Lack of sleep can make life unbearable. There are many physical and mental health problems associated with insomnia. Lack of sleep can easily make people cranky and less able to function. There is also evidence that suggests other dangers associated with insomnia; these could pose long-term consequences for people’s health and ability to enjoy life.

Insomnia is difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep for long enough to feel refreshed the next morning, even though you've had enough opportunity to sleep.Most people have problems sleeping at some point in their life. It's thought that a third of people in the UK have bouts of insomnia. Insomnia tends to be more common in women and more likely to occur with age.

It's difficult to define what normal sleep is as everyone is different. Your age, lifestyle, environment and diet all play a part in influencing the amount of sleep you need.

It's thought that up to a third of people in the UK have symptoms of insomnia at some point in the year,

The most common symptoms of insomnia are:

The symptoms of insomnia depend on the type of sleeping problem that you have. A lack of sleep can affect your mood and cause tiredness and fatigue during the day.

•lying awake for a long time at night before falling asleep
• waking up several times in the middle of the night
• waking up early in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep
• feeling tired and not refreshed by sleep
• not being able to function properly during the day and finding it difficult to concentrate
• being irritable

How much sleep do I need?
As every individual is different, it's difficult to define what ‘normal sleep’ is. Factors that influence the amount of sleep you need include your age, lifestyle, diet and environment.

For example, newborn babies can sleep for 16 hours a day, while school-age children need to have an average of 10 hours sleep. Most healthy adults sleep for an average of seven to nine hours a night. As you get older, it's normal to find sleep more difficult to maintain, although you still need the same amount of sleep.

About 10-15 percent of Americans suffer from chronic insomnia, and while this type of condition is not deadly in and of itself, it can lead to a whole host of other disturbing mental and physical effects.

The ill effects of insomnia can be immediate after just one sleepless night. (Even not getting enough sleep per night can be dangerous: studies show that mortality rates spike in those that sleep drastically less than seven hours a night.) According to recent research by Matthew Walker, director of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, the amygdala—the part of the brain that alerts the body to be prepared in times of danger—goes haywire when a full night's sleeplessness occurs. That in turn wreaks havoc on the prefrontal cortex, which controls our logical reasoning and "fight or flight" reflex, turning us, as Walker says, into "emotional Jell-O." Memory capacity and speech control diminish; irritability spikes.

Struggling to sleep? You'll pack on the kilos: study

At the same time, some studies have shown that cortisol, a hormone related to stress and depression and linked to cardiovascular disease, is building up in the body instead of being moderated by a good night's rest. Concentration is kaput. The muscles ache. What's worse, the external, ordinary dangers of modern life become many times more deadly: according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are about 200,000 car accidents a year caused by sleepy drivers, killing more people than drunk driving. Essentially robbed of its power to encode or consolidate memories after just one day, the brain quickly instead begins to mimic the profile of people with acute psychiatric disorders.

There have been a number of other risks associated with acute or chronic insomnia. It can have an impact on both physical and mental health.

1.Lack of sleep may lead to the development of type two diabetes. A study by the University of Buffalo in 2009 found that participants who slept for less than six hours a night were up to five times more likely to have impaired fasting glucose levels; this is often viewed as a precursor to developing type two diabetes.
2.Those who suffer with chronic insomnia are believed to be more prone to illness and accidents.
3.Long term insomnia means that individuals are more susceptible to reacting badly to stressors. This increases the risk of developing mental illness; many of those with chronic insomnia have been known to turn to substance abuse for help. Reliance on night sedation can become a big problem with its own risks.
4.Lack of sleep can lead to decreased performance and problems with memory. This can affect every aspect of a person’s life and could even make them more at risk of car accidents or for making errors when operating dangerous machinery.
5.Tiredness makes it harder for individuals to find enjoyment in life. If people are tired all the time, they don’t want to do anything. Maintaining a social life can be difficult due to a lack of energy.

The dangers of insomnia mean that it is important for those with insomnia to find ways to deal with the problem. If it continues for a long period it may be necessary to seek medical advice

As insomnia is not an illness or a disease, simply a symptom of other underlying cause. So its important to understand the root cause and find a cure for it. There are several alternative non-drug measures and natural solutions to insomnia and other sleep disorders. These promote better sleeping habits and help in making sleep better. Its very important to avoid chronic dependence on insomnia drugs

Acupuncture for Sleep Disorders,and Insomnia.

