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Sleep insomnia information guide
Insomnia
is a lack of healthful, restful sleep and is a common problem
experienced by as many as 20% to 30% of adults at various times in
their lives. The most prevalent sleeping disorder is chronic insomnia,
which is experienced by 15% of adults.
Sleep insomnia
Sleep
is one of the most deeply healing and revitalizing experiences known.
When we can get enough restful sleep each night, the entire world looks
brighter.
Simply
defined, it is the inability to get high-quality sleep. That can last a
day or two, a month, or even several months on end. Because different
individuals need different amounts of sleep, insomnia is not defined by
the number of hours you sleep or by how quickly you fall asleep.
Instead, it depends on the quality of your sleep, and how you feel
after sleeping. Even if you are sleeping eight hours a night, if
you�re still feeling drowsy and fatigued during the day, you may be
experiencing insomnia.
Insomnia Symptoms
Night time symptoms
- Difficulty falling asleep despite being tired
- Relying on sleeping pills or alcohol to fall asleep
- Awakening frequently or lying awake in the middle of the night
- Awakening too early in the morning and not feeling refreshed
Day time symptoms
- Daytime drowsiness, fatigue, or irritability
- Difficulty concentrating; poor job/school performance
- Lower reaction times and diminished mental alertness; increased likelihood to accidents
- Weakened immune system
- Increased risk of depression, anxiety and substance abuse
Insomnia Types
Although
there are several different degrees of insomnia, about three types of
insomnia have been clearly identified: transient, acute, and chronic.
Transient
insomnia lasts from days to weeks. It can be caused by another
disorder, by changes in the sleep environment, by the timing of sleep,
severe depression, or by stress. Its consequences - sleepiness and
impaired psychomotor performance - are similar to those of sleep
deprivation.
Acute insomnia is the inability to consistently sleep well for a period of between three weeks to six months.
Chronic
insomnia lasts for years at a time. It can be caused by another
disorder, or it can be a primary disorder. Its effects can vary
according to its causes. They might include sleepiness, muscular
fatigue, hallucinations, and/or mental fatigue. But people with chronic
insomnia often show increased alertness. Some people that live with
this disorder see things as though they were happening in slow motion,
whereas moving objects seem to blend together, Can cause double vision.
Insomnia causes
- Psychoactive
drugs or stimulants, including certain medications, herbs, caffeine,
cocaine, ephedrine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, MDMA,
methamphetamine and modafinil.
- Hormone shifts such as those that precede menstruation and those during menopause.
- Life
problems like fear, stress, anxiety, emotional or mental tension, work
problems, financial stress and unsatisfactory sex life. Mental
disorders such as bipolar disorder, clinical depression, general
anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, or
obsessive compulsive disorder.
- Disturbances
of the circadian rhythm, such as shift work and jet lag, can cause an
inability to sleep at some times of the day and excessive sleepiness at
other times of the day. Jet lag is seen in people who travel through
multiple time zones, as the time relative to the rising and setting of
the sun no longer coincides with the body's internal concept of it. The
insomnia experienced by shift workers is also a circadian rhythm sleep
disorder.
-
Estrogen is considered to play a significant role in women�s mental
health (including insomnia). Clinical recovery from depression
postpartum, perimenopause, and postmenopause was shown to be effective
after levels of estrogen were stabilized and/or restored.
- Certain neurological disorders, brain lesions, or a history of traumatic brain injury.
- Medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism and Wilson's syndrome.
- Abuse of over-the counter or prescription sleep aids can produce rebound insomnia.
- Poor sleep hygiene
- Parasomnia,
which includes a number of disruptive sleep events including
nightmares, sleepwalking, violent behavior while sleeping, and REM
behavior disorder, in which a person moves his/her physical body in
response to events within his/her dreams.
-
A rare genetic condition can cause a prion-based, permanent and
eventually fatal form of insomnia called fatal familial insomnia.
- Poor
sleep quality can occur as a result of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a
condition that occurs when a sleeping person's breathing is
interrupted, thus interrupting the normal sleep cycle. With the
obstructive form of the condition, some part of the sleeper's
respiratory tract loses muscle tone and partially collapses.
Home remedies for insomnia
- Improving your daytime habits: Regular day exercise can help sleep.
- Keep your room dark during sleep hours, because our body is sensitive to light & dark.
- Napping can affect your sleep: avoid day time nap to get good sleep at night.
- Alcohol, caffeine, smoking: avoid these it disturbs your sleep.
- Keep the noise level down.
- Room temperature and ventilation should be suitable to our body condition.
- Reserve your bed for sleeping, don�t use it for reading, discussing, etc.
- Keep a regular bedtime schedule, including weekends. Our body has clock inbuilt.
- Avoid too much food, especially fatty, rich food.
- Develop a relaxing mood at bedtime. Avoid hot discussion at bed time.
- Listening soft music or radio broadcast.
- Do meditation or other mind calming exercise before bed time.
- Take the TV out of the bedroom.
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