Chronic Insomnia – Why Can’t I Sleep?

Chronic insomnia or a long term pattern of sleeplessness can be a result of many factors and is rarely due to one factor. It is important to become an investigator and detail your diet, lifestyle and worries, so that you may identify what may be the cause or causes. If you can identify a medical condition or event that coincides with your start of chronic insomnia then that is a great start, but more often than not a simple event like an injury or illness starts a chain reaction of other factors that keep the chronic insomnia alive and well even after the original problem has been resolved.

It is important to keep a journal over a couple of weeks so that you may identify your lifestyle habits and concerns. Start by journaling during your time awake at night – at least you will feel like you are working towards solving the problem, and the sheer stress of identifying the cause may assist you in falling asleep. Break the day up into activity, food, drink, emotions, physical activity, environment and times.

For example:

Sunday 14 June 2009 – 10pm – in bed and tired – but no sleep
11pm – out of bed and journaling
12pm – back in bed

Monday 15 June 2009 – Work day (nothing unusual)
3am – still in bed but awake – worried about how tired I will be at 6am
5am – still in bed but decide too late to try and sleep – get up and have shower, dress and breakfast.
Food: Breakfast – cereal and coffee at 5.30am, Snack – coffee and biscuits at 10am, Lunch – Tuna sandwich and yoghurt, Snack – muffin and coffee – 3pm, Dinner – steak and salad – 7pm, Snack – banana 9.30pm
Drinks: 1 glass of water – 10am, 3 cups of coffee, 2 glasses of wine at 7-9pm
Weather – 22 degrees and comfortable day
Physical Activity – walked to and from train station to work – 3 blocks each way at 7.30am and 5pm
Emotions – nothing eventful – calm but physically tired
Medications – 2 x panadol at 7.30am, 3pm and 7pm for ongoing throbbing headache
Physical condition – low grade headache all day, sore neck and lower back, relieved a little by panadol.
Home routine – dinner 7pm, TV 8-10pm, Shower 10pm, Bed 11pm

Repeat this process for at least 14 days and see if you can identify a routine, or lack of routine.