Insomnia is a condition of difficulty falling asleep and/or trouble staying asleep. It is not a sickness or a disease. It is a symptom of other medical, psychological or psycho-social turmoil. Some people may have trouble falling asleep while others wake too soon. Either way, the sufferer does not have a good night’s sleep and awakens tired and not refreshed.
In 2007, American Medical Association report stated that 30% of adults Americans suffer occasionally from insomnia and 10% experience chronic insomnia.
Insomnia can be triggered by stressful events such as death in the family, divorce, family strife, jet lag, job difficulties. It can be caused by poor eating habits or lack of exercise.
It is categorized by persistence and severity:
Transient (short term): Lasting from a single night to a few weeks.
Intermittent (on and off): Episodes occur from time to time.
Chronic (constant): Occurs on most nights and lasts a month or more.
It can also be called primary or secondary depending on its cause.
Secondary type sleepness may be triggered by one or more of:
* llnesses, such as heart and lung diseases
* Pain, anxiety, and depression
* Medications for other conditions which produce sleeplessness as a side effect
* Caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and other substances that affect sleep
* Another sleep disorder, such as rls (restless leg syndrome)
* A poor environment for sleep
* Change in sleep routine
Primary insomnia conversely is not an effect of another condition. It is a disorder. Primary sleeplessness usually persists or more than three weeks, often months.
Insomnia is a common health condition. It results in difficulty staying awake during the day, tiredness, lack of energy, depression and lack of productivity. Its symptoms can be mild to severe depending on the occurrence and duration of the sleeplessness. However, drugs and natural remedies and changes in eating habits and exercise have produced some optimistic results.
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