When sleep refuses to come, or comes and then goes, it's certainly a sign of insomnia. But what is actually considered insomnia? It's the difficulty you have falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night.

It's very common for people to report suffering from insomnia due to anxiety, stress, difficulty concentrating, tiredness and so on. The intensity of this difficulty sleeping varies from person to person and so do the consequences.

It's important to understand that each case has its own situation and what may work for one may not work for another. So here are some triggers that are champions of insomnia:

• Anxiety: It can start with a commitment that you have to fulfill and have a specific time for, then the thought grows in your mind that can trigger feelings of anguish, restlessness, fear and also physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, excessive sweating, trembling, etc. We start to imagine that everything will go wrong if we don't fulfill our commitment.
• Perfectionism: The person who is a perfectionist, i.e. wants to do things perfectly, usually doesn't accept help from anyone, because they think that no one will do it their way, that it's "the right way" and so they end up taking home their thoughts on how to do it best, which certainly affects their sleep, as they can't relax due to excessive worry.
• Agitation or stress: Usually the person is genetically agitated or stressed, and some want to seek help to control themselves, while others think they have always been like this and do not think it is necessary to change or control their way of being, it is not a rule, but it is very common for them to suffer from insomnia. 

But how can we improve our sleep?

It's very important for anyone who suffers from insomnia to know that there is a cause and that it needs to be diagnosed by a psychologist, psychiatrist or therapist in order to treat it  and thus greatly improve their quality of life.

But there are also some attitudes that are very useful for those who suffer from insomnia, as they will help them sleep:

• Before going to sleep, disconnect from cell phones, televisions or any other electronic device, because the light from these devices impairs melatonin, which is the hormone that induces sleep;
• Try to have a bedtime routine, which will help your sleep process a lot;
• Avoid consuming caffeine-based foods such as coffee and soft drinks;
• If you're very agitated around bedtime, try to relax by listening to quiet music or meditating so that your brain works calmly and you fall asleep;
• Don't eat close to bedtime. If you feel hungry, opt for light food such as fruit;
• The environment you're going to sleep in should preferably be quiet, with little noise and comfortable, because it's more relaxing;
• Disconnect from work or other matters, just relax and don't think about anything else.

I hope I've been of some help to anyone who suffers from insomnia, but I'd like to stress that everyone has their own reason for lack of sleep and that a specialist in the field is super important to help you sleep well and better.

Take care of yourself.