Read About Insomnia
Persistent insomnia is a disorder that can make it difficult to sleep, difficult to stay asleep, or both, despite the opportunity for adequate sleep. With insomnia, usually you wake up feeling refreshed, which takes a toll on your ability to function during the day. Insomnia can sap not only your energy level and mood, but also your health, work performance and quality of life.
How much sleep is enough varies from person to person. Most adults need seven to eight hours per night.
Many adults experience insomnia at some point, but some people have insomnia (chronic) long term. Insomnia may be the main problem, or may be secondary to other causes, such as illness or medication.
You do not have to put up with sleepless nights. Simple changes in your daily habits can often help.
Insomnia symptoms may include:
Difficulty falling asleep at night
Waking at night
Waking up too early
Not feeling well rested after a night's sleep
daytime fatigue or sleepiness
Irritability, depression or anxiety
Difficulty paying attention, concentrating on tasks or remember
Increased errors or accidents
Tension headaches
Discomfort in the stomach and intestines (gastrointestinal tract)
the concern about sleep
A person with insomnia often take 30 minutes or more to fall asleep and may have only six or fewer hours of sleep for three or more days a week for a month or more.
When to see a doctor
If insomnia makes it difficult for you to function during the day, consult your doctor to determine what might be the cause of your sleep problem and how it can be treated. If your doctor thinks you might have a sleep disorder, you may be referred to a sleep center for special testing.
Reasons
Stress. Concerns about work, school, health or family can keep your mind active during the night, making it difficult to sleep. stressful life events - such as death or illness of a loved one, divorce or job loss - can lead to insomnia.
Anxiety. daily anxieties as well as severe anxiety disorders more like disorder, PTSD can disrupt your sleep. Worry about being able to go to sleep can make it difficult to sleep.
Depression. You can sleep too much or have trouble sleeping if you're depressed. Insomnia often occurs with other mental health disorders.
medical conditions. If you have chronic pain, difficulty breathing or a need to urinate frequently, you may develop insomnia. Examples of conditions related to insomnia include arthritis, cancer, heart failure, lung disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), overactive thyroid, stroke, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Changes in the environment or the working agenda. Travel or work sooner or later turn can alter the body's circadian rhythms, making it difficult to sleep. Your circadian rhythms act as an internal clock, guiding such things as the sleep-wake cycle, metabolism and body temperature.
poor sleep habits. poor sleep habits include irregular sleep schedule, stimulating activities before bed, an uncomfortable sleeping environment, and using the bed for activities other than sleep or sex.
The drugs. Many prescription drugs can interfere with sleep, including some antidepressants, heart and blood pressure medications, allergy medications, stimulants (such as Ritalin) and corticosteroids. Many medications over-the-counter (OTC) - including some combinations of pain medications, decongestants and weight loss products - contain caffeine and other stimulants.
Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Coffee, tea, cola and other beverages containing caffeine are stimulants known. Drinking coffee in the afternoon and later you can avoid falling asleep at night. The nicotine in snuff products is another stimulant that can cause insomnia. Alcohol is a sedative that can help you sleep, but avoid the deeper stages of sleep and often causes you to awaken in the middle of the night.
Eating late at night. Eat a light snack before bedtime is OK, but overeating can make you feel physically uncomfortable while lying down, making it difficult to sleep. Many people also experience heartburn, acid reflux and food from the stomach into the esophagus after eating, which can keep you awake.
Insomnia and aging
Insomnia becomes more common with age. As you age, you may experience:
A change in sleep patterns. Sleep often becomes less restful as you age, and it is possible that noise or other changes in their environment are more likely to awaken. With age, your internal clock often advances, which it means they get tired before the night and early morning awakening. However, older people in general still need the same amount of sleep as younger people.
A change in activity. It may be less physically or socially active. The lack of activity can interfere with sleep a night. In addition, less active you are, the more likely need to take a daily nap, which can interfere with sleep at night.
A change in health. chronic pain conditions such as arthritis or back problems as well as depression, anxiety and stress can interfere with sleep. Older men often develop noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland (benign prostatic hyperplasia), which can cause the need to urinate frequently, interrupting sleep. In women, menopause hot flashes can also be harmful.
Other sleep-related, such as sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, disorders also become more common with age. causes of sleep apnea stop breathing periodically throughout the night. restless legs syndrome causes unpleasant sensations in the legs and an almost irresistible desire to move, which may prevent it from falling asleep.
More drugs. Older people often use more prescription drugs than younger ones, increasing the risk of insomnia caused by a medication.
Sleep problems may be a concern for children and adolescents as well. However, some children and teenagers simply have trouble getting to sleep or resist a regular schedule because their internal clocks are more delayed. They want to go to bed later and sleep later in the morning.
