Medicines Insomnia

MEDICINES

Insomnia

Insomnia is one of the most common and widespread of all disorders. Most of us would have experienced an episode of short term insomnia at some point. Mild cases of short term insomnia may not pose much of a problem, but frequent bouts of severe insomnia or chronic insomnia can be quite problematic. Short term insomnia is clinically referred to as acute insomnia, while episodes of insomnia that involve problems with sleep for at least three nights in a week, spanning a period of four weeks, would be classified as chronic insomnia. Chronic insomnia can take a toll on your health and also your quality of life.

So What is Insomnia?

Insomnia refers to a sleep disorder that could involve an inability to go to sleep or to stay asleep. Lack of sleep or impaired and disturbed sleep can severely affect your ability to function normally through the day. Insomnia can therefore be quantitative or qualitative. Short term insomnia is a lot less serious as compared to chronic insomnia, but can last for more than a week. It usually resolves within three weeks however. Transient insomnia is the mildest insomnia disorder, with the symptoms just lasting for a week or less.

While insomnia may be classified as acute or chronic, it is also identified by the causes or underlying reasons for the condition. This could range from common causes like stress, the presence of some other sleep disorders, sleep hygiene, or the presence of some other underlying condition that causes sleep disturbance and insomnia as a symptom.

• If the problem of impaired sleep is not caused as a direct result of some other health condition or disease, then it is termed as primary insomnia.

• In cases where sleep is affected because of some other health condition thereby resulting in insomnia, it is termed as secondary insomnia, as it is the secondary condition. Treatment would need to address the underlying condition or primary condition, which could include various conditions like asthma, bronchitis, heartburn, arthritis, cancer, depression or certain medications or drugs.

Effects of Insomnia

The most noticeable effect of insomnia is the feeling of tiredness when you awake in the morning, despite adequate time for sleep. This not only saps your energy levels, but it also takes a toll on your state of mind and emotional well being. As a consequence your performance at work and other activities suffers, your health begins to suffer, and social relationships are also affected.

Incidence of Insomnia

Insomnia is so common that it is estimated that up to half our population may suffer from symptoms of insomnia, with up to ten percent affected by chronic insomnia. Over dependence on medications for insomnia may also be one of the causes of the problem as it increases dependence but does not address the underlying cause. Self treatment with over the counter drugs is therefore best avoided. Insomnia generally affects adults, becoming more common as you age. Insomnia can be treated quite effectively however, with both natural methods and medical treatment.

Symptoms of Insomnia

The diagnosis of insomnia is not necessarily as straight forward as you may think it to be. This is because there are various possible symptoms and warning signs of insomnia, many of which can overlap with other medical conditions. Here are some of the general symptoms of insomnia:

• The problem typically begins with difficulty getting to sleep or with interrupted sleep. It often begins because of stress, but if this continues for an extended period you may tend to associate going to bed with an inability to sleep, and the problem could turn chronic.

• Insomnia gradually begins to take a toll on your life, with various symptoms during the daytime. Most people seek help for the problem when confronted with these symptoms:

1. Poor concentration and an inability to focus

2. Memory loss or increased forgetfulness

3. Feelings of disorientation or impaired coordination

4. Mood swings and irritability that gradually affect social interaction

5. Accidents while driving or operating machinery because of fatigue and sleep deprivation

• Attempts to treat these symptoms yourself may often worsen the condition.

• Nonprescription sleeping medications are the biggest threat as they create a dependence and this can turn even a case of acute insomnia into a chronic condition.

• The consumption of alcohol or antihistamines to treat the problem may in fact worsen it.

In some cases however, individuals may not be affected with sleepiness and fatigue during the daytime and could in fact experience difficulty falling asleep even during daytime naps.

It would be a good idea to maintain a sleep diary to track

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