Insomnia, as anyone who has ever dealt with it knows, is an incredibly difficult thing to live with. You’re tired, exhausted and you want nothing more than to sleep but your body simply won’t let you. There are many causes of insomnia, sometimes medical and sometimes psychological, but if you suffer, the most important thing you want to know is how to fix it.

The good news is there are many treatments for insomnia. Something might work for you and not your neighbor while a treatment that’s been successful for your neighbor might do nothing for you. There really is an element of trial and error in figuring out what’s going to work. Some effective treatment options are medical (prescription medication) but others are about behavior and changing habits.

Sleep hygiene is an interesting tool for insomnia that deals specifically with improving the quality of your sleep. Those following this line of thinking, for example, will avoid oversleeping, will exercise on a regular basis (but never in the hours just before bed) and will try to develop a regular pattern of wake and sleep regardless of the day or season. Those following this therapy will also avoid caffeine, alcohol and smoking. The bedroom environment will be adjusted as well so that it’s conducive to relaxation.

Relaxation therapy involves things like doing yoga before bed or meditating, and changing the environment of the bedroom like playing soothing music or controlling the light in the room better. Stimulus control is all about controlling the stimuli in your bedroom. It’s similar to sleep hygiene in that you control the stimuli that might affect your ability to sleep. It’s also important to adopt a natural sleep pattern (go to bed when sleepy, for example), adjusting how you use the bed and using it for only sleeping (no television, no reading, no worrying).

Most experts will tell you that if you have sleep problems, you should never oversleep. Even on weekends, when people are prone to “catching up”, it’s best to keep a regular sleep schedule so the body can develop healthy rhythms.

There are medications you can take for insomnia, and some people find that they can use these with success, especially when combined with the non-medical treatments.

Some medications that doctors regularly prescribe for insomnia include the popular Lunesta and Ambien. Some doctors like to prescribe Halcion. Doctors also often recommend the over-the-counter melatonin, since melatonin is naturally produced in our bodies and helps to control sleep, but production of it slows as we age and contributes to sleep problems.

Insomnia can be tough to live with and it’s fair to say that it’s exhausting, but with some effort, you can deal with the challenges of insomnia.

Tired of laying there staring at the ceiling all night? Why not get some insomnia tips that will help you get asleep at last.