Insomnia - My Sleep Journal and How I Treated It

For about the last three years I've had quite a difficult time falling asleep and then remaining asleep during the course of the night. I didn't give it much thought at first. After all, I was dealing with the difficulty of divorce, two teenagers, a move into the desert and I was approaching menopause. But, when the symptoms continued I began to do a little research.

Insomnia, for the most part (according to emedicine dot com), affects women more often then men-a most annoying statistic for us already. Almost 50% of the population has suffered with this lack-of-sleep dilemma at one time or another and 10% actually fall under the chronic insomnia classification. If your insomnia, as mine did, lasts more than three weeks you are considered a chronic insomniac. But apparently if I had addressed the issue from the beginning, my sleepless nights might already have been a thing of the past.

For me, I learned that menopause (or perimenopause), though it wasn't the entire problem, played a major part in my symptoms. So I contacted my doctor to see what he could do for me. However, I wanted nothing to do with sleeping pills and other drugs and therefore, I began asking questions of my friends who did not use conventional medicine.

I wound up reading articles, for the most part online, by other women who suffered from the same symptoms I did and found the Women to Women website. Their clinic also has a hotline for you that you can call anytime: 1(800)340-5382 if you're interested.

The simplest answer I received, from both my friends who worked in the medical field and from Women to Women, was to start exercising and find a good diet that would work for me. I complied. Exercising became a daily 20-minute routine (I have upped that to 60 minutes) and my meals included a healthy amount of fruit, raw vegetables and fish-the latter apparently was what I needed most.

Vitamins became a part of my life as well. But nothing over the counter actually worked for me. As a matter of fact I started having a few problems (you might never encounter) such as constipation, bloating 24/7, and though I could probably never prove it . . . fibroid tumors. Dr. Dixie Mills MD (Women to Women website) has a list of questions on the site in order to find out how advanced your insomnia actually is and why you have it.

Finally, I decided to buy a supply of their Herbal Equilibrium, a natural botanical solution of vitamins. This is in no way an advertisement for them but these vitamins became a part of a healthier lifestyle.

At any rate, I started sleeping and breathing better but on occasion, when insomnia comes back, as I do tend to leave my healthy habits once in a while or my supply of vitamins runs out, I remind myself to get back on track with the simple things. Not only do I need to eat right, so to speak, but I need to stop eating at a certain time. Late night eating not only hurts my stomach (I feel like I've eaten a bag of bricks) but it seems to add to my difficulty of sleeping. It might be obvious to you but I would recommend that you don't eat candy or any other sweets when you are getting ready to go to bed. I guess this would include sodas. Coffee and even hot chocolate doesn't help either. Water tastes so much better and truly quenches the thirst.

In any case, living in the desert has created its own problems for me. When night time comes, for some reason I lose my ability to breathe properly. Sometimes I wake up gasping for air. Therefore, it's been hard to maintain a good level of sleep. Recently, I started using a dab of Vick's Rub and this did the trick. Keeping my windows closed at night has turned things around also.

Furthermore, I've realized that relaxing before your head hits the pillow is a good exercise. Stretch your muscles, take a few cleansing breaths, or listen to your favorite music. Clearing your mind of the day's hassles and worries can do wonders for attaining deep, restful sleep. What can anxiety add to your life, except loss of sleep? Read an inspirational book, don't watch television, or drink a nice glass of warm milk or chamomile tea (Sleep Deprivation dot com).

These, I'm sure, are simple solutions to rid yourself of insomnia but it has worked for me.