I am suffering from insomnia

I always find it difficult to sleep until very early in the morning and only for a few hours. Please can you enlighten me on this? Shira K Insomnia is a feeling of not being able to get enough sleep. It is usually related to finding it hard to get to sleep.   Some of the […]

I always find it difficult to sleep until very early in the morning and only for a few hours. Please can you enlighten me on this?
Shira K

Insomnia is a feeling of not being able to get enough sleep. It is usually related to finding it hard to get to sleep.  
Some of the symptoms of insomnia are:
1.    Difficulty getting to sleep (taking more than 45 minutes to get to sleep)
2.    Difficulty staying asleep (frequent awakenings and difficulty getting back to sleep)
3.    Early morning waking.
4.    Feeling tired and un-refreshed in the morning.
Insomnia can be described as either transient, intermittent or chronic. Transient lasts only a few nights to a few weeks. Intermittent insomnia occurs occasionally but not every night. Chronic insomnia occurs most nights and lasts three or more weeks.
Potential causes
There is no single cause for insomnia but a number of factors are known to contribute.
1.    Lifestyle – eating late at night, jet lag, hunger, alcohol, caffeine, stimulant drugs, including nicotine.
2.    Environment – noise (e.g partner snoring), uncomfortable bed or bedroom.
3.    Physical health problems – sleep apnoea (abnormal breathing while asleep), asthma, tinnitus (musical sound in the ear), pain, prostate problems that mean frequent trips to the toilet at night, and indigestion.
4.    Psychological – including stress or grief.
5.    Mental health problem such as depression or anxiety.
6.    Medication – e.g certain tablets for asthma
7.    Absence of fulfilled sexual life.
8.    Rarely, insomnia occurs even when none of the above are present. This is known as ‘primary’ insomnia.
Suggestive remedies
1.    Avoid taking cat-naps (siesta) during the day.
2.    Reduce the coffee intake especially in the evening.
3.    For those who take alcoholic drink. It should be done in moderation.
4.    Reduce smoking – nigth time breathing problems are more likely in smokers.
5.    Regular exercise, but avoid strenuous activity immediately before going to bed.
6.    Try to get into a daily routine. Go to bed the same time each night and get up the same time each morning.
7.    Avoid heavy or rich meals, especially in the few hours before bedtime.
8.    If you can’t sleep, get up and read in a dim light until you feel sleepy.
9.    Mentally dealing with the day’s unfinished business is also helpful. Writing down any worries to deal with the next day may help to clear them from the mind and prevent them re-surface in the early hours.
Need information on male contraception
Please shed some light on male contraceptive methods.
Abraham M
Contraception is normally aimed at helping women prevent unwanted pregnancy. Not much has been done in the past to develop products that men can use for pregnancy prevention.  
Below are some options.
1.    Condoms are the most common form of male contraception. If condom is used correctly, regularly and consistency, it has over 90% chance of preventing pregnancy.
2.    A vasectomy is typically an in-patient surgical procedure that prevents sperm from traveling out of the testes. The procedure provides a permanent solution for protection against pregnancy. A vasectomy is about 99 percent effective as a form of contraception. A vasectomy is not an immediate solution for pregnancy prevention. Sperm count decreases gradually instead of all at once, so another form of birth control should be used for at least three months following the procedure.
3.    Male contraceptive pill. A male contraceptive pill isn’t available on the market yet, but it’s in the works. The pill would contain a dose of testosterone and taken consistently will significantly reduce sperm count as long as the pill is taken consistently.
4.    Testosterone-based injections. Not yet also in the market. Contraceptive injections are also being tested. Test results show that the shots successfully lower sperm count in participants.