What is Insomnia?
There is a load of information about insomnia both in the offline and online world. Here is an outline of what insomnia encompasses. This is not really a definitive list, but should give you a good feel as to whether what you are experiencing is insomnia.
Once you start to build your undertanding of your experience, this will help to guide you to find the right insomnia treatment for you.
Insomnia is the sensation of daytime fatigue and impaired performance caused by insufficient sleep. In general, people with insomnia experience one of three sleeping experiences (or combinations of these) :
- an inability to sleep despite being tired,
- a light, fitful sleep that leaves them fatigued upon awakening,
- or waking up too early.
There is some debate as to whether insomnia is always a symptom of some other physical or psychological condition or whether in some cases it is a primary disorder of its own.
Common symptoms of insomnia include:
- feeling tired during the day
- having frequent headaches
- irritability
- lack of concentration
- you wake up feeling tired and not refreshed
- sleeping better away from home
- taking longer than 30 or 40 minutes to fall asleep
- waking repeatedly during the night
- waking far too early and being unable to fall back asleep
- being able to sleep only with the aid of sleeping pills or alcohol
If any of this is sounding familiar – then you have insomnia.
Insomniacs often complain of being unable to close their eyes or rest their minds for any period of time. This author certainly knows what it’s like to have your mind racing at bedtime. In our stress-filled world, we are often plagued with unfinished to-do lists in ur heads. When it’s quiet and time for sleep, many people have problems pushing those to-do lists aside in favor of dreamland.
The worst part of insomnia is wanting to sleep but being unable to. The mind races and is unable to rest and that makes you overly tired and barely able to function the next day. Sometimes insomnia lasts longer than just a few nights.
Insomnia, usually temporary, is often categorized by how long it lasts:
Transient insomnia lasts for a few days.
Short-term insomnia lasts for no more than three weeks.
Chronic insomnia occurs when the following characteristics are present:
- When a person has difficulty falling asleep, maintaining sleep, or has non-restorative sleep for at least three nights a week for one month or longer.
- In addition, the patient is distressed and believes that normal daily functioning is impaired because of sleep loss.
Chronic insomnia may also be primary or secondary, depending on the cause:
- Primary chronic insomnia occurs when it is the sole complaint of a patient.
- Secondary chronic insomnia is caused by medical or psychiatric conditions, drugs, or emotional or psychiatric disorders.
Some common types of secondary insomnia include:
- Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder caused by difficulty breathing during sleep. Persistent, loud snoring and frequent long pauses in breathing during sleep, followed by choking or gasping for breath are the main sighs of sleep apnea.
- Restless Legs Syndrome is a sleep disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations (creeping, burning, itching, pulling or tugging) in the legs or feet, occurring mostly in the evening and at night. Moving the legs around tends to relieve the unpleasant sensation temporarily
- Sleep-wake schedule or circadian rhythm disorders are sleep disorders caused by having sleep-wake schedules that do not match up with your natural sleep schedule. People who work the night shift may suffer from this problem
- Insomnia due to medical conditions: Many common medical problems and the drugs that treat them can cause insomnia, including allergies, arthritis, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or hyperthyroidism. Physical discomfort (e.g. chronic pain) may also cause problems sleeping.
- Insomnia due to substance use or withdrawal: Many drugs and medications can cause sleep disturbances, either while taking them or while withdrawing from them. Alcohol, stimulants, sedatives, and even long-term use of sleep medications can cause insomnia.
- Insomnia due to an emotional problem: Insomnia can be a symptom of a number of emotional difficulties. If you find that you worry excessively about numerous minor matters or if you have experienced sadness or a loss of interest in activities for a number of weeks consult your physician.
Insomnia may also be defined in terms of inability to sleep at conventional times. The following are examples and are referred to as circadian rhythm disorders.
- Delayed Sleep-Phase Syndrome:. Delayed sleep-phase syndrome is the term for a circadian clock that runs late but reliably. People who have this condition (usually adolescents) fall asleep very late at night or in early morning hours, but then they sleep normally
- Advanced Sleep Syndrome. This syndrome tends to develop in older people; it produces excessive sleepiness in the morning and undesired awakening early in the morning.
Phew! There are a lot of variations of insomnia and it is helpful for you to consider which of these relate to your experience the most. This site contains a number of different options for managing and treating insomnia. However, always remember to speak with you healthcare professional if you have any concerns about your personal sleep experiences.
Tags: insomnia, insomnia treatment
About Insomnia | Editor | 
Subscribe