Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or difficulty remaining asleep. it is a common complaint; one in three adults suffer from insomnia at some point in their lives. symptoms include daytime fatigue, irritability, tearfulness and headaches. The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person and maybe as little as 3 hours per night or as many as 10 hours; most adults require 7 or 8.
Many people believe they need more sleep than is strictly necessary and worry unnecessarily about insomnia. It is also the case that people with insomnia sleep more than they realize, but since they wake frequently the quality of sleep is poor.
Causes.
The usual cause of insomnia is stress or worry. waking in the middle of the night or very early in the morning and being unable to get back to sleep is a common characteristic of depression and of old age. Other causes of insomnia include;
Excessive caffeine and or alcohol.
Environmental factors such as noise.
Physical disorders such as any condition causing pain.
Sleep apnoea, (temporary cessation of breathing).
Restless leg syndrome.
prostate issues.
Psychiatric illness such as depression, mania or schizophrenia.
The use of some drugs both prescribed and illicit.
The usual medical treatment is sleeping pills which do not address the cause.
Establishing a regular routine of activity during the day and set times for going to bed and getting up may solve the problem.
Natural treatment for insomnia would include acupuncture, herbal medicine and a supplement.
At Acu-Care Naturopathics, I regularly treat insomnia using a combination of homeopathy western herbal medicine supplements and of course acupuncture.
Regardless of your medically diagnosed condition natural medicine has something to offer either as a stand alone treatment or as complementary treatment along side orthodox treatment.
The Acu-Care Naturopathic clinic is suitably located for many of Perth’s suburbs and is particularly handy for; Belmont, south perth, vic park, lathlain, Carlisle, kewdale, rivervale, redcliffe, Burswood, and cloverdale.
To find out more about acupuncture and how it can help you call 9478-1415 or better still make an appointment today.
Best of health
Paul Neilson