Transient Insomnia
Is a temporary bout of insomnia, often caused by environmental changes disrupting a persons sleep for a night or two. Other things such as jet-lag can disturb sleep patterns. The majority of people suffering from this type of insomnia just need a period of time to adjust to there new sleeping patterns.

Acute Insomnia
This can last from 1 night to a few weeks, a can be caused by a variety of factors, but is not as serious as chronic insomnia.

Chronic Insomnia
This is the most serious case of the three and is also known as long-term insomnia. It can last for years among sufferers, plaguing them throughout life. Insomnia is classified as chronic when a person has trouble sleeping for 3 times a week or more for over a periods of at least a month.

There are also 2 categories insomnia can fall into for causes, they are;

Primary insomnia
Meaning that your insomnia is not directly related to any other health problem or environmental cause.

Secondary insomnia
Is that your insomnia is the result of another health condition, the most common types of secondary (otherwise known as co- morbid) insomnia include;

• Depression – 70% of all sufferers report symptom of insomnia
• Side effects from other medications
• Being in pain or difficulty e.g arthritis or asthma can hinder sleep
• Substance abuse – such as alcohol or drugs
• Stress worry and anxiety
• Environmental change – such as difficulty adjusting to climate

Insomnia happens when the body and mind are not able to reach the level of relaxation and rest that is necessary in order to fall asleep. It can be very frustrating to those who suffer from it because they may feel as though they are relaxed, and may feel sleepy, but be unable to fall asleep. For some, it is a matter of not being able to sleep through the night.

Whatever it is that causes insomnia, if you go on for nights without being able to sleep, you need to figure out what you can do to make it better, and find a way to be able to sleep. It can be as easy as trying different types of relaxation techniques and finding ways to be able to relax your body and your mind to the point that you are able to fall asleep. While these techniques may work for some people, others are not able to go without trying a medication. You can find a lot of medications that are available for helping you fall asleep, and some are available over the counter, while others require a prescription to take them.

You may have heard about potential negative side effects that you could experience by taking treating insomnia with medication and sleep products, and while some people may experience some of the negative side effects, others find that it is the only way to be able to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Talk to your doctor about what medications are available, and what may be a good one for you to try if you have tried other things, and are still unable to get the sleep that you need.

Without the proper amount of sleep each night, our bodies can begin to wear down and it can be difficult to carry on our normal functions each day. Over time, if we are deprived of sleep, or of the amount of sleep that we need, we do have the threat of developing other health conditions. Sleep is one of the most important functions that we can do each day. During sleep, the body rests and rejuvenates. Without the ability to fully rest and get the amount of sleep that we need, it can be difficult to get through a busy day.

Some people find relief from the use of sleep aids. They are available in different formulas, strengths and dosages. There are some that you can find in a drug store and over the counter, while others that are stronger or contain certain ingredients need to be prescribed by a doctor. The kind that works for you may take you trying a few of them until you find the one that does the best. Your doctor can work with you to help decide what kinds may be the most effective, and pose a low threat of developing other negative side effects.

Of course there are natural sleep aids that are also available like melatonin. This common ingredient in natural sleep aids has been working for a lot of people to treat insomnia, and it does not have all of the negative effects like some narcotics and other stronger forms of sleep aids do. Before you try any kind of sleep aid, you want to make sure that you discuss all of the options with your doctor. If you are on any other kinds of medications, your doctor may prescribe another form of sleep aid for you that can work better and be safe for you to use.

Insomnia can be a very difficult problem to correctly fix at first, because it can take a while to figure out what is causing it, and what you can do to prevent it. For some it may be as simple as eliminating certain foods or drinks close to the time that they go to bed, for others, it can be more complex and require the use of medications to fall asleep. When you find yourself having a hard time getting to sleep, there can be a number of relaxation techniques that you can try to see if you can relax yourself enough to eventually drift off into sleep.

One of the commonly used relaxation techniques is drinking hot tea. Decaffeinated hot tea is one of the best things that you can try before going to bed. The herbal goodness of hot tea, can relax you, and help your body relax. You can also try listening to relaxation music. This works for a lot of people who are having problems going to sleep because they are stressed out about something, or have a lot of other distractions that are keeping them from falling asleep. You can also do Yoga or other meditation exercises that when done at the time when you are trying to relax your body, can help you to fall asleep.

If you try many of these and other remedies and are still not able to get to sleep or stay asleep, it may be time to talk to your doctor about possible treatment options that may be available for you to try. Not getting the proper amount of sleep for a period of time, can cause other health conditions and can cause you to become more stressed and have difficulties during the day due to lack of sleep.