I think that i have insomnia?

Question

I'm 14 and for the past week I've been having trouble sleeping.

I'll get into bed and try to sleep but i end up just laying there for about half an hour or more. I used to be the kind of person that fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow but not anymore.

I'll wake up a few times during the night (which i never used to do) and i takes me awhile to get back to bed. But consistently, i wake up at four or five in the morning and thats the point where i really can't get back to sleep and i toss and turn for a good 20 minutes before going back to sleep and waking again at 9 or 10.

When i wake up I'm still exhausted. I don't really have any anxiety, except when I'm trying to fall asleep I'm usually thinking about what i was just watching on tv or the book i just read. Sometimes if everyone is asleep and everything is silent, ill start to get scared from the strange noises in my house or start to think about somebody breaking through my main floor window and kill me (which is a little bit irrational i know, but ive had a chair thrown through it once).

While trying to fall asleep I've tried counting (i usually get up to 400 or 500 before i start to drift off) and listen to piano music. I've tried sleeping with the lights on (which didn't work). I've also tried jumping rope to tire myself, which was unsuccessful, and taking a nap ( i couldn't fall asleep).

I've already been tested for sleep apnea and i don't have it. So is this insomnia? How can i try and get a better sleep? My eyes are dark, my body is exhausted and im usually bright eyed and totally healthy and energetic. I'm totally healthy and always work out but now i just don't know what to do!!!! i don't have any energy left.

Please help me!!!

--Ellz

Answer 1

Insomnia just means that you have difficulty going to sleep or falling asleep.  So yes, if you can't sleep then another way to say that is to say you have insomnia.

If you're trying to jump rope or exercise right before bed that will only keep you awake longer.  Finish your exercising in the afternoon.  Keeping the light on isn't going to help either.

Based on what you've said about thinking about books or TV, you may need to stop reading and watching TV right before bed.  It's best to have an hour of quiet time before bed when you aren't keeping your mind occupied with following a plot.

You can ask your doctor for more advice on changing your behavior to improve your sleep.  Make a good effort to change your habits.  If this doesn't work it's probably time to look into possible underlying medical problems and the possibility of sleep medication.