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What is Insomnia?

July 6, 2023
mohan kumar

Things to Know About Insomnia

  • Many of the causes of transient and short-term insomnia are similar, including jet lag, shift work changes, and more. Most adults have experienced insomnia or sleeplessness at one time or another in their lives. However, some of the general population have chronic insomnia.
  • Insomnia is not defined by a specific number of hours of sleep that one gets since individuals vary widely in their sleep needs and practices. Although most of us know what insomnia is and how we feel and perform after one or more sleepless nights, few seek medical advice. Many people must know the behavioral and medical options available to treat insomnia.
  • Insomnia is generally classified based on the duration of the problem. 

Not everyone agrees on one definition, but generally:

  • Symptoms lasting less than one week are classified as transient insomnia,
  • Symptoms between 1-3 weeks are classified as short-term insomnia, and
  • Those longer than three weeks are classified as chronic insomnia.
  • Insomnia affects all age groups. Among adults, insomnia affects women more often than men. The incidence tends to increase with age.
  • Insomnia is typically more common in lower socioeconomic (income) groups, chronic alcoholics, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder or symptoms, and mental health patients.

Insomnia is most often classified by duration:

  • Transient insomnia – Less than one month
  • Short-term insomnia – Between one and six months
  • Chronic insomnia – More than six months
  • Stress most commonly triggers short-term or acute insomnia.
  • Chronic insomnia may develop if it isn’t addressed.
  • Some surveys have shown that about a third of Americans reported difficulty falling asleep during the previous year, and a significant percentage reported problems with long-standing insomnia.
  • There seems to be an association between depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Although the nature of this association is unknown, people with depression or anxiety were significantly more likely to develop insomnia.

What Is Insomnia?

buy restroil online Insomnia is a symptom, not a stand-alone diagnosis or a disease. Insomnia is “difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both” or the perception of poor quality sleep. Insomnia may therefore be due to inadequate quality or quantity of sleep.

What Signs and Symptoms Accompany Insomnia, and How Does Insomnia Affect Health?

Doctors associate a variety of signs and symptoms with insomnia. 

Often, these symptoms complicate other medical or mental health conditions:

  • Some people with insomnia may complain of difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently at night. The problem may begin with stress. Then, as you associate the bed with your inability to sleep, the problem may become chronic.
  • Most often, daytime symptoms will cause people to seek medical attention. Daytime problems caused by insomnia include the following:
    • Poor concentration and focus
    • Difficulty with memory
    • Impaired motor coordination (being uncoordinated)
    • Irritability and impaired social interaction
    • Motor vehicle accidents because of fatigued, sleep-deprived drivers
  • People may worsen these daytime symptoms through their attempts to treat the symptoms.
    • Alcohol and antihistamines may compound the problems with sleep deprivation.
    • Others have tried non-prescription sleep aids.

Many people with insomnia do not complain of daytime sleepiness; they may have difficulty falling asleep during intentional daytime naps.

What Causes Insomnia?

buying restroil online The major causes of chronic or long-term insomnia are usually linked to an underlying psychiatric or physiologic (medical health) condition. A host of different reasons may cause insomnia. These causes may be situational factors, medical or psychiatric disorders, or primary sleep problems.

Many of the causes of transient and short-term insomnia are similar, and they include the following:

  • Jet lag
  • Changes in shift work
  • Excessive or unpleasant noise
  • Uncomfortable room temperature (too hot or too cold)
  • Stressful situations in life (exam preparation, loss of a loved one, unemployment, divorce, or separation)
  • Presence of an acute medical or surgical illness or hospitalization
  • Withdrawal from drug, alcohol, sedative, or stimulant medications
  • Insomnia related to high altitude (mountains)
  • Uncontrolled physical symptoms (pain, fever, breathing problems, nasal congestion, cough, diarrhea, etc.) can also cause someone to have insomnia.

Controlling these symptoms and their underlying causes may lead to the resolution of insomnia.

What Causes Chronic or Long-Term Insomnia?

Most causes of chronic or long-term insomnia are usually linked to an underlying psychiatric or physiologic (medical health) condition.

What Are the Mental Health Causes of Insomnia?

The most common mental health problems that may lead to insomnia include:

  • anxiety,
  • depression
  • stress (mental, emotional, situational, etc. ),
  • schizophrenia, and
  • mania (bipolar disorder)

Insomnia may be an indicator of depression. Many people will have insomnia during the acute phases of a mental illness. As mentioned earlier, depression and anxiety are strongly associated with insomnia and are the most common causes of sleeplessness.

What Are the Physical Health Causes of Insomnia?

Physical health causes vary from circadian rhythm disorders (disturbance of the biological clock) and sleep-wake imbalance to various medical conditions. 

The following are the most common medical conditions that trigger insomnia:

  • Chronic pain syndromes
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Nighttime angina (chest pain) from heart disease
  • Acid reflux disease (GERD)
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Nocturnal asthma (asthma with nighttime breathing symptoms)
  • Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
  • Degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease (Often insomnia and night wandering are the deciding factors for nursing home placement.)
  • Brain tumors, strokes, or trauma to the brain

What Medications Cause Insomnia?

  • Particular over-the-counter cold and asthma preparations
  • Prescribed medications for upper respiratory congestion
  • Drugs prescribed to treat asthma
  • Steroid medications to treat inflammation
  • Some medicines that treat high blood pressure
  • Some drugs that treat depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia