If you’ve been suffering from insomnia for more than a few days, you may have come across the term insomnia. But what is insomnia? Is it different from sleep? Are there insomnia causes? And, if so, how do you treat insomnia?
Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep for a minimum period of 30 minutes. Chronic insomnia is characterized by multiple symptoms that occur at least several times a week for more than three weeks. Insomnia, which lasts for less than three weeks or is called acute insomnia is also called short-term insomnia. In some cases, chronic insomnia or acute insomnia may be due to health problems, such as depression or anxiety. In other cases, poor sleep hygiene or unhealthy lifestyle may be the underlying cause.
Poor sleeping habits are usually caused by stress, too much caffeine intake, not enough relaxation time before bedtime, too little exercise, change in sleeping habits (moving house or getting older), sleeping on your back or side, or excessive alcohol or smoking. Other insomnia symptoms include feeling extremely sleepy during daytime, frequent awakenings, insomnia before going to sleep, waking up very early in the morning, irritability, inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, or difficulty falling asleep in the first place. It’s also possible to have insomnia that is functional, which means that the disorder is related to one’s ability to function during the day (e.g., missing out on work because of insomnia). In this case, the disorder often accompanies other medical conditions.
Other insomnia causes can be psychological in nature. These include things like depression or anxiety. They are also insomnia causes that can be successfully treated with medication. Common forms of psychological insomnia include depression and social anxiety. These disorders tend to be more resistant to insomnia treatments than physical insomnia, because they often affect a person’s thoughts and feelings rather than their body.
While insomnia symptoms can often be successfully treated with insomnia treatment, the cause of insomnia is still unknown. It’s also not always clear what causes insomnia, but it’s believed to be related to a person’s sleep hygiene. Chronic insomnia can lead to poor sleep habits. People who sleep on their back or side, for example, don’t get enough restful sleep. People who sleep on their stomachs, on the other hand, are not getting enough sleep because they are constantly waking up. All of these bad sleep habits lead to insomnia, and poor sleep hygiene is a major insomnia cause.
In some cases insomnia may be caused by a medical condition, like a serious infection or organ damage. However, insomnia symptoms are not always caused by insomnia and can be caused by a wide variety of problems that you should discuss with your doctor. Some insomnia symptoms can include excessive worrying and stress, as well as a decline in the quality of your life due to lack of sleep. If you find yourself waking up frequently or staying awake for extended periods each day, check with your doctor to see if there is an underlying health cause that you need to treat. In many cases, insomnia isn’t a sign of a severe health problem, but can be a symptom of something serious that you need to address.