Acupuncture, a form of alternative medicine, is becoming an increasingly popular method to treat many medical conditions, including sleep disorders.

Sleeping pills vs Acupuncture

Most of us Know Acupuncture dates back thousands of years and is rooted in Eastern healing practices. But did you know It's based on a concept that all disease, including sleep problems , is the result of an imbalance of subtle energy moving throughout the body. This energy moves along 12 pathways in the body called meridians.

Through the ages, practitioners have identified and charted these meridians. Treatment by acupunctur used to involves inserting very fine needles at various points along these meridians to increase, decrease, or balance the energy flow, now there are very simple to use Electronic acupuncture systems ,with a proven track record...

Does the medical field approve of acupuncture?
There are more than 16,000 licensed acupuncturists in the United States and 3,000 physicians who perform acupuncture as part of their medical practice. The World Health Organization currently recognizes more than 40 medical problems -- including pain, sleep,gastrointestinal, gynecological, and respiratory conditions as well as sports injuries -- can be helped by acupuncture treatment. Lastly, in 1996 the U.S. Food and Drug administration (FDA) reclassified acupuncture needles, regulating them as it does other medical devices.

Sometimes internal imbalances of the internal organs, known as the zhang-fu, can lead to sleep disorders.

One result is a mind which never shuts down and is still active when the patient lies down in bed. Another disorder results in a quiet mind, but the patient remains awake and unable to fall asleep. Disorders of the zhang fu or the channels can lead to awakening after falling asleep, sometimes at the same time every night.

From a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) point of view,The vast majority of sleep problems are emotionally based. In TCM each of the internal organ systems is correlated with an emotion: The lung organ system is associated with grief and sadness, the liver with anger and frustration, the kidney with fear, the spleen with worry and the heart with joy. An excess of any of these emotions can adversely effect the organ system and conversely, if the organ system is affected, the associated emotional state may be elicited. Since all the organ systems are connected internally by a series of pathways (called meridians), any disturbance in one system will, over time, effect the others.

For centuries, the Chinese have been using acupuncture to help people sleep better. Acupuncture can have a powerfully relaxing effect. When stress has been identified as the root of the problem then acupuncture for sleep can be part of the solution.

Emotional Problems:Acupuncture can calm the mind and promote sleep
Another cause for insomnia can be emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. Often you can hear hear acupuncturists use the expression ‘calm the mind’. The calming state of relaxation and well-being induced by acupuncture in general and by some specific points is favourable to stilling thoughts.

So Acupuncture may be an excellent treatment option for many types of sleeplessness.

Many people looking at acupuncture charts,,go into withdrawal :) so many points, where to put the units?

Here are some of the most commonly used traditional points for sleeplessness set out for you in easy diagrams

Sleep

Insomnia

Enhance your Energy or your Qi

Other Sleep Points 1. The Hand: With your palm facing up, find the juncture where the wrist meets the hand with the thumb of your other hand; 2.apply to the spot between your eyebrows, at the juncture of the bridge of your nose and your forehead. 3.the points at the indentation at the base of the skull on the back of the head; move outward an inch on both sides of the skull at the hairline SOME ACUPUNCTURE POINTS WHICH TREAT HEADACHE San Jiao 17 Chinese Name: Yifeng (excellent point for Liver heat in patients who always complaint with insomnia or headache) Neiguan(PC6) Location: On the palmar side of the forearm and on the line connecting Quze(PC3) and Daling(PC7), 2 cun above the crease of the wrist. Zhaohai (KI6) Location : On the medial border of the foot, in the depression below the tip of the medial malleolus. Shen Men (HT 7)   Repeat, treatments have a cumulative effect. Sometimes lasting results are immediate, but most often it takes a while. Each time you activate the Healing Response it brings the system closer to normal. If you do not get a response quickly you can increase the frequency of treatment. Some acupuncturists report treating people 160 times from a few minutes up to 20 minutes. As you repeatedly stimulate the points over time the nervous system learns a new response to the problem. Sometimes it is like teaching puppies a new trick. At first you must coach them frequently and then one day they know the new trick. Sometimes this is learned for life, but most often you will just need to remind them of the trick you want them to remember. As you know each puppy is different and the more difficult the trick the more you must work to get the learned response. Long-term results with acupuncture depend on repeated use. If you have difficulties getting results, be patient and keep trying.

Quality sleep makes a huge impact in your well-being and quality of life. Acupuncture can help you find better sleep, find relief from insomnia, and have lots of energy to get through the day.

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