how can i relieve my insomnia?

What can help your sleeping habits is routine.
You need to establish a routine before going to bed & it should be the same each night. You should also try to go to bed @ the same time each night...
You need just work on your synopsis during the day...
I would also eat a healthy nutritious diet, avoid caffeine & get some fresh air & exercise daily & drink lots of water...see if this helps...

Internet definitely aggravates insomnia. I'll be up most of the night surfing, answering emails, being on P/S It's already 1 AM.

Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!

1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.

2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.

The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.

After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net

Ohhh..and Good Luck!

Anxiety is a big reason why a lot of people have so much trouble sleeping - it certainly contributes to my sleeping problems!

Are you seeing a psychiatrist or doctor? Either one could prescribe a hypnotic/sedative (like Ambien, Lunesta, Restoril, etc) and/or an anti-anxiety medication like Xanax, Klonopin, or Ativan to both help with your anxiety and to help you sleep at night. Of course, you will have to talk to your doctor or psychiatrist about which medication/s are best for you.

Also, try to relax before bed. Take a half an hour or an hour before sleep and read, take a bath, or do something that relaxes you. Don't work on your novel or think about all the things you have to do. I know this is much easier said than done! But it does help.

You might also want to try an herbal remedy: valerian root or chamamile (but talk to your doctor before trying valerian, can't remember if it interacts with Zoloft or not).

You can also try drinking warm tea before sleep, like Sleepy Time tea - they sell it in grocery stores or have a little warm milk before bed.

I wrote about this topic a while back on my anxiety blog if you'd like more info: http://anxiety.today.com

I hope that this helps you some. And do talk to your doctor if you continue to have sleeping problems. Sleep deprivation is not good.

Insomnia is the inability to obtain an adequate amount or quality of sleep. The difficulty can be in falling asleep, remaining asleep, or both. People with insomnia do not feel refreshed when they wake up. Insomnia is a common symptom affecting millions of people that may be caused by many conditions, diseases, or circumstances.

Causes and symptoms
Transient insomnia is often caused by a temporary situation in a person's life, such as an argument with a loved one, a brief medical illness, or jet lag. When the situation is resolved or the precipitating factor disappears, the condition goes away, usually without medical treatment.
Chronic insomnia usually has different causes, and there may be more than one. These include:
a medical condition or its treatment, including sleep apnea
use of substances such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine
psychiatric conditions such as mood or anxiety disorders
stress, such as sadness caused by the loss of a loved one or a job
disturbed sleep cycles caused by a change in work shift
sleep-disordered breathing, such as snoring
periodic jerky leg movements (nocturnal myoclonus), which happen just as the individual is falling asleep
repeated nightmares or panic attacks during sleep
Another cause is excessive worrying about whether or not a person will be able to go to sleep, which creates so much anxiety that the individual's bedtime rituals and behavior actually trigger insomnia. The more one worries about falling asleep, the harder it becomes. This is called psychophysiological insomnia.


Symptoms of insomnia
People who have insomnia do not start the day refreshed from a good night's sleep. They are tired. They may have difficulty falling asleep, and commonly lie in bed tossing and turning for hours. Or the individual may go to sleep without a problem but wakes in the early hours of the morning and is either unable to go back to sleep, or drifts into a restless unsatisfying sleep. This is a common symptom in the elderly and in those suffering from depression. Sometimes sleep patterns are reversed, and the individual has difficulty staying awake during the day and takes frequent naps. The sleep at night is fitful and frequently interrupted.


Diagnosis
The diagnosis of insomnia is made by a physician based on the patient's reported signs and symptoms. It can be useful for the patient to keep a daily record for two weeks of sleep patterns, food intake, use of alcohol, medications, exercise, and any other information recommended by the physician. If the patient has a bed partner, information can be obtained about whether the patient snores or is restless during sleep. This, together with a medical history and physical examination, can help confirm the doctor's assessment.
A wide variety of health care professionals can recognize and treat insomnia, but when a patient with chronic insomnia does not respond to treatment, or the condition is not adequately explained by the patient's physical, emotional, or mental circumstances, then more extensive testing by a specialist in sleep disorders may be warranted.