David Stevens asked:


Insomnia is a sleeping disorder whereby the person has the inability to fall asleep or the inability to remain asleep for a normal amount of time. People suffering from insomnia have been known to complain about being unable to close their eyes for more than a few minutes at a time.

Insomnia means a poor-quality sleep because of one or more of the following: difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep, waking up too early in the morning or unrefreshing sleep. It is a condition in which a person has trouble falling or staying asleep. Some people with insomnia may fall asleep easily but wake up too soon. Other people may have the opposite problem, or they have trouble with both falling asleep and staying asleep. The end result is poor-quality sleep that does not leave the person feeling refreshed when they wake up.

At least three types of insomnia exist: transient, acute, and chronic.

1. Transient insomnia lasts from one night to a few weeks. Most people occasionally suffer from transient insomnia due to such causes as jet lag or short-term anxiety. If this form of insomnia continues to occur from time to time, the insomnia is classified as intermittent.

2. Acute insomnia is the inability to consistently sleep well for a period of between three weeks to six months.

3. Chronic insomnia is regarded as the most serious; persists almost nightly for at least a month.

Insomnia can affect any person, of any age, at any time in their life. While it is often a transient condition, many people experience chronic insomnia. When left untreated, insomnia can have many dramatic effects on the body, including physical, psychological and emotional. It is a very common health problem. It can cause excessive daytime sleepiness and a lack of energy. Long-term insomnia can cause you to feel depressed or irritable; have trouble paying attention, learning, and remembering; and not do your best on the job. IT also can limit the energy you have to spend with friends or family.

Insomnia can be mild to severe depending on how often it occurs and for how long. Chronic insomnia means having symptoms at least 3 nights per week for more than a month. Insomnia that lasts for less time is known as short-term or acute insomnia.

There are certain lifestyle habits that can lead to sleeplessness. Caffeine most commonly disrupts sleep. An estimated 10% of chronic insomnia cases result from substance abuse, especially alcohol, cocaine, and sedatives. One or two alcoholic drinks at dinner poses little danger of alcoholism and may help reduce stress and initiate sleep. But excess alcohol or alcohol used to promote sleep, however, tends to fragment sleep and can cause wakefulness a few hours later. It also increases the risk for other sleep disorders.

The good news is that there are different cures for insomnia these days that will help you to deal with this and eventually cure this. You will find various programs and courses online that you should be checking out so you can get help to start dealing with this disorder without delay.

John mathew asked:

Insomnia is a condition in which you have trouble falling or staying asleep. Some people with insomnia may fall asleep easily but wake up too soon. Other people may have the opposite problem, or they have trouble with both falling asleep and staying asleep. The end result is poor-quality sleep that doesn’t leave you feeