Apollo Medical Centre, Karapakkam

What is insomnia?

Insomnia includes a wide range of sleeping disorders, from lack of sleep quality to lack of sleep quantity. Insomnia is commonly separated into three types:

• Transient insomnia- occurs when symptoms last up to three nights.
• Acute insomnia- also called short-term insomnia. Symptoms persist for several weeks.
• Chronic insomnia- this type lasts for months, and sometimes years.

According to the national institutes of health, the majority of chronic insomnia cases are side effects resulting from another primary problem.

Insomnia can affect people of any age; it is more common in adult females than adult males. The sleeping disorder can undermine school and work performance, as well as contributing to obesity, anxiety, depression, irritability, concentration problems, memory problems, poor immune system function, and reduced reaction time.

Insomnia has also been associated with a higher risk of developing chronic diseases. According to the national sleep foundation, 30-40 percent of american adults report that they have had symptoms of insomnia within the last 12 months, and 10-15 percent of adults claim to have chronic insomnia

Causes of insomnia

Insomnia can be caused by physical and psychological factors. There is sometimes an underlying medical condition that causes chronic insomnia, while transient insomnia may be due to a recent event or occurrence. Insomnia is commonly caused by:

• Disruptions in circadian rhythm- jet lag, job shift changes, high altitudes, environmental noise, extreme heat or cold.
• Psychological issues- bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, or psychotic disorders.
• Medical conditions- chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, congestive heart failure, angina, acid-reflux disease (gerd), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, sleep apnea, parkinson's and alzheimer's diseases, hyperthyroidism, arthritis, brain lesions, tumors, stroke. Hormones and estrogen, hormone shifts during menstruation.
• Other factors- sleeping next to a snoring partner, parasites, genetic conditions, overactive mind, pregnancy.

Signs and symptoms of insomnia

Insomnia itself may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition. However, there are many signs and symptoms that are associated with insomnia:

Difficulty falling asleep at night. Waking during the night. Waking earlier than desired. Still feeling tired after a night's sleep. Daytime, fatigue or sleepiness. Irritability, depression, or anxiety. Poor concentration and focus. Being uncoordinated, an increase in errors or accidents. Tension headaches (feels like a tight band around head. Difficulty socializing. Gastrointestinal symptoms. Worrying about sleeping.

Sleep deprivation can cause other symptoms. The afflicted person may wake up not feeling fully awake and refreshed, and may have a sensation of tiredness and sleepiness throughout the day.

Having problems concentrating and focusing on tasks is common for people with insomnia. According to the national heart, lung, and blood institute, 20 percent of non-alcohol related car crash injuries are caused by driver sleepiness

Non-pharmacological approaches and home remedies for insomnia include:

• Improving "sleep hygiene"- not sleeping too much or too little, exercising daily, not forcing sleep, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine at night, avoiding smoking, avoiding going to bed hungry, and ensuring a comfortable sleeping environment.
• Using relaxation techniques- such as meditation and muscle relaxation.
• Cognitive therapy- one-on-one counseling or group therapy.
• Stimulus control therapy- only go to bed when sleepy. Avoid watching tv, reading, eating, or worrying in bed. Set an alarm for the same time every morning (even weekends) and avoid long daytime naps.
• Sleep restriction- decrease the time spent in bed and partially deprive the body of sleep, this increases tiredness ready for the next night.

Medical treatments for insomnia include:

Prescription sleeping pills anti-depressants over-the-counter sleep

Who gets insomnia?

Some people are more likely to suffer from insomnia than others; these include:

Travelers - particularly through multiple time zones shift workers with frequent changes in shifts (day vs. Night) the elderlydrug users adolescent or young adult students pregnant women menopausal women those with mental health disorders.

• Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which a person finds it difficult to fall asleep or to stay asleep. Insomnia also includes poor sleep quality, restless sleep, waking up several times during sleep, and feeling un-refreshed or tired after waking up. Homeopathy provides a very safe, effective and non-habit forming treatment of both types of insomnia — acute and chronic. Since the homeopathic medicines are sourced from natural substances, there are no side-effects.
• While insomnia lasting less than a month is considered acute, if the condition continues for more than a month, it is referred to as chronic insomnia. There are various causes of insomnia. The prominent ones are stress, grief, depression, emotional disturbance, intake of stimulants like coffee and alcohol, and a huge number of medical reasons (like heart diseases, breathing disorders, thyroid problems, and rheumatoid arthritis). Insomnia is also one of the major concerns in elderly people.
• Homoeopathy has natural remedies to cure this disorder permanently 
• You can easily take an online consultation for further treatment guidance and permanent cure without any side effects.

• Chronic headache is a common problem in today's life style people. Ayurveda differentiate various type of headache (shirishool) as per involvement of doshas like vata, pitta, kapha, ardhavabhedak, shankhak etc. In modern medicine also gives headache names as per cause like tention headache, migraine. But in general when people have headache call it migraine. As per last 27 years experience mainly two types patients are seen first patients who have acidity and feels head pain and gastritis and second patient who have more stressful life and feels headache in early morning.
•  Ayurveda have very effective treatment of migraine and chronic headache by some oral medicines, panchakarma therapy and diet changes. Most of the patients treated by me got permanent relief. Ayurveda treatment beauty is that it not only cures headache but provide relaxation, detoxification and rejuvenation of the body.

Epilepsy is a disease that affects the brain's nerve cells and triggers the release of abnormal electrical signals. This can cause temporary malfunctioning of the other brain cells and result in sudden loss of consciousness. Epilepsy can affect both children and adults.

Epilepsy can be treated in a number of ways. One of the most preferred forms of treatment is homeopathy. Homeopathy addresses both the physical symptoms of the disease and the underlying factors triggering it. Another big advantage of homeopathic treatment is that it has negligible side effects.

A few homeopathic remedies that can be used to treat epilepsy are:

• Cicuta: Cicuta is very effective when used to treat cases of epilepsy where convulsions are marked by violent, body distortions. This can include the horrific backward bending of the spine (learn about the exercises for spine). These convulsions also make the person's face turn blue and trigger a locked jaw. This can also be used to effectively treat epilepsy cases triggered by head injuries and worms.
• Artemisia Vulgaris: This is used to often treat cases of Petit Mal Epilepsy which are characterized by staring into space, leaning forwards or backwards and stopping a sentence abruptly. It also addresses fear that triggers epileptic attacks.
• Stramonium: Convulsions triggered by exposure to bright lights or shiny objects can be treated with this homeopathic remedy. In such cases, the patient may not lose consciousness but experiences jerks in the muscles of the upper body.
• Cuprum Met: This homeopathic remedy is used to treat seizures that are preceded by experiencing an aura in the knees (know more about the Causes and Symptoms of Knee Pain). Other symptoms that characterize this sort of an epileptic attack are spasms that begin in the fingers and toes and gradually spread to the rest of the body and jerking of muscles. This can also be used to treat convulsions that accompany menstruation and follow the delivery of a baby.
• Bufo Rana: Not all epileptic attacks occur you are awake. Attacks that occur in your sleep can be treated with bufo rana. Such epileptic attacks are accompanied by experiencing an aura in the genital regions. This is especially helpful for women who experience seizures during menstruation.
• Hyoscyamus: Some epileptic fits are followed by a deep sleep. This type of epileptic attacks can be treated with Hyoscyamus. Other symptoms addresses by this homeopathic medicine are fidgeting with bed clothes, fidgeting with fingers and muscular twitching.

These homeopathic remedies can be taken on their own or in combination with other medicines.