medical history, and sleep patterns.
3. Do blood tests.
Certain blood tests rule out medical conditions such as thyroid problems, which can be a sleep disruptor.
4. Take part in a sleep study.
An overnight sleep study, or polysomnography, gathers information about your nighttime sleep. This exam takes place overnight in a lab set up with a comfortable bed.
During the exam, you will be connected to an EEG, which monitors the stages of your sleep. This non-invasive test also measures things like oxygen levels, body movements, and heart and breathing patterns.
Want to Beat Insomnia?
Start with good sleep habits. Sleep hygiene, like any other kind of hygiene, requires instilling good habits to keep you healthy.
You may not have been taught these habits growing up or taken the time to learn about sleep hygiene before, so we’ll give you ten great tips to get you started on your path to getting in the habit of good sleep.
- Do your best to go to sleep at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning.
- Try not to take naps during the day.
- Set aside devices like phones or reading devices (“e-books”) that give off light one hour before bed.
- Avoid eating heavy meals late in the day. You may try a light snack before bedtime to help you sleep.
- Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day. Don’t forget that caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that can keep you from falling asleep. And although alcohol is generally a depressant, it can cause waking in the night and interferes with sleep quality.
- Exercise regularly—but not close to bedtime. Give yourself a 3-4 hour time gap between exercising and sleepy time. Exercise may stimulate you and make it hard to fall asleep.
- Control your sleep environment— make it cozy. Your bedroom needs to be dark, quiet, and not too warm or too cold.
- Follow a routine to help you relax before sleep. Enjoy a good book, listen to music, or take a bath.
- If you can’t fall asleep, get out of bed, and read or do something that is not overly stimulating until you feel sleepy.
- If you find yourself lying awake worrying, try making a to-do list before you go to bed.
When Attending to Sleep Hygiene Isn’t Enough
A cocktail of underlying causes can cause sleep problems. For true healing, it’s important to treat insomnia with a holistic approach— one that includes:
- Lifestyle changes
- Emotional and spiritual support
- Supplements
- Medical prescriptions
EvexiPEL providers are partners in health with their patients. Because many patients don’t find the results they seek on their own, both patient and practitioner must commit to open communication.
An EvexiPEL provider will:
- Listen deeply and work with you to create a custom approach to meet your needs.
- Guide you with regular follow-up, tests, and conversations aimed at providing long-term health and wellness.
We Can Help
If a hormonal imbalance causes your insomnia, we can help. Men and women alike struggle with hormonal imbalance during the natural aging process.
Our hormones are powerful; they’re chemical messengers that control our appetite, weight, mood, and sleep. These imbalances can have severe impacts on our mental, physical, and emotional state.
You may be experiencing some other symptoms caused by hormonal imbalance other than insomnia. Check out our symptom checklist for men and women to see if you may be experiencing any of them as well.
Our Approach to Treating Hormone Imbalances
At EvexiPEL, we use a safe, all-natural, and effective hormone treatment known as Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). Our preferred approach to BHRT is Pellet Therapy.
You can read more about it here. We also often suggest certain additional supplements to offer patients a complete solution and long-lasting treatment.
You are your best advocate. Listen to your body, track any changes you notice, and then schedule a consultation with the EvexiPEL provider nearest to you.
We’ll educate you about the holistic method we take to treating hormones as well as other ways you can stay on top of your health. And together, we will get you feeling better!