Sleep problems are common
Wherever you turn, you hear people complaining they had a bad night’s sleep, or they feel whacked out because they woke up too early. In reality, all these “symptoms” are quite normal. So long as you ignore these “symptoms”, they usually go away after a night or so. The situation only becomes abnormal if it lasts for more than a month or so.
So let’s dispose of one of the myths. It’s not a problem if you don’t get eight hours of sleep every night. People sleep as long as they need. If they are excited or stressed, they may sleep less. When they are calm again, they may sleep more. Don’t be alarmed by news and comment suggesting that any given average number of hours is necessary for your good health. You will develop your own sleep cycle and habits. For the most part, these will work well. You need only worry when your normal pattern is disrupted for a significant period of time and you feel adverse side effects.
What is insomnia? Experts distinguish primary and secondary. Primary insomnia means the disorder is sleeplessness. Secondary means the sleep problem is caused by some other health condition or the drugs you are taking to control it. It may be “sleep-onset” where you find it hard to get to sleep, or “sleep-maintenance” where you cannot sleep through the night.
Can drugs help? Of course. Ambien is the tried and tested remedy accepted by health providers as the most reliable. But before you start using a drug like ambien, you should make some changes to your habits. Always go to bed at the same time. Try to rebuild the habit of going to bed to sleep. If you cannot get to sleep, don’t stay in bed. If you lie in bed without sleeping, this can reinforce the habit of not sleeping while lying in bed. Get up after 15 or 20 minutes and do something else until you feel tired. Adopting this small change in your routine can often solve the problem.