How To Break The "Can't Get No Sleep" Cycle

Does this describe you? You're tired all day long, but when night comes you can't fall asleep. When morning dawns, if you have managed to fall asleep, you can't imagine crawling out to face another day. You're irritable all the time, and that's just not normal for you. You can't seem to make a decision on anything. Things you used to be able to do are really difficult now. You've told yourself "I can't get no sleep" so many times, you actually believe you may never get a good night's sleep ever again.

If this describes how you feel, then you are almost certainly suffering from insomnia and sleep deprivation. Something is making it impossible for you to sleep well -- this is the insomnia. Not being able to sleep for just a few nights is enough to cause sleep deprivation. When you've been deprived of the sleep you need, you're literally an accident waiting to happen. Road accidents, injuries on the job, bad decisions -- practically anything is possible when you haven't had enough sleep. In fact, the symptoms of sleep deprivation are virtually indistinguishable from alcohol intoxication.

It's essential that you break out of the cycle. Finding the cause of your insomnia should be your single-minded focus. Insomnia is often a side effect of prescription medications. Are you taking any long-term medications for a physical or mental condition? Don't stop taking anything without talking to your doctor. But you should tell your physician about your problems sleeping -- there may be alternatives available.

Of course many people have insomnia with no medications at all. Sometimes the cause of your sleeplessness are specific choices you're making every day. How much caffeine do you take in every day, and at what times? You may want to cut down or eliminate caffeine to see if it makes a difference in your sleep patterns. The same goes for alcohol. You might think it helps you sleep, but the opposite is true. As your body processes the alcohol, it actually produces a stimulant that wakes you up later.

If medication is not the problem, many people find that some new habits can eliminate insomnia. But if you need more help, try some of the natural sleep remedies that are available. They are safer, more effective and carry less risk of dependency than prescription sleeping pills. And please, please, stop saying over and over "I can't get no sleep." If you tell yourself that often enough, you'll begin to believe it. Try affirming your ability to sleep instead.