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Insomnia

How much sleep do you get at night? Most of us get about seven or eight hours of sleep nightly, given the fact that sleep patterns change as we age. If you are not getting enough sleep at night, you may have insomnia.

Insomnia Explained

What is insomnia? Insomnia is a condition where you do not get enough sleep or enough quality sleep. Good sleep is not necessarily related to the number of hours that you sleep, however. Some people feel fine after getting five hours of sleep per night. Others need nine hours of sleep to feel their best.

Insomnia can be:

Chronic: Chronic insomnia sufferers constantly have trouble sleeping and have had this difficulty on most nights for at least a month.
Intermittent: Those who have intermittent insomnia do not experience sleepless nights constantly but do have periods of sleepless nights that recur over a longer period of time.
Transient: Transient insomnia occurs for short periods of time, up to a couple of weeks.

Insomnia Symptoms

Insomnia symptoms can include:

difficulty falling asleep
difficulty staying asleep
waking up too early.

As a result, you may feel:

cranky
depressed
tired
unable to concentrate.

Lack of sleep can also affect your immune system. In addition, lack of sleep can affect your reaction times and decision making process, leading to accidents.

Causes of Insomnia

Transient and intermittent insomnia can be caused by:

alcohol consumption
anxiety
caffeine
changes in work schedules
jet lag
medications
noise
pain
smoking cigarettes
stress
temperature changes
worrying about sleeping.

People can develop chronic insomnia as a result of depression or medical problems such as arthritis, asthma or kidney disease. In addition, a combination of factors can lead to chronic insomnia, such as stress and drinking alcohol.

Fatal Familial Insomnia

Fatal familial insomnia is an extremely rare genetic disease that affects the thalamus, an area of the brain that helps with sleeping. Over a period of seven to 36 months, a person with fatal familial insomnia stops sleeping completely, resulting in dementia and ultimately, death. No treatments exist for this condition.

Insomnia Treatment

In some cases, an insomnia cure might be as simple as reducing the amount of alcohol that you drink. Other insomnia cures that you can try include:

avoiding naps
exercising regularly
reducing the amount of caffeine that you consume
reducing the number of hours that you are trying to sleep
relaxing before you sleep
setting up a sleeping schedule and sticking to the routine.

In addition, you might want to check to see if sleeplessness is a side effect of any medications that you might be taking.

If you are experiencing chronic insomnia, it is important that you schedule an appointment to see your physician. Your doctor will try to determine the physical or mental issues that might be affecting your sleep. Your physician can then treat both your medical problems and the insomnia itself.

Insomnia Medications

In most cases, experts suggest that you avoid using over-the-counter insomnia medications. In some cases, a physician may prescribe a prescription drug to help you sleep. In this case, follow your doctor's instructions as far as dosage and usage.

Resources

American Academy of Physicians (n.d.). Insomnia: How to Get a Good Night's Sleep. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from the FamilyDoctor Web site: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/110.html.

Mayo Clinic. (2007). Insomnia. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from the Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/insomnia/DS00187.

Gambetti, Pierluigi MD (2007). Fatal Familial Insomnia. Retrieved from the Merk.com Web site: http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec06/ch090/ch090c.htl.

Talk about Sleep (n.d.). Facts about Insomnia. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from the TalkAboutSleep.com Web site: http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-disorders/archives/
insomnia_wakefulness.htm.

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