Insomnia and health

For many of us, the often-quote figure of 8 hours sleep a night is just that - an often-quoted figure rather than a realistic amount of time spent sleeping during the night time.

The reasons for not getting enough sleep are many, and can include things like:

• too many caffeinated drinks before bed
• body clock affected by long haul travel
• a new arrival in the family
• coughs and colds
• worries about work or other life challenges
• indigestion
• toothache

The examples above of course are down to specific causes and in many cases will be temporary. But for many, lack of sleep is more persistent. So it's understandable that people seek a way to deal with it - but according to recent news, the use of sleeping pills could bring risks with it. Essentially, what's happening is that many who are experiencing problems with sleep may be using non prescription products to deal with sleeplessness rather than looking at possible root causes for the lack of sleep.

And while many of the causes of sleeplessness may be down to things like eating too late at night, some of the things that can make people unable to sleep are more serious - such as asthma and heart disease.

So, if you're having trouble sleeping, the best thing to do is, of course, seek advice from the doctor.