By Jacquie Eubanks
BSN, RN
Almost everyone has occasional bouts of sleeplessness, typically due to stress, anxiety, worry or overstimulation. This is normal and shouldn’t further add to your list of things to worry about, as what’s classified as acute insomnia is usually of brief duration and generally resolves itself. According to the National Institutes of Health, insomnia is a very common problem that affects approximately 30% of Americans. This occasional sleep disruption may result in symptoms such as fatigue, low energy or difficulty concentrating, which can affect your next day’s performance at work or at school. Daily life challenges, emotional upset, grief, hormonal imbalances and unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as overuse of caffeine, tobacco and alcohol, are all believed to contribute to poor quality sleep. While insomnia can occur at any age, women, middle-aged and older adults appear to be at increased risk of sleep disorders.
Chronic insomnia, however, can affect not only your mood and alertness, but also your overall health, your weight, your energy levels and your mental health. While some lifestyle choices may affect healthy sleep patterns, often with chronic insomnia there is a secondary or underlying cause. Medical conditions, such as depression, chronic pain or restless leg syndrome, or side effects of certain medications, such as those used for cardiac or asthmatic conditions, are common factors in chronic insomnia. When insomnia becomes a pattern and interferes with your daily life, you may have chronic insomnia and should see a healthcare provider for diagnosis if:
- You lie awake and have difficulty falling asleep
- You struggle to maintain sleep and wake frequently throughout the night several times a week for several months
- You wake up too early and can’t go back to sleep
- You have poor quality, restless, or non-restorative sleep
- You have any combination of these symptoms
Fortunately, for the majority of us, adopting healthy bedtime habits often make it easier to fall and stay asleep. Many times establishing a routine is effective. Avoiding heavy meals and exercise within 4 hours of bedtime, sticking to a regular schedule of sleep and wake times even on weekends, limiting stimulating activities and evening TV and computer time, establishing a soothing wind down routine, making the bedroom dark and cozy and turning down the temperature are all strategies that can aid more restful sleep.
Professional Supplement Center offers high quality supplement choices to promote restorative sleep. Here are some of our customers’ favorite sleep support products:
Kavinace Ultra PM by NeuroScience – Our most popular sleep supplement, this proprietary blend is designed to relieve symptoms of insomnia, anxiety and stress by providing support for the calming neurotransmitters that promote restorative sleep and a normal sleep cycle. Gluten and soy free.
Insomnitol™ Chewables by Designs for Health® – These great tasting lemon flavored chewable tablets are formulated to supply nutritional support for calm brain activity. Insomnitol™ contains a blend of botanicals, nutrients and neurotransmitter precursors, which help promote the natural ability to fall and stay sleep. Non GMO formulation.
Sleep Time by Nutritional Frontiers – Formulated to support the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin to effectively promote healthy sleep and reduce stress and anxiety. Vegetarian capsules.
References:
About Insomnia. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0023585/
It’s Time to Do Something About Your Sleep. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/shrink/201403/its-time-do-something-about-your-sleep
Insomnia Overview. http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/primary-insomnia/overview.html
Insomnia: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9155.php?page=2
