If you are having a difficult time sleeping, you are not alone. It is estimated that 80 million Americans suffer from insomnia. It can affect every aspect of your life, from your job and relationships to your competency behind the wheel of a car. Some statistics say that more than 100,000 motor vehicle crashes are caused annually in the United States by driving while drowsy.

Sleep deprivation can have a deleterious affect. Insomnia causes tiredness, lack of energy, difficulty in concentrating and irritability. There is increased risk of depression. At work, you are likely to have more work errors, slowed reaction time, and poor work performance. You are likely to be disgruntled with other co-workers more easily, become more impatient, and are more likely to have a work-place accident or auto accident. Insomnia can cause changes in hormones, increase hunger, affect the body's metabolism (making it more difficult to lose weight), accelerate aging, and increase the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Women are more susceptible - one survey says that three out of every four working mothers experience fatigue due to poor sleep.

Insomnia comes in several forms, either inability to fall asleep or inability to stay asleep. Also, it can be transient (just once in a while due to travel, excitement or temporary stress); short-term (lasting less than three weeks and usually due to worry or stress); or chronic (lasting more than 30 days and is either nightly or several times a week).

Chronic insomnia is generally due to a health condition. Taking medications, although they give the feeling of sleeping, do not take care of the REASON WHY you can't sleep and though it seems you have slept, you awaken still tired.

The reasons that people can't sleep vary. They can be caused by an imbalance in hormones, an imbalance in the way the body manages blood sugar, or you might have a health disease that affects sleep. Restless leg syndrome, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, heart palpitations and hot flashes are common health conditions or symptoms affecting sleep.

If one of these (or other conditions) prevents you from sleeping, you need to get the condition healed, not just medically managed. The side effect of handling the condition responsible for limiting sleep is that not only will the condition be better, but the side effect will be of sleeping well!

When a patient comes to me with insomnia (and other health challenges), I do a Comprehensive Health Assessment to help me determine what is going on in the body that is inhibiting the patient from experiencing restful sleep. Then, taking that information, I am able to recommend a course of action to resolve the problem and allow you to experience peaceful sleep once more.

Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with more than 32 years of experience. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health-care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d'Alene clinic. Visit Carling's website at www.vitalhealthandfitness.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.