Most
adults have experienced insomnia or sleeplessness at one time or
another in their lives. An estimated 30%-50% of the general population
are affected by insomnia, and 10% have chronic insomnia.
Insomnia is a symptom, not a stand-alone diagnosis or a disease. By definition, 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. 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.
Classified:
- symptoms lasting less than one week are classified as transient insomnia,
- symptoms between one to three weeks are classified as short-term insomnia, and
- those longer than three weeks are classified as chronic insomnia.
Causes
Many of the causes of transient and short-term insomnia are similar and they include:
- 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 resolution of insomnia.
Causes of Chronic or Long-Term Insomnia
The majority of causes of chronic or long-term insomnia are usually linked to an underlying psychiatric or physiologic (medical) condition.
Psychological Causes of Insomnia
The most common psychological problems that may lead to insomnia include:
- anxiety,
- depression
- stress (mental, emotional, situational, etc),
- schizophrenia, and/or
- mania (bipolar disorder)
Physiological Causes of Insomnia
The following are the most common medical conditions that trigger insomnia:
- Chronic pain syndromes
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Congestive heart failure
- Night time angina (chest pain) from heart disease
- Acid reflux disease (GERD)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Nocturnal asthma (asthma with night time breathing symptoms)
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease (Often insomnia is the deciding factor for nursing home placement.)
- Brain tumors, strokes, or trauma to the brain
High Risk Groups for Insomnia
In addition to people with the above medical conditions, certain groups may be at higher risk for developing insomnia:
- Travelers
- Shift workers with frequent changing of shifts
- Seniors
- Adolescents or young adult students
- Pregnant women
- Women in menopause
- People who use abuse drugs
- Alcoholics
Medication Related Insomnia
Certain medications have also been associated with insomnia. Among them are:
- Certain over-the-counter cold and asthma preparations.
- The prescription varieties of these medications may also contain stimulants and thus produce similar effects on sleep.
- Some medications used to treat high blood pressure have also been associated with poor sleep.
- Some medications used to treat depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.
Love,
The Dazzling Ladybie
