Insomnia

By Paromeeta Ray

Category: health

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Insomnia can be defined as sleeplessness. When a person experiences a habitual problem in falling asleep or difficulty in remaining asleep, without any reason, he or she is said to be suffering from insomnia. This lack of sleep leads to a lack of alertness throughout the day.
Women have been found to be more susceptible to insomnia than men. Insomniacs tend to suffer more with growing age.

Different people experience insomnia at different periods of the night. Those who have problems falling asleep at the onset of the night are said to suffer from initial insomnia. Suppressed and underlying anxiety may be the cause. Those, who tend to wake up very early in the morning, without any reason, and with a feeling of incomplete sleep, are said to suffer from terminal insomnia. Those who wake up persistently at the middle of the night and cannot fall asleep again are said to suffer from middle insomnia.

The four major types of insomnia are:

1. Chronic Insomnia: This can stay for years or even a lifetime. Chronic insomnia itself may be the main disease or may be the result of any other serious ailment. This kind of insomnia can make one fatigued and sleepy. But, strangely enough, such insomniacs have a very high degree of mental alertness throughout the day.
2. Acute Insomnia: This is a regular lack of sleep being experienced throughout a period of two to eight weeks.
3. Transient Insomnia: Insomnia lasting a few days or a couple of weeks is termed as transient insomnia. It can be the result of emotional stress, alteration in the sleeping conditions, change in the sleep timing or a sudden sickness. This kind of insomnia keeps one sleepy throughout the day and hampers alertness.
4. Intermittent Insomnia: If transient insomnia repeats time and again, the type of insomnia is called intermittent.

Causes of insomnia can be hormonal imbalances, consumption of stimulants, problems like anxiety, tension or dissatisfaction, mental ailments like schizophrenia or depression, changes in sleep cycle, brain injuries, neurological disorders, trauma or physical agony, persistent nightmares or diseases like hyperthyroidism.

Treatment of Insomnia:

Drinking warm milk, taking a bath and a massage, or listening to music, are some techniques, which can be tried at bedtime to fight insomnia.
Doctors determine the causes of insomnia before prescribing medicines. Medicines can be anti-depressants, sedatives or hypnotics. There are a large number of medicines, which can be prescribed depending upon the particular case. But all these drugs can cause both physical and psychological dependence.