If you suffer from sleep problems during the night, then your days probably aren't going very well either. Almost one out of every three adults is affected by conditions that damage the quality of their sleep. Some of the more commons problems reported include restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, and insomnia.

Sleep disorders can be caused by a wide range of factors, but they essentially add up to one thing: sleep deprivation. Each one of us requires a different amount of sleep at night. Although the amount that we need can be different, we all share one thing in common. If we don't get enough sleep, the effects of sleep deprivation will begin to affect us almost immediately.

Lack of sleep will have different effects on different people. Some may notice difficulty concentrating at work. Another common effect that lack of sleep has on people is irritability or sleepiness throughout the day. Losing sleep at night can lead to a day filled with aching muscles or feelings of fatigue. There could be mental effects as well, like difficulty remembering things and an inability to cope with stress.

Insomnia is the most common sleep problem. Whether insomnia is transient, intermittent, or chronic, it interferes with your body's natural ability to heal itself. Instead of awaking refreshed and energetic, insomnia sufferers deal with a decreasing quality of life, and could be putting themselves and others in danger.

Insomnia can have many causes and there are a variety of alternative treatments available. But the quick and easy answer for many is to use a sleeping pill. Although sleep aids may offer some short-term relief, in the long run they could be damaging your body's natural sleep rhythms. Taking sleeping pills for an extended period of time could put you in a worse situation than you are in today.

Before you begin to rely on sleeping pills, you should explore other options. There may be some simple lifestyle changes you could make that would have a positive effect on your ability to sleep. Sleep problems are often related to choices and actions that we can easily change. For example, making some adjustments to your diet would be much better than becoming dependent on prescription drugs. A good first step is to educate yourself about sleep, the stages of sleep, and the ways that you can develop your own healthy sleep habits. This will put you on the way to finding a healthy solution that doesn't involve depending on a bottle.