Insomnia: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & More

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What is Insomnia?

A person who has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night may be suffering from insomnia. It is a type of sleep disorder and can be chronic or acute. This sleep disorder may not be persistent and thus may or may not happen every day. Chronic insomnia is termed so if it lasts for more than 3 months or so and it is termed acute if it happens at least once in a few weeks. The types of insomnia are:

Primary insomnia: In this condition sleep issues are not due to any underlying health conditions
Secondary insomnia: It is a sleep disorder that happens due to health conditions like cancer, asthma, Depression, and other such complications.

Insomnia Symptoms

There are many Symptoms associated with this sleep disorder due to underlying medical conditions. Some of them are:

Intermittent sleeping at night
Difficult to sleep during the nights
Waking up earlier than needed
Tiredness in the morning after a night’s sleep
Worrying about sleep
Sleepiness and fatigue at daytime
Irritability and mood swings
Anxiety or Depression
Headaches or feeling of tightness around the head
Lack of focus and poor concentration
Feeling uncoordinated which results in errors and/or accidents
Gastrointestinal issues

If you are having a night of disturbed sleep for no reason for over a month, or fall asleep during the day without even knowing or feel fatigued and sleepy during the daytime you may need to see an insomnia doctor who will monitor your sleep and determine the reason.

Insomnia Risk Factors

Insomnia can happen to anyone of any age and is seen more commonly in adult women than men. Insomnia is common in people:

Suffering from Depression or other emotional disorders
High levels of anxiety and stress
Work in shifts and hence have changing sleep hours
Lead a sedentary lifestyle
Often travel to different locations in different time zones
People who are having cardiovascular issues
Obesity
Pregnant or Menopausal women
People who use illicit drugs
Young students
Elderly

People who suffer from insomnia have performance issues which further leads to more anxiety, irritability, memory problems, lack of immunity, and lack of focus.

Insomnia Causes

There are many psychological and physical factors that contribute to this sleep disorder. Chronic insomnia can also happen due to underlying conditions while acute insomnia is due to recent events or occurrences. Some of the common Causes are:

Medical conditions: GERD (acid-reflux Disease), heart failure, chronic pain as in arthritis, angina, chronic fatigue syndrome, tumors, stroke, brain lesions, and much more.
Disruptions in sleep pattern: It can happen due to jet lag, extreme weather, environmental noise, shift changes.
Psychological problems: Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorders.
Hormonal changes during menopause or pregnancy
Other factors like snoring partners, pregnancy or parasites

Insomnia DiagnosisThe Diagnosis for this sleep disorder is done by looking at the person’s medical records and sleep patterns. The doctor may screen for drug and alcohol abuse and refer to psychiatrists if a drug problem or a psychiatric disorder is seen. If there are no such problems, the patient is asked to keep a sleep diary to know the sleep patterns. An insomnia Test is conducted to determine if there are any underlying medical conditions. Other tests recommended are:

Polysomnography: The doctor may also order polysomnography which is a sleeping test that notes the sleep patterns.
Actigraph: A device is attached to the wrist to measure the sleep patterns

Insomnia Treatment

The insomnia cure is dependent on the underlying cause and hence to resolve it, the focus is on knowing the root cause of this problem. Once that is known, Treatment can be provided. The Treatment for it includes medicine for insomnia and behavioral corrections.Medical Treatments include:

Sleeping pills
Sleeping aids to improve the quality of sleep
Antidepressants
Antihistamines

Non-medical Treatment includes:

Counseling
Behavioral therapy
Group sessions

Call our Care.fit doctors if you are also experiencing sleep problems without any apparent reason. They will conduct thorough tests, determine the cause, and Treat it. What’s more, Online doctor consultation too!Insomnia PreventionIf you are suffering from insomnia, certain changes in lifestyle and behavior can help you get back your sleep. Some of the tips are:

Follow good sleep hygiene by waking and sleeping at the same time every day
Include exercise as part of your daily routine as that can improve the quality of sleep
Limit alcohol and caffeine content especially a few hours before bed
Avoid naps during the day especially late in the afternoon
Do not use the bed for any other activity other than sleeping
Do not consume water before going to bed
Reduce stress
Attend cognitive therapy

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