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Getting adequate sleep is an indispensable requirement for a body to function properly. However, today’s hectic lifestyle makes getting enough of a restful slumber difficult to impossible for almost everyone.
Not sure if your sleeplessness is just a benign phase or a serious sleep disorder like insomnia? The following piece may be able to answer your query of ‘what is insomnia?’ and clarify all related confusions. Keep reading!
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that troubles one from falling asleep, insomnia hinders individuals from getting the adequate rest required to function efficiently. An average adult human being needs around 7-8 hours of sound sleep every night for overall well-being.
Contrarily, some people suffering from insomnia face waking up at unexpected intervals and are unable to go back to sleep right away or at all.
Different individuals face insomnia in different forms. Therefore, you must be aware of its various types for easy identification in case you or a loved one is facing related symptoms.
Take a look at the following list of different types of insomnia to understand how the condition can manifest differently in different individuals.
Alternatively referred to as adjustment insomnia or short-term insomnia, acute insomnia is the most commonly prevailing type. As the name suggests, acute insomnia involves a brief episode of sleeplessness that lasts for less than 3 months.
Generally, acute insomnia is caused by a significant change or some sort of traumatic or stressful incident in life. The symptoms of this type of insomnia go away on their own as an individual overcomes or adapts to the trying times. In case symptoms persist, acute insomnia transitions into chronic insomnia.
When sleeplessness becomes a months-long episode instead of being a one-off occurrence, it is called chronic insomnia. You may be suffering from this condition if you experience difficulty sleeping for a minimum of 3 days a week over a period longer than 3 months.
This long-term condition is often a result of some other chronic or underlying physical or mental health conditions, also termed co-morbidities. However, individuals can also experience this type of insomnia in the absence of any such accompanying condition.
Are you someone who is a bit too familiar with tossing and turning in bed for most of the time you spend trying to sleep? Then, you may be suffering from onset insomnia. Simply put, onset insomnia refers to the condition where individuals experience difficulty in initiating sleep right away.
Most individuals suffering from this condition often fail to fall asleep even after spending approximately half an hour in bed trying to get some rest. This leads to a reduction in one’s total sleep duration, resulting in sleep deprivation the following day.
Typically prevalent in children, this type of insomnia generally comprises behaviours such as awakening untimely at night, bedtime resistance, and taking longer than usual to fall asleep. This type of insomnia often results when children are weaned off specific habits inculcated at infancy and requires parental intervention.
Sleep maintenance insomnia generally refers to the condition where an individual fails to stay asleep throughout the entire duration. This comprises a fragmented sleeping pattern, with most individuals waking up at least once in the middle of their slumber and struggling for a substantial time to fall asleep again.
Just like onset insomnia, this condition also leads to a reduction in the total sleep time, thus leading to sluggishness during the daytime.
Individuals with paradoxical insomnia generally develop a feeling that they have been asleep for a time much lesser than their actual sleep time. This leaves them with a false sense of sleep deprivation, which, in turn, can result in reduced energy levels.
Now, individuals having the same type of insomnia may often experience different symptoms. This primarily depends on the stage of insomnia they are suffering from.
Take a look at the following list of different types of insomnia to understand how the condition can manifest differently in different individuals.
Alternatively referred to as adjustment insomnia or short-term insomnia, acute insomnia is the most commonly prevailing type. As the name suggests, acute insomnia involves a brief episode of sleeplessness that lasts for less than 3 months.
Generally, acute insomnia is caused by a significant change or some sort of traumatic or stressful incident in life. The symptoms of this type of insomnia go away on their own as an individual overcomes or adapts to the trying times. In case symptoms persist, acute insomnia transitions into chronic insomnia.
When sleeplessness becomes a months-long episode instead of being a one-off occurrence, it is called chronic insomnia. You may be suffering from this condition if you experience difficulty sleeping for a minimum of 3 days a week over a period longer than 3 months.
This long-term condition is often a result of some other chronic or underlying physical or mental health conditions, also termed co-morbidities. However, individuals can also experience this type of insomnia in the absence of any such accompanying condition.
Are you someone who is a bit too familiar with tossing and turning in bed for most of the time you spend trying to sleep? Then, you may be suffering from onset insomnia. Simply put, onset insomnia refers to the condition where individuals experience difficulty in initiating sleep right away.
Most individuals suffering from this condition often fail to fall asleep even after spending approximately half an hour in bed trying to get some rest. This leads to a reduction in one’s total sleep duration, resulting in sleep deprivation the following day.
Typically prevalent in children, this type of insomnia generally comprises behaviours such as awakening untimely at night, bedtime resistance, and taking longer than usual to fall asleep. This type of insomnia often results when children are weaned off specific habits inculcated at infancy and requires parental intervention.
Sleep maintenance insomnia generally refers to the condition where an individual fails to stay asleep throughout the entire duration. This comprises a fragmented sleeping pattern, with most individuals waking up at least once in the middle of their slumber and struggling for a substantial time to fall asleep again.
Just like onset insomnia, this condition also leads to a reduction in the total sleep time, thus leading to sluggishness during the daytime.
Individuals with paradoxical insomnia generally develop a feeling that they have been asleep for a time much lesser than their actual sleep time. This leaves them with a false sense of sleep deprivation, which, in turn, can result in reduced energy levels.
Now, individuals having the same type of insomnia may often experience different symptoms. This primarily depends on the stage of insomnia they are suffering from.
There are 5 stages of insomnia depending on the timeline of sleep deprivation, irrespective of the type. The following table enlists the same along with their descriptions.
|
Stage |
Sleep Deprivation Window |
Effects |
|
1 |
24 hours |
General fatigue and irritability |
|
2 |
36 hours |
Impaired cognitive performance |
|
3 |
48 hours |
Hallucination |
|
4 |
72 hours |
Delusions and depersonalisation |
|
5 |
96 hours |
Sleep deprivation psychosis |
Besides facing difficulty in falling asleep, individuals suffering from this condition mostly experience some of the following signs and symptoms of insomnia disease.
Does any of the above strike a familiar chord?
Then, you must understand what causes insomnia to nip this issue in its bud.
The underlying causes of this sleep disorder may vary across patients, owing to the type and stage of insomnia they are suffering from.
However, some of the most common reasons for developing this condition are as follows:
While some of these causes may not be that alarming, others can lead to lifelong trouble in terms of serious sleep deprivation.
Although anyone can experience insomnia, the following factors can make individuals more prone to developing this condition.
Now that you have a fair idea of why insomnia occurs, you must know the ways in which you can get a proper diagnosis. Although there is no specific method to know for sure if a person is suffering from insomnia, healthcare professionals use a combination of the following tests to arrive at a suitable conclusion.
Once you get a proper diagnosis of this condition, it is time to focus on how to overcome insomnia.
If you are wondering how to get rid of insomnia, know that this is an extremely common condition that resolves in most cases.
However, if you have been struggling with this sleep disorder for a long time now, it is time you seek any of the following treatment procedures, according to your physician’s prescription:
As the popular saying goes, prevention is better than cure! Therefore, it is essential to keep in mind a few measures to prevent insomnia, to avoid developing this discomforting condition in the first place.
Hopefully, following these tips will keep you from developing insomnia. In the off-chance that you do, the above discussion on ‘what is insomnia’ and its symptoms and treatment procedure can help you identify and overcome this sleep disorder early on.
Please try one more time!
