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Q: Various causes of insomnia
asked by: DoctorQuestion on June 16th, 2009
I've always had trouble sleeping, my mother tells me even when I was a baby I hardly slept. I have a problem now that even when I'm sleepy I can't fall asleep because I cant stop thinking, no matter how hard I try (I try breathing techniques and all sorts of things, nothing helps). What can I do?
Also sometimes when I fall asleep in the day, sometimes voluntarily or sometimes no matter how hard I try I still fall asleep (one time in hight school I fell asleep while writing a sentence, that hasnt happened in a while though), and I have great difficulty waking myself up, it takes me a good long time to pull myself awake, plus my heartbeat is really fast when I eventually wake myself up. What is that? What can I do?


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Dr. Andrijana Shterjovska , MD
replied on June 22nd, 2009
Sleep Disorders Answer A6832


Given the data you reported (having trouble falling asleep) you might be experiencing insomnia. Insomnia is a symptom that is used for difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both.

Insomnia is considered only a symptom of a sleep disorder. As there are many types of sleep disorders, you might want to visit a neurologist to check what might be causing the condition.

Many factors might contribute to insomnia, such as: psychoactive drugs or stimulants, hormone shifts, certain neurological disorders, and disturbances of the circadian rhythm. Stress and anxiety caused by everyday problems like: work problems, financial stress, and family or relationship problems might additionally affect the insomnia.


When talking to a neurologist you might want to think about various of these possible causes and present them to the doctor. A psychotherapist might be helpful in addition to prescribed medications.

In the end, please note that the medication you take (Imovane-generic name: zopiclone) is not recommended for applications longer than 7 to 10 consecutive days. You might discuss this with the neurologist, as well.




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