honestly, doctors don't give a shit. they just throw a rx at you to get you off their backs. they just go to work everyday like everyone else because they want a paycheck.

I believe with most people it is psychological. It certainly is with me, although I can't always understand why I can't get to sleep.

I think once you suffer insomnia it is your brain that you may not sleep. Most people don't worry about sleep, they just go to bed and it comes naturally.

Psychologically speaking the worry/fear of not sleeping is what causes insomnia, it is no longer relaxed and natural.

My fiance told me she lay in bed one night thinking of sleeping, she couldn't get to sleep!! Then when she stopped thinking about going to sleep, she fell asleep!

So basically try not to think about it too much.

I've explained to my dr. that I cannot stay asleep at night (no prob getting to sleep). He has just given me one drug or another and none of them will keep me asleep at night. I've been doing this now for over a month and I'm getting really tired of it. I'm considering a sleep disorder clinic to find out why I'm suddenly wide awake at 3-4:30 am every single night.

everyone i've discussed insomnia with, friends and people behind counters at chemists and so on, all tell me that insomnia is psychological and its something ppl are fretting about is why they cant get to sleep. But i find its mostly ppl that dont suffer from insomnia that usually say stuf like this.

Personally im not worried about anything, not uni work or fuk all, but i still have problems falling asleep, so what is it medical or pscyological, i dont care, all i want is to be able t go straight to sleep, when head hits pillow

There are certain medical disorders that can interfere with the onset or duration of sleep. Lupus and Fibromyalgia to name two. I have widespread inflammation of the brain due to vasculitis which I have had for quite some time yet never suffered sleep deprivation like I do now. I am picking mine is medical and therefore pretty much out of my control.I feel the Doctors mostly put it down to psychological when infact it could well be medical. If they dont test further then how do they know. So many people suffer from insomnia you would think they would do more research on the subject.

Kaylish has a good point, Insomnia affects a lot of ppl, and can have major affects on social life, i.e sleeping patterns changing, or not happening at all. If it is caused by medical condition then more research should be done to help that person, but 4 psychological reasons i think theres enough suport groups and therapy sessions to help them

I don't know if it will help anyone here...but I've had insomnia since I was 6...so I know all about having too much energy at an early hour of the morning. However, I found this awesome TEA that helps me sleep. It's the Yogi brand tea. Called Bedtime. Now, I know...it seems pretty dumb, but I've taken a lot of sleeping aids in my time...and this seems to be the only thing that can keep me asleep. I just have to make sure that I don't take it if I have to get up 6 hours later. Cause it has put me out for nearly 12 hours before. YOu could try it. I have.

My Doctor told me when all this nonsense started that " it's a bad habit and you have to retrain yourself ". Seemed callous and cold at the time but if its psychological then thats exactly what you have to do as difficult as it seems.

I actually did a sleep study, a few years ago. They were checking for sleep aphnea. Its a disorder that causes you to wake up because you stop breathing during sleep. They couldn't get a good reading on me because I didn't sleep enough for them to measure it. However, if they can and you have insurance, they can put you on a CPAP machine that helps you to breathe which is suppose to help you have a full night of sleep. I begged for one of these machines however, the nurse said I would have to retest in order to qualify. Since the study is about $2500.00 and my ins. wouldn't go for another study, I never got a machine. You might ask your Dr is he thinks you could do the study. I do have a friend that got a cpap machine, she says since she got it she has no more insomnia.

I sometimes think that until we deal with our emotional issues....we won't be able to move on..i was on anti-depressants, and my psychiatrist gave me tons of different meds to numb my pain....it just numbs u until u finally have had enough and have to get some cognitive behavior therapy...which i'm going to begin...meds just prolong our existence in pain..without actually feeling it!!

I wish you all the best free spirit with CBT. It really is the 'only' long term solution to insomnia. Pill popping whether meds or natural if they work, very quickly become a crutch...something the body relies on and in most circumstances the body will in time build up a tolerance to any of these making them a good short term solution. Might be good today but what about this time next year? Will you still be relying on the pill?

I did the whole psychology thing and the relaxation therapy thing... and I don't think it works for everyone. But It's worth a shot. I reached a dead end with the psychologist and I couldn't take the relaxatione therapist seriously... I;ve tried a variety of over and under counter pills along with herbal medicines... The only thing that put me to sleep regularly was hen I worked construction. 8 hours of manual labor made me sleep. 2 hours of excercise after sitting in a cube all day does not make me sleep... so I try pills. It's definetly mental for most chronic insomniacs and if you can find some drug that numbs that part of your brain you should stick with it.

Insomnia for me is always the first sign that things are about to get bad. I haven't been to my doctor about my insomnia just yet so I can't comment on the pills he'd give out. Unfortunately I'm in Australia, so there won't be a lot of fellow insomniacs to chat too. :( Honestly though, right now I wouldn't mind a couple of pills to give me a few hours of rest.