Insomnia affects millions of Americans who struggle each night with trying to get to sleep or stay asleep, often frustrated, not knowing the facts about insomnia that could help them get a good night’s sleep.

There are two basic types of insomnia. The first is an inability to fall asleep with its victims lying awake, looking at the clock and trying to relax when they’re really anxious about not sleeping. The second type involves being unable to stay asleep. Victims often fall asleep without difficulty but awaken several times during the night, often getting up far earlier than they would like to have gotten up.

One of the facts about insomnia that most people don’t know is that in some cases, it can be hormonal and related to the brain hormones serotonin and norepinephrine. Low levels of these hormones can cause a person to awaken several times during the night and is often the cause of early morning wakening.

This is a completely treatable type of insomnia and is often treated with SSRI antidepressants like Prozac or Celexa. They raise the level of serotonin in the body and the person rests more easily without having to take addictive sleeping pills. The older antidepressants, such as amitryptyline will also help people who have difficulty falling asleep as the medication makes one tired after one takes it.

More facts about insomnia that are worth knowing are the causes of insomnia in the average person. Besides depression, which causes the type of insomnia described above, there is just plain stress that can cause insomnia in susceptible people.

Exercising too much before sleeping can cause you to not be able to sleep well. Drinking caffeine before bed will cause a person to sleep poorly and be unable to fall asleep. Drinking alcohol before bedtime has a negative impact on sleeping, the opposite of what you’d think.

Having an uncomfortable bed will negatively impact sleep. Having too much noise and light will negatively impact your sleep. Poor sleep also is a problem with people who live really inactive lives and who don’t do any physical activity during the day.

One fact about insomnia most people don’t think of is medical issues that can impact your ability to sleep. Chronic pain impacts sleep a great deal and you need to treat the pain first in order to be able to get a good night’s sleep.

Another big problem is sleep apnea. This is a condition whereby an individual has a problem with upper airway obstruction and quits breathing during the night, sometimes up to a hundred or more times.

The individual must rouse a bit in order to get a good breath and the person wakes up many times during the night. It is often treated with CPAP, which is a positive pressure breathing device that keeps air flowing through the airways and keeps the obstruction open.

Knowing the facts about insomnia helps to nail down the exact cause of the disease. You need to stick with healthy sleep habits and avoid caffeine, alcohol and exercise at night and you need to think of the causes of secondary insomnia, like depression. You also need to ask your sleeping partner about snoring as this can be a sign of sleep apnea, which can be a dangerous cause of insomnia.

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