Find out if you are having insomnia. And if you do how do you deal with...SHILPA SHET talks to experts on the topic.

• Does it often take you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night?
• Do you wake up frequently during the night - or too early in the morning - and have a hard time going back to sleep?
• When you awaken, do you feel groggy and lethargic?
• Do you feel drowsy during the day particularly during monotonous situations?

If you answered "yes" to any one of these questions, you may have a "sleep debt" that is affecting you in ways you don’t even realize.

Why Do You Need Sleep?
Sleep is not merely a "time out" from our busy routines; it is essential for good health, mental and emotional functioning and safety, says experts.

Researchers have found that people with chronic insomnia are more likely than others to develop several kinds of psychiatric problems, and are also likely to make greater use of healthcare services. Dr S Shyamsunder, sleep medicine specialist from Bombay Hospital says, "People suffering from sleep apnea are likely to have higher blood pressure while they sleep and suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness."

Even occasional sleeping problems can make daily life feel more stressful or cause you to be less productive. Overall, sleep loss has been found to impair the ability to perform tasks involving memory, learning, and logical reasoning. Insufficient sleep can also be extremely dangerous, leading to serious or even fatal accidents. How Much Sleep Is Enough?
Sleep needs vary. In general, most healthy adults need an average of eight hours of sleep a night. So, how do you measure how much sleep you truly need? If you have trouble staying alert during boring or monotonous situations when fatigue is often "unmasked" you probably aren’t getting enough good-quality sleep. Other signs are a tendency to be unreasonably irritable with co-workers, family or friends, and difficulty concentrating or remembering facts.

Who’s At Risk For Poor Sleep?
Students , Shift Workers , Travelers , People under stress , People with depression , Senior citizens , Teenagers.

What are the biggest "Sleep Stealers"?

Psychological Factors
Stress is considered by most sleep experts to be the No. 1 cause of short-term sleeping difficulties. Common triggers include school- or job-related pressures, a family or marriage problem, and a serious illness or death in the family. Lifestyle Stressors
Without realizing it, you may be doing things during the day or night that can work against getting a good night’s sleep. These include drinking alcohol or beverages containing caffeine in the afternoon or evening, exercising close to bedtime, following an irregular morning and nighttime schedule, and working or doing other mentally intense activities right before or after getting into bed.

Shift Work
Shift work forces you to try to sleep when activities around you - and your own "biological rhythms" - signal you to be awake.

Jet Lag
Still another sleep stealer is jet lag, an inability to sleep caused when you travel across several time zones and your biological rhythms get "out of sync."

Environmental Interferences
A distracting sleep environment such as a room that’s too hot or cold, too noisy or too brightly lit can be a barrier to sound sleep. And interruptions from children or other family members can also disrupt sleep. Other influences to pay attention to are the comfort and size of your bed and the habits of your sleep partner.

Physical Factors
A number of physical problems can interfere with your ability to fall or stay asleep. For example, arthritis and other conditions that cause pain, backache, or discomfort can make it difficult to sleep well. Sleep apnea, which is recognized by snoring and interrupted breathing, causes brief awakenings (often unnoticed) and excessive daytime sleepiness. If suspected, a person having signs of sleep apnea should see a doctor. Disorders that cause involuntary limb movements during sleep, such as Restless Legs Syndrome, break up the normal sleep pattern and are also likely to make sleep less refreshing and result in daytime sleepiness.

For women, pregnancy and hormonal shifts including those that cause premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or menopause and its accompanying hot flashes can also intrude on sleep. Medications
In addition, certain medications such as decongestants, steroids and some medicines for high blood pressure, asthma, or depression can cause sleeping difficulties as a side effect.

Can it be treated?
Insomnia can be treated by your doctor. Doctors like Dr Shyamsunder who specialize in sleep medicine can either suggest lifestyle changes or medications.

FEW TIPS TO TACKLE YOUR SLEEPLESSNESS

• Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in the late afternoon and evening. Caffeine and nicotine can delay your sleep, and alcohol may interrupt your sleep later in the night
• If you have trouble sleeping when you go to bed, don’t nap during the day, since it affects your ability to sleep at night.
• Exercise regularly, but do so at least three hours before bedtime. A workout after that time may actually keep you awake because your body has not had a chance to cool down.
• Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine that will allow you to unwind and send a "signal" to your brain that it’s time to sleep. Avoiding exposure to bright light before bedtime and taking a hot bath may help.
• Don’t use your bed for anything other than sleep or sex. Your bed should be associated with sleep.
• Consider your sleep environment. Make it as pleasant, comfortable, dark and quiet as you can.
• If you can’t go to sleep after 30 minutes, don’t stay in bed tossing and turning. Get up and involve yourself in a relaxing activity, such as listening to soothing music or reading, until you feel sleepy.
  Remember: Try to clear your mind; don’t use this time to solve your daily problems.