Insomnia

Nearly everyone has problems sleeping at some point in their life and it is thought that more than a third of people in the UK have bouts of insomnia. Insomnia appears to be more common in women and is more likely to occur in teenagers or with age. There are a number of possible causes for insomnia, such as anxiety or depression.

Symptoms of anxiety can include:

• lying awake for a long time at night before actually falling asleep
• waking up several times throughout the night
• waking up very early in the morning and not being able to fall back to sleep 
• feeling tired
• not feeling refreshed by sleep
• not being able to function properly during the day
• having difficulty concentrating
• being irritable with things and people

Treatment of insomnia varies depending on the individuals case. The first thing doctors will do is try and sort out any underlying problem such as depression to see if that helps. If there is no apparent cause they will advise on a good sleep routine or in more severe cases may provide sleeping tablets.