An increasingly large number of people are experiencing difficulty sleeping and our society as a whole is suffering from the results.

We all deserve a good night’s sleep, but when we don’t, our lives start to change. In the short term, difficulty sleeping isn’t a problem and can be easily modified but left to develop over time we could have a major problem on our hands.

We start to look and feel tired. We tend towards irritability and illogical mood changes rather than calm logical decision making. We can’t focus, listen for any length of time and our memory looses its edge Delicate and precise becomes lumbering and inaccurate and in the extreme, our ability to operate machinery of any kind looses all judgment and control.

Further sleep difficulties can cause a breakdown in our immune system, a rise in blood pressure and possible pressure on the heart. Left un-modified for very long, chronic insomnia will develop, perhaps sleep apnea and even a disruption of the sleep phases and para-somnias such as night terrors.

I think that if you are experiencing difficulty sleeping then you first have to examine for yourself, the answers to the question: “What exactly is the problem with my sleep?” Secondly you will need to share this information with your doctor. Yes, it could be serious and you will need professional help!

1…Try asking yourself the question first!

When you ask the question, “What exactly is the problem with my sleep?” you will tend to answer in one of five possible ways. They are as follows:

* I Have a Problem Falling Asleep: this may occur on first going to bed which could be the start of sleep latency or onset insomnia, or it may occur during the night, which is more of a sleep fragmentation often caused by jet-lag or shift-work disruption.

* I Have a Problem Staying Awake: this could be early signs of narcolepsy especially if you are falling asleep at inappropriate times and loosing control of your limb. It could also be a sign of extreme tiredness due to sleep apnea occurring during the night.

* I Have a Problem Getting Up in the Mornings: this may be a problem with sleep inertia where it takes an hour or more to become fully awake. This could be caused by sleep apnea or a delayed sleep phase disorder.

* My Sleeping is Disrupted: such things as sleep-walking, sleep-terrors, nightmares or bruxism (teeth grinding!) may be occurring during your normal sleep time. These are known as para-somnias and often require treatment.

* My Sleeping Partner Affects My Sleep: this is usually caused by a partner snoring, having restless legs, excessive teeth grinding or constantly waking up from sleep apnea. You won’t sleep well until their problems are solved!

2…Now do something about it!

Once you have decided on the parameters of your sleeping difficulties you are armed with information that should be shared with your doctor. You could learn more by visiting our website, but whatever you decide to do, you should include a visit to your doctor to share your concerns. Step two is to "Take Action" because if you leave these nagging sleep difficulties for any length of time you could be putting yourself at risk.

We all tend to have difficulty sleeping at some time or another but if the problem persists we need to take action before the problem becomes chronic. Look carefully at your needs, collect information and share it all with your doctor for only the health professionals in your life can direct the correct and most appropriate remedies that suit your situation.

We are all a little different but we all need and deserve a good nights rest!

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