History of Insomnia

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:38:22 +0000

We can trace the history of insomnia to biblical times and probably further. We often think that modern times have led to people having sleeping disorders. From huge amounts of stressors as well as less activity, we think that insomnia is a modern day issue.

If you think about the causes of insomnia, you can surmise that these issues were present even well before the dark ages. It is probably very true that stress and anxiety are not new. Maybe those folks did not know or understand what kept them awake all night, but some definitely had sleeping problems.

There are numerous references in published works in regard to people not being able to sleep. There is a reference in the Bible, Esther, verse 6, which paraphrased says about a king that cannot sleep. There are many herbal remedies from ancient times that address sleep related issues. There are ancient Chinese herbal remedies that have long been used to treat sleeplessness. The art of acupuncture has also been known to work. The Chinese believed and still believe that exercise is crucial to good health and good sleep.

You can also bet on the fact that once society began working and living around each other, the stresses of everyday life began to create insomnia. In the nineteenth century, the compound of camphor was used to treat sleeping disorders. This oil from the camphor tree was used to calm a person down or those with nervous disorders. Today, you can still purchase camphor oil to relieve certain ailments.

Currently we find that many people suffer from insomnia. They either have a short term or chronic form of insomnia. The causes can include stress, anxiety, depression and other issues that cause people not to be able to sleep. Medical conditions such as asthma, joint pain and some prescription medicines are at the root of insomnia.

As we study the history of insomnia, we can see that the causes are generally the same. Today we have prescription medications that can assist with sleep disorders. There are also many homeopathic products that are very similar to some of the ancient remedies used. Like the Chinese, exercise can help anyone today with insomnia. Meditation, relaxation and a change in diet are also helpful.

Even though insomnia is not a new problem, with the ever increasing of life stressors, we see an increase the cases of insomnia. Knowing the history of insomnia and certain forms of the remedies used is very useful for today’s insomniac sufferers.

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History of Insomnia