Most people have experienced the symptoms of insomnia at some time in their lives. It is a condition when you persistently find it difficult to fall asleep. It is a common sleep complaint that people make when they are dealing with one of these problems
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Waking up too early
- Struggle to maintain sleep during the night
- Bad quality of sleep
Sleep is the basic need of life and in order to survive and keep the normal functioning of the body need adequate and good quality sleep. Poor sleep can cause an adverse effect on the daily lives and leads to many negative changes in their lives. Reduced physical performance, low mood, change in appetite are some of the side effects of insomnia.
There are many factors that can cause insomnia and according to researchers, women are more likely to suffer from this disorder as compared to men. It is also common among those who suffer from a psychological and medical disorder. Some of the medical conditions that can cause insomnia include gastrointestinal problems, endocrine problems, neurological conditions, asthma, and arthritis. Some other factors that can be the cause of insomnia are
- Stress at work or at the personal life
- Depression
- Excessive worrying
- Recently faced emotional accident such as the death of a friend
- Anxiety
Different Types of Insomnia
1. Psychophysiological Insomnia
Psychophysiological insomnia is a type of insomnia in which insomnia or the difficulty in sleeping last for at least a month. This type is usually a result when factors such as genetic vulnerability and psychiatrist conditions are combined with the stress or poor lifestyle. In this disorder, a person develops conditioned anxiety around staying asleep and this makes the psychological and emotional arousal intense and hence, sleep is compromised. To improve the symptoms of this disorder, it is recommended to leave the worries before bed and use bed just for sleep.
Also Read: 5 Things You Should Stop Doing In Morning
2. Idiopathic Insomnia
Idiopathic insomnia is also known as lifelong insomnia. It is a chronic and serious type of insomnia that is identified in infancy or at early childhood. It remains throughout life. The symptoms of idiopathic insomnia are marked with a high degree of irritability in the morning and uncontrolled yawning in every situation, complaints of difficulty initiating sleep.
3.Paradoxical Insomnia
Paradoxical insomnia is a condition in which a person complains of insomnia without any actual evidence of it. Many times patient complaints of being awake all night but even though the sleep was achieved. It is a condition in which people mistakenly think their sleep to be wakefulness and as a result, their sleep is underestimated. Sleep diary is said to be the best and the useful tool to keep a check at the sleep. It helps in knowing about all the times you took nap and daytime naps that might have affected the sleep at night.
4. Adjustment Insomnia
Adjustment insomnia is also known as short term insomnia disorder and in today’s high-stress culture, it is very common. This type of sleep disorder can be due to any factor such as stress, changes in the time zones, light, music, pain, illness and many other factors. It can be a result of an event such as the death of a loved one or any other disaster. It is common and it does not necessarily require treatment as with the decrease in stress, the symptoms of adjustment insomnia will also decrease.
Ways to treat Insomnia
There are many treatments and medication available that can help you sleep better. But, medicines for any health problem is effective only when there are some changes in the lifestyle. Some of the ways through which you can bring a change in the lifestyle include
- Meditation
- Avoid daytime naps
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine
- Leave your worries before bed
- Keep a consistent bedtime
As stated above, insomnia is a common sleep disorder and almost all of us have experienced it. Education on sleep disorders and sleep hygiene should be given to all as sleep is an important part of our lives. Lack of sleep affects our daily routine and also decreases our efficiency in doing it. It leads to major mood changes and throws negative effects on life.
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Tags: Insomnia causes, Chronic insomnia, Insomnia test
