Insomnia Support Group
Insomnia is a symptom, rather than a disease, and is characterized by inadequate quantity or quality of sleep. People with insomnia complain of difficulty falling or staying asleep, which results in significant impairment of daytime functioning. Insomnia is categorized as transient (shorter than one week), short-term (one to three weeks) or chronic (longer than three...
I’m 14 years old and I don’t know exactly how long I’ve been dealing with insomnia, awhile I suppose. I’ve never been to a doctor about it or told my mother. Any humane and normal person could see that I have insomnia based on the fact my sleeping issues are every symptom of insomnia. I plan on telling my mom, but she’ll just blame me for “being on my phone” or “staying up too late.” And if I go to a doctor, I don’t know if I’d be able to handle the hassel of theropy and sleeping pills.
1. Start keeping a very consistent sleep-wake schedule. Very important to have a consistent wake time 7 days a week if you can. Do not allow yourself to sleep in, and avoid napping.
2. Only allow the minimum time you need in bed for proper sleep. At your age, this is on the order 8 to 10 hours, but as you get older it gets less. 7 to 9 for adults.
3. Avoid any sort of caffeine later in the day, including colas.
4. Try to get some good exercise, even walking, most every day.
5. Then just let go the worry best you can, and be confident your sleep system is stronger than your insomnia, which is what sleep science tells us.
Basically try to tire yourself out best you can most every day, both mentally and physically. Stay involved with your friends and busy with school. Doing all this tends to help improve your sleep.