| One of the most perplexing causes of insomnia is | | | | probably beating like crazy. Despite feelings of |
| hyperarousal. Although the name might seem a | | | | exhaustion, you are unable to get to sleep. |
| little foreign to some people, it is simply a | | | | Your hyperarousal, although a good thing when it |
| prolonged version of the stress response or the | | | | is needed, is causing you sheer misery when you |
| fight-or-flight response. Self-protection is the | | | | can't sleep... even though you want to more than |
| intended reason for the stress response. | | | | anything. |
| When faced with danger, hyperarousal causes | | | | As you face your insomnia, you might want to |
| you to have heightened sensory response. Your | | | | fight it and fight yourself! |
| heart and respiration rate goes up. You have a | | | | You're angry. You just want to be able to sleep. |
| greater awareness of what's around you. Your | | | | You're exhausted. You don't want to face this |
| blood levels of stress hormones increase | | | | stress response when sleep is the only thing that |
| dramatically. You are ready for some real action. | | | | you want. Hyperarousal is second to only sleep |
| This is all great if you are really facing danger and | | | | anxiety as one of the paradoxical causes of |
| you need to make a life-or-death decision | | | | insomnia -- meaning that the more you want it, |
| between fight or flight. It is certainly not | | | | the further away you get from having it. |
| something that you want, though, when it leads | | | | And because of that paradox, there is really no |
| to chronic insomnia. | | | | one magic solution to cure it. It's really a process |
| Hyperarousal is one of the leading causes of | | | | your mind has to go through. |
| insomnia because its sole purpose is to protect | | | | Your first step in dealing with your chronic |
| ourselves when we're facing danger. And one of | | | | insomnia should be realizing the cause. If it is |
| the best ways to do this is by keeping us awake | | | | caused by the stress response, then accept this |
| and alert. This is pretty logical -- you aren't very | | | | as the cause. If you have felt these "wired" |
| good at defending yourself and your loved ones | | | | feelings -- the pounding heart and racing mind -- |
| when you're sound asleep! | | | | you know that that at least one of the causes of |
| As long as we are awake, we can see our | | | | it is hyperarousal. |
| surroundings and be aware of potential dangers. | | | | Now comes what might seem like a strange step. |
| Once we fall asleep, though, those dangers can | | | | Instead of seeing this as a negative thing, your |
| more easily sneak up on us and harm us. As part | | | | enemy that you have to fight off, you need to |
| of our stress response, we can go for days | | | | view the cause in a positive light as a good thing |
| without sleep or on little sleep as a defense | | | | -- an instinctual response with good intentions, but |
| mechanism. | | | | just misguided in the present circumstances! |
| The All-Too Familiar Downside of Hyperarousal | | | | As much as you want to fight it and hate your |
| and The Stress Response | | | | hyperarousal state, you can only start to cure |
| After a few nights without sleep, whether there's | | | | your insomnia by viewing it as a positive thing. |
| a real danger or not, we start to feel the effects | | | | Only at that point can you again begin to |
| of chronic insomnia. It's the "tired yet wired" | | | | welcome real sleep back into your life. Why? |
| situation. | | | | Because a mind and body that is fighting with |
| You feel really tired. You want to go to sleep. | | | | itself cannot relax and let go. Acceptance is the |
| Unfortunately, you body does not want you to | | | | door you must open to get back on the path to |
| go to sleep. Your mind is racing, and your heart is | | | | a quiet mind and a peaceful body. |