Insomnia – An Introduction

Insomnia is a sleep disorder. When a person faces the problem of falling asleep or staying asleep for more than a certain period of time then he is believed to suffer from insomnia. It can affect a person of any age group. However, the difficulty in getting sleep increases with one’s age. About 30% to 50% people in the world experience problems in getting sleep or suffer from poor quality sleep. A lot of people also suffer from chronic insomnia as they spend several sleepless nights. People with primary insomnia tries hard to fall asleep but more they try to get sleep, more difficult it becomes to get sleep and their sense of frustration also increases. Insomnia sufferers feel more distressed due to lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep.

Quite a few factors can cause insomnia. Amongst the most common factors are anxiety and mental stress. Intake of coffee and alcohol before going to bed can also contribute in aggravating the difficulty in falling asleep. Insomnia as caused by emotional disturbances or depression is known as secondary insomnia, while primary insomnia is not caused by any known medical condition or physical element. A person suffering from insomnia also feels extremely tired during the day. Insomnia sufferers mostly remain lethargic and do not feel refreshed even when they wake up.

Based on the total duration for which a person faces difficulty in falling asleep or suffers from poor quality sleep, a person can be diagnosed with transient, short-term or chronic insomnia. A person will have to undergo medical examination and also inform his medical practitioner about his drug use, medications and medical history in order to help the doctor diagnose insomnia. Seeking medical advice can help a person in treating sleep disorder. Introducing behavioral, lifestyle changes and also going in for medication can help a person to get rid of the problem of insomnia.