Insomnia

Anyone could experience insomnia temporarily, and this is normal, but when insomnia continues for a long time, then it could significantly interfere with the daily life and might lead to other problems.

Insomnia

Insomnia is when sleeping isn’t correct, which means that you don’t sleep enough, don’t sleep well, or you have problems falling asleep.

Insomnia can be divided according to:

• Time: this means that insomnia might be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic).
• Cause: insomnia might occur alone (primary) or as a symptom of another condition (secondary).

Insomnia is very common; about one in every three adults suffers from insomnia, and it occurs more in women, especially after the age of 60.

Causes of insomnia

There are many reasons that cause insomnia; some of them are:

• Genetic factors.
• Life circumstances.
• Persistent stress.
• Brain activity changes between people; people with insomnia might have more active brains than others.
• Mental conditions, such as depression and anxiety.
• Health conditions, such as sleep apnea, acid reflux, and Parkinson’s disease.
• Sleep habits like intermittent sleep, long naps, and being active before sleep.
• Life changes that might be temporary, like traveling and sleeping in a new place, or permanent, like moving to a new house.
• Change in the daily habits and routine.
• Having too much caffeine.
• People who have some psychological conditions during sleeping, such as nocturnal panic attacks and nightmare disorder.

Symptoms of insomnia

• Difficulty falling asleep at night.
• Waking up many times during sleeping.
• Waking up too early in the morning.
• Mood swings and feeling upset and nervous during the day.
• Feeling tired and sleepy during the day.
• Worry about sleeping continuously.
• Difficulty focusing and remembering.
• Increased mistakes and accidents due to slow reflexes.

Complications of insomnia

• Mental conditions, such as depression and anxiety.
• Health conditions, such as hypertension, heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
• Conditions that involve psychosis (a group of psychological symptoms).

Diagnosis of insomnia

• Asking the patient about the sleep pattern.
• Physical examination to look for conditions that might’ve caused the insomnia.
• Sleep study by monitoring the patient during sleep.

Treatment of insomnia

• Regulate sleeping and developing good sleep habits.
• Psychological treatment.
• Some medications.

Prevention of insomnia

• Regulate sleeping time.
• Avoid long naps.
• Don’t be extremely active before sleeping.
• Don’t have big meals and a lot of drinks before sleeping.
• Avoid caffeine several hours before sleeping.