Insomnia

Condition Description

A condition under which one has trouble falling or staying asleep. Some individuals fall asleep easily but wake up too soon thereafter, often still feeling tired

Common Symptoms

• Difficulty falling asleep or remaining asleep
• Lack of deep sleep
• Chronic tiredness

Underlying Causes

• Insomnia is a symptom for a range of underlying problems that can be psychological, physical or a combination of both
• Physical causes include excessive stimulants in the form of caffeine, prescription drugs, or illegal narcotics
• Environmental causes include food allergies, yeast overgrowth, and chemical sensitivity
• Nutritional deficiencies, such as magnesium
• Sleep apnea or any condition causing tissue hypoxia (low oxygen)

Traditional Approach

• Address psychological stress
• Sedatives like Zaleplon (Sonata), Eszopiclone (Lunesta), and Zolpidem (Ambien)
• Benzodiazepine receptor agonists like Triazolam (Halcyon), Estazolam (Prosom), and Temazepam (Restoril)
• Tricyclic antidepressants like Amitriptyline (Elavil), Doxepin (Sinequan), and Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
• Non-tricyclic antidepressants like Trazadone (Desyrel), and Nefazodone (Serazone)

EHAC Approach

• First identify potential underlying causes like the use of prescription drugs (treating those conditions as well)
• Reduce exposure to stimulants like caffeine
• Identify and treat any environmental causes
• Magnesium and melatonin at night to induce natural sleep
• Natural herbs like chamomile tea, valerian, passionflower, or amino acids like L-theanine, and 5-hydroxytryptophan