Occurrences of sleep apnea and insomnia have risen sharply in recent years. This is mostly due to the lack of exercise and poor diet as well as from overwork and generally living a stressful life.  The dangers of sleep apnea and insomnia should be something we are all aware of, especially those of us that fall into the group of people with the lifestyle mentioned above.

Sleep apnea and insomnia tend to go together because of the nature of the similar symptoms.  Also sleep apnea and insomnia are usually treated at the same time.

Sleep apnea is recognized as the major cause of insomnia and because of this doctors can now offer better and alternative treatment for the condition instead of simply prescriptions for insomnia.  read more on Sleep apnea and insomnia

Global insomnia is when you can't sleep for two or more consecutive nights. It's usually a sign that there is something else wrong with your body, and it's characterized by how it affects your whole body. You might also be experiencing headaches, for instance. The good news is that it's very treatable, so if you think you're suffering from global insomnia you should get it checked out early.

Why global insomnia affects your whole body

You probably know that sleep is an essential part of our lives, and if we don't get enough of it, our bodies suffer in many ways. When our mind is resting, so is our body, and vice versa. People suffering from global insomnia don't get the rest that their bodies need, and as such, other problems arise, on top of the tiredness form lack of sleep.

One the main problems of global insomnia is that because our bodies aren't getting the time they need to regenerate and revitalize, our defenses become weak and our immune systems start to operate at less than optimum levels. We then become prone to catching colds, bugs and other infections. In our worn down condition, our bodies are in no fit state to tackle the illness. When insomnia start to affect our whole life, it becomes global insomnia. read more on What is global insomnia?

I read an interesting item in the news today, saying that if you receive a mild head injury, your risk of developing a sleep disorder is increased.

I guess that's not surprising when you think about it, but the point is that researchers now recommend improved diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders in patients that have experienced brain injury and are complaining of insomnia.

They quote that as many as 40 to 65 percent of people with brain injury complain of insomnia. The worrying fact is that sleeping problems can exacerbate problems that stem from head injuries such as distress, headaches and cognitive impairment. It's a bit of a vicious circle and misdiagnosis is a real danger.

There's a very interesting discussion of the implications of this in the full story…

For many people, insomnia and sleeplessness are caused by nothing more than sleeping in the wrong bed or on the wrong mattress.

But choosing the right bed is not as straightforward as you might think. Which are best, fixed or adjustable beds? Do you need a soft or hard mattress? Natural or synthetic fibers? Should you go for slats or springs?

The quality of your bed has a direct impact on the quality of your sleep, and even the quality of your life. Don't forget, you spend about a third of your life in bed so it's very important that you choose the right one. read more on Adjustable Beds

One of the first things to do when tackling your sleep problems is to get to know them. A great way of doing this is by keeping a sleep journal. You only need to do this for a week or two and you'll find out quite a lot about why you're not sleeping. So, get hold of a notebook and pen and keep them by the bed.

Each to their own

We've all got our own individual sleep patterns, when it's easier for us to sleep and when it's difficult. Although general guidelines have been established by sleep experts, we've still all got our own peculiarities. We've got to understand these before we can improve or maintain the quality of our sleep.

Put it in writing

Keep a pen and notebook by your bed, and use them. Make detailed notes of all of your sleeping habits for at least a week, preferably two. Write down if you feel sleepy during the day, what time you go to bed at night. if you can, make note of what you dreamed about. read more on Sleep Journals

If you're visiting my site about insomnia, then I'm assuming you suffer from an inability to sleep, so there's no point in me explaining how bad it can be.

What I can do though, is shed a bit of light on why people have trouble sleeping, and what they can do about it.

Not surprisingly, most people suffer from insomnia or have difficulty sleeping at some point or other during their life. You'll know as well as I do that it can leave you feeling wiped out, irritable and unable to think properly. The good thing is that most insomnia is temporary.

When you think about the usual causes of insomnia, the temporary nature makes sense. We're talking about stress, relationship difficulties, constant pain, depression ..etc. Let's not forget the things that directly interrupt our sleep patterns either. If you've got a baby in the house, you're not going to get your regular sleep. Do you travel regularly? Jet lag can cause severe sleep disruption. You know when your internal clock goes haywire and you don't know whether you're on day time or night time? read more on Insomnia