Insomnia
A sleep disorder where you have trouble falling asleep is called insomnia. You can have it occasionally but persistent problems in sleeping could be causing major discomforts. Insomnia can be for a short period (acute) or a longer period (Chronic). Due to lack of sleep, your body will be very tired and you won’t be interested in your daily activities. Acute insomnia lasts from 1 night to a week if you have trouble to sleep more than a week then it is chronic insomnia.
Types of insomnia
Insomnia is of two types,
- Primary insomnia
- Secondary insomnia
Primary insomnia
In this type, your sleep disorder is not related to any other health condition. The common reasons for primary insomnia are,
- Stress due to your life events that affected you like job termination, divorce, break up, Death of a loved one
- Couldn’t sleep due to light, noise, or a very cold or extreme hot temperature
- Lack of sleep due to jet lag, new job shifts, or habits you learned that affects your health
Secondary insomnia
In this type, you will be having sleep troubles due to a medical condition like asthma, arthritis, cancer, heartburn. Even some medications can give you sleep issues. The major causes are as follows:
- Mental disorders like depression, anxiety
- Some medicines used to treat cold and allergies
- High caffeine or alcohol intake at night
- Endocrine problems like hyperthyroidism
- Other disorder like sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome
Risk factors
Risk factors that can cause a high probability of insomnia are,
- Age: mostly older people suffer from sleep issues
- Sex: Women are more tend to suffer than men due to stress and anxiety issues because of hormonal changes.
- Change of work shift like night shift jobs
- Long term illness
Symptoms
The common symptoms are
- People sleeping hardly or no sleep for more than a week
- Extreme fatigue
- Lack of work concentration
- Trouble in digestion
- Memory loss
Diagnosing insomnia
You will be undergoing a physical exam and questions from your doctor. Your doctor will ask you to have a sleep diary where you keep track your sleep pattern daily. You will also be questioned about your mood on the day and how you interact with your work. Your partner is asked to detail how you fall asleep or sleep timing and food intake. In serious case, you need to have a test at sleep centers.
Treating insomnia
For most of the cases, you personally have to change your behaviour and food habits. Acute insomnia cannot be treated. Doctors will suggest sleeping pills for a shorter period but you have to take steps and identify the other factors that trouble your sleep. Some doctors suggest yoga sessions and behavioural therapies that indulge sleep. For secondary insomnia, the medical condition that affects your sleeping pattern must be treated to get rid of insomnia.
Major complications
Your whole body needs rest and make a self-repair from the damages. when you sleep your brain calms and relaxes. When are staying awake then you will get complications like
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Unconsiousness
- Anxiety
- Trouble focusing
Prevention from insomnia
You can follow some tips to improve your sleep,
- Keep a schedule to sleep and wake in the morning. Avoid short naps during the day
- Avoid mobiles, laptops before you sleep, as the light may trouble your eyes
- Have a proper work out session
- If you don’t feel sleepy, read a book or hear music that can make you sleep
- Keep your bedroom dark and noise free
- Avoid stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol before you sleep
- Avoid eating a heavy meal for dinner