Barnaby here, and I’d like to answer a question which has been sent in by quite a few of our readers here at CantSleep. This questions relates to what exactly are insomnia symptoms? Everyone experiences occasional nights of restlessness, but when do normal happenings cross the line thus turning into insomnia symptoms? The following, at least according to prominent insomnia experts, constitutes insomnia symptoms:
– Lying in bed for an hour or more on a constant basis being unable to fall asleep
– Commonly waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to fall back asleep
– Waking up too early in the morning without falling asleep again
– Feelings of grouchiness, anxiety and distraction during the course of the day
– Still feeling tired after thinking you got a full night’s sleep
Insomnia symptoms can relate to both the quality and quantity of sleep. Many who suffer from insomnia are unaware that they are not getting quality sleep. This often happens with sleep apnea which causes the sufferer to wake up gasping for breath multiple times during the course of an evening. This obviously detracts from quality sleep, and even though you think you slept all night the quality of that sleep was deficient. Obviously, it is often hard to determine what are insomnia symptoms versus what are just normal happenings within life. Being grouchy one day, of course, does not indicate that you have insomnia. However, when multiple symptoms emerge that provides a real clue that insomnia may be the culprit. In the end, only a qualified health care provider can derive an accurate insomnia diagnosis, so if you think you have insomnia symptoms, then the best first step is to seek help from a professional.
I’ll be back soon to update everyone on my progress using hypnotherapy to address my own insomnia symptoms.
It is Barnaby here. I’ve previously discussed why I can’t use common sleep aids, but I went against my own rules out of desperation for some sleep the other night. Once again, the sleep aid I used caused me to be quite out of it the following day — even more so than I usually am after tossing and turning all night. For those of you using either prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids, I’d like to enumerate the potential hazards from these drugs. Although many can use common sleep aids without any adverse effects, some (including myself) can experience one or several of the following events:
– Increasing drug tolerance forcing you to continually step up your dosage
– Possible withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation of use
– Some sleep aids can result in dependency
– Some experience “rebound insomnia” after discontinuing sleep aid use
– Sleep aids can have unforeseen interactions with other drugs you may be taking
– Side effects can be present with many common over the counter sleep aids
When used for occasional insomnia, sleep aids can be quite helpful and are generally safe. However, those who use sleep aids for extended periods are often just masking the underlying condition which is causing the insomnia. Failure to recognize some possible causes — including sleep apnea — can lead to even more severe adverse health conditions. If you find yourself continually using sleep aids, then it is advised you seek the opinion of a qualified health care provider in order to ascertain whether sleep aid use can be safely continued. Unfortunately, my insomnia is unable to be solved with simple sleep aids — but hopefully I find my magic sleep bullet soon.
Hi everyone, it’s Barnaby here with a word about sleep information on the Internet:
Websites about insomnia, sleep apnea and a variety of other sleep information now proliferate the Internet. While many sites like WebMD and CantSleep.com offer accurate and objective information, others exist solely to promote a given product as opposed to providing reliable sleep information. Those seeking sleep information are often doing so because of signs of insomnia, sleep apnea, clinical depression as well as several other potentially serious medical conditions. In this scenario, accurate and objective sleep information becomes quite important. What is also important is to remember that only a qualified health care provider can diagnosis and prescribe treatment for your particular condition.
Seeking to self-treat from sleep information obtained on the Internet can prove counterproductive, and — in many cases — quite costly. Some less than reputable websites providing sleep information end up selling you expensive, yet ineffective solutions to your particular problem. In the worst cases, those who rely upon faulty sleep information obtained online fail to get the real help they so desperately need. One reason that I agreed to write for CantSleep.com is that I noticed they never pushed a given product or treatment. I have been impressed with the large amount of objective and helpful sleep information provided by CantSleep, and I hope to do my small part by contributing my story which I hope will help both myself as well as my fellow CantSleep readers.
Barnaby here. On a sour note, my sleep travails remain unabated. The past week has only allowed me one decent night’s sleep in between quite a few nights of tossing and turning. Instead of complaining about my own sleep issues, I wanted to start an important discussion about clinical depression. Once you recognize the signs of clinical depression, what are the best depression treatments? The answer to that question depends upon the nature of your individual case, and a full diagnosis and treatment regimen can only be devised by a qualified mental health care provider. Some who are diagnosed with clinical depression receive depression treatments including psychotherapy and group therapy as opposed to medications. As the above video illustrates, the future might hold gene treatment which can treat — or even prevent — clinical depression. However, for now, therapy and pharmaceuticals remain the salient depression treatments.
The majority of those with the disorder receive depression treatments including anti-depressants and/or mood stabilizers. These pharmacological depression treatments have been shown to be highly effective, and today’s depression treatment drugs have far fewer side effects than those of past times. It is important to remain cognizant that none of these treatment solutions provide for an overnight cure. It is paramount to stay the course with your prescribed depression treatments, and retain hope that there will be sunnier days. I’ll be back here at CantSleep again soon. I’d like to thank everyone who has sent in suggestions, tips and sympathies regarding my nagging insomnia. Hopefully I’ll have good news to post soon!
I suffer from TMJ (Temporomandibular joint disorder) which is a popping and clicking of the joint of the jaw. TMJ can cause a wide variety of symptoms such as headache, dizziness, severe migraine, and considerable jaw pain. Severe sleeping disorders can develop due to this very common condition. You may find it hard to get and stay comfortable or you may wake up with extreme pain in your jaw here are some tips to minimize these problems:
1. Advil relieves more inflammation than other over the counter pain medicines (when you’re feeling pain from TMJ it’s inflammation of the jaw muscles consult a pharmacist for more info
2. Get a exercise regimen from your doctor i.e. jaw stretching
3. Night guards may help minimize the stress on your teeth; however, I know several people who managed to bite clean threw their bite plate at night.
4. There are surgical options to correct congenital jaw malformations.
5. Orthodontics
6. Modifying the way you chew your food
Avoiding certain behaviors can minimize your TMJ & sleep related problems. Such as avoiding Alcohol or Stimulants this can reduce the severity of your TMJ. It’s proven that excessive amounts of stimulants for example caffeine and alcohol before sleep can intensify some symptoms.
I was instructed by a health care provider when I try to sleep I should start on my back. Place the tip of my tongue gently behind the front teeth. Some people find it helpful to start off in this position. I place large pillows or cushions along both sides of my head, that may help keep me from rolling over to my side.
Avoid sleeping on your side Try cradling your head, or putting your arm under it so the pressure is not on the jaw joint; however, just this method can cause some people to experience jaw aching.
I recently heard that there was a supplement on the market that was helping a lot of people. It’s called ‘natural calm plus calcium’ I believe it dissolves in water and you take it before bed. I am going to try this stuff before I recommend it. I will give it a month trial run before I post a review on the message board.
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