|
Sleeplessness Insomnia or sleeplessness is a common complaint1 of women as they enter into menopause. Insomnia means having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep or the feeling that your sleep was not adequate for you. For women who are having night sweats, their sleep is broken by frequent awakening and therefore not refreshing. Generally once2 the night sweats are controlled a normal sleep pattern returns. If it doesnt it may be, or have become chronic insomnia.3 How do you know? If you suffer from insomnia every night or most nights for a period of one month then you have chronic insomnia. If youre not having night sweats then its time to look for other causes of sleeplessness. Depression and anxiety disorders are the most common causes of chronic insomnia. If you feel depressed you need to be checked by a qualified health care provider5. Movement disorders such as restless leg syndrome are second on the list6 of insomnia for them; there are new medicines that may help. Other common causes are shift working, and pain. In up to7 30% of people with chronic insomnia no cause can be identified. Medical treatment of these people has generally been with sleeping pills. It is estimated that 25% of the adult population in America took some type of medicines for sleep last year. It is generally agreed that sleeping pills should only be in the lowest dose8 and for the shortest possible time. | 
