Medically called Insomnia is a condition of sleeplessness and generally you find that it is the older generation and the sick who suffer this problem. This can be caused by various factors or it could also be a combination of both mental and physical aspects that are in some way related to the life of the victim. Jet lag and the shift system in your profession can also contribute to insomnia. It can even be a common problem when you have suddenly lost someone you love very much.

Stress is one of the major causes of sleeplessness. Those people who are worried or depressed about something or those who often experience environmental changes in their place of work etc are also victims of insomnia. Sleeplessness can also be caused by the prevalence of diseases like urinary infections, diabetes, mental illnesses, GERD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, Restless Legs Syndrome and the like. It can also come about as a reaction to certain drugs that you may be taking for some existing illness or due to the victim suffering severe pain from an injury.

There is a misconception that the older you get the lesser you will sleep. But this is not so. Every human being however old requires a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep every day.

People who suffer this condition also find that they are not able to stay asleep for the requisite number of hours. Some of the symptoms of this disorder is a feeling of utter exhaustion, fatigue, sleepiness during the day, tetchiness and a feeling of unease. In such people their work also gets affected and they are unable to concentrate on their daily activities, resulting in accidents and blunders.

One has to get to the root cause for sleeplessness before it can be treated. Practicing good sleeping habits, eating less at night, reducing or even stopping smoking, all help a person to get better sleep. Another method that has been seen successful is the induced sleep technique, where the bedroom is made conducive for sleeping and not for other activities like watching TV etc.

It has been noticed that people who suffer insomnia try desperately to fall asleep and this only succeeds in making matters worse. In such cases it is better to change the sleep pattern. Staying awake doing something till you feel sleepy is one method to cure this illness. But all said and done there are people who require the help of doctors and medications to instigate them to feel relaxed and sleep.