i hardly sleep at night...and when i do i wake up frequently...can you help me?

Hi N@vyChik08,

I'm sorry that you are not sleeping well. You can read a lot more details about insomnia here.  Essentially there is temporary insomnia and chronic insomnia, and numerous causes for insomnia ranging from recent stressors to emotional disorders, to physical problems. 

So, a good first step might be to get a complete physical if you have not had one within the past year.  You can take a "Stress Test" while you're waiting for your appointment to assess exactly how much stress you've been under recently.  Also, check out these tips for proper sleep hygiene.

If there is no physical explanation for your insomnia, seriously consider doing some Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).  While your doctor may give you some medication to help you sleep, it will not solve your sleep problems.  CBT, in contrast, can help you with long term solutions to insomnia.

I hope this helps!

Regards,

Jennifer L. Fee, Psy.D.

The Stress Masters

There are many areas to investigate and you have been given very good suggestions that will hopefully bring you the sleep you desire- From my own experience I will mention another area that may be helpful: conditions that involve your wake/sleep cycle- We have an internal clock that defines our periods of wakefulness + sleep.. research findings show that for some that clock is not in sync with what's considered the norm for the majority-   Advanced + Delayed Phase Syndromes   are worth investigating if other areas are not giving you results-   I struggled for many years to fit the normal pattern of sleep + wakefulness... with no success- Five years ago with the help of my neurologist I came to understand that I fall into the area of Delayed Phase sleep onset... I fall asleep around 4AM and sleep to 12 noon... I tried for over one year to re-program that pattern using a light-box daily- The struggle was far more stressful than successful... now that I'm retired I go to sleep at 4AM and awaken at 12 noon and finally I no longer feel that I'm out of control or in conflict- This of course might not work for many I realize.. but I do make others aware that this is what works for me-