Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized difficulty in falling and/or staying asleep. Different people requires different amount of sleep. On the average an adult requires about 7 hours per night. Others may need 9 to 10 hours. As we age we require less rest each night. Some people need only 4 to 5 hours per night.

Insomnia can affect:

• our energy level

• mood

• our health

• our immune system

• our job

• our family

Finding the underlying cause of insomnia is necessary before we can cure it.

There are 2 types of insomnia:

Temporary Insomnia: This type lasts from a few nights to a few weeks to a few months depending on the seriousness of the condition affecting it. Causes could be jet lag, short-term anxiety or stress caused by work.

Chronic Insomnia: The inability to falling or maintaining sleep every night for more then 1 year. Usually it is without any apparent reason.

Causes of Insomnia

Allopathic people and knowledgeable herbalists view differently the cause of insomnia. For allopathic people the causes of insomnia are:

• stress

• anxiety

• depression

• drug/stimulant

• change in environment

• sickness like diseases that cause pain

Therefore insomnia is cause by external factors or pathogenic influences.

For allopathic people this observation is true, but only up to a point. For traditional people,  the view is that these pathogenic influences that causes insomnia will only affect a person temporarily. But if these problems are not dealt with permanently then eventually they could affect the internal system. And the person end up suffering from chronic insomnia.

Take for example a person who has a weak lung condition. This will cause the person to suffer regularly from cold or flu. Too much drug medication would affect his/her immune system. As a result, with the work pressure that person is going through, he/she may also suffer from stress and anxiety. Eventually this person's liver would be affected by the side effects of drugs. Eventually the kidneys too would also be affected. So from one problem it became a multiple system dysfunction.

Insomnia is usually caused by multiple organs dysfunction. Due to the dysfunction of so many organ systems, this person would develop chronic insomnia. So to the herbalists temporary insomnia is the result of environmental and temporary socio-physiological factors. But because these are not dealt with effectively and permanently then temporary insomnia develops into chronic insomnia. For example if the initial weak lungs condition had been dealt with permanently with lung rejuvenating and strengthening herbs then the problem would not have degenerated into a permanent serious condition.

Before the first problem could be treated (i.e. weak lungs condition) the drug medication had affected another system. The key to treatment is not only to kill the the virus but it must include medication to strengthen the lungs so that there would not be any more further attack. But because allopathic medication do not know how to strengthen the lungs, the initial condition eventually affects another system within the body.

Treatment for Insomnia

For synthetic people the treatment method for insomnia is either to change the behavioral pattern (sleep pattern or sleep in a more quite place) of the sufferer or give them more medication. The usual medications for insomnia is to prescribe would be sleeping pills or antidepressant drugs or antihistamines medication (to induce drowsiness). All these drugs have side effects. These medication can induce physiological or physical dependence i.e. the users can become drug addicts. So what they are saying is, there is no cure. (From lung problems to drug dependency!!).

The most intelligent method is to use a safe herbal holistic approach to treat insomnia permanently. Throughout history insomnia has been treated successfully using time tested and product tested holistic herbal medication to break the cycle. Those who have recovered from insomnia would vehemently testify to their effectiveness. There are those who had been on sleeping pills for 30 years because of insomnia problem but recover after they switched to time tested formula.

The key to treating chronic insomnia is to treat the internal system that has gone out of sync because of disruptive drugs and stressful lifestyles. Herbs have to be used to harmonize the 5 Elements. Restorative Immunology rejuvenates our organs slowly and gently. The only problem is the user would not see any positive effects for weeks. The change (rejuvenation) is initially within the body. Normally they recover fully from their problem after 2 to 3 months.