Insomnia

General or Other | - Others | Insomnia (Symptom)


Description

Insomnia is defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. Insomnia may be due to poor quality or quantity of sleep.

Insomnia affects people of all ages including children, although it is more common in adults and its frequency increases with age. Based on the duration of symptoms, insomnia can be classified in: transient insomnia, that lasts less than a week; short-term insomnia lasting 1-3 weeks; and long-term or chronic insomnia.

Causes

Insomnia is most often thought of as both a sign and a symptom that can accompany several sleeps, medical, and psychiatric disorders, characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep or sleep of poor quality.

Environmental and lifestyle factors or misuse of sleeping drugs are also common causes. Going to bed hungry, eating prior sleep, doing work in bed, sleeping in nosy room are causes that can cause insomnia. Insomnia can also be a symptom of a psychiatric illness, such as anxiety and/ or depression. Withdrawal symptoms from antidepressant drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping drugs, and some illicit drugs may cause insomnia.

Breathing problems like asthma, COBP, obesity, congestive heart failure, chronic pain, acid reflux, and hyperthyroidism are conditions that can affect sleeping. Another cause it can be psychological or emotional: depression, mania, anxiety, stressful situation (divorce, death of someone close, lose job). Some physiological condition (menopause, pregnancy, fever) and drugs and alcohol can induce insomnia.

Diagnosis and Treatment

It is important to identify or rule out medical and psychological causes before deciding on the treatment for insomnia.

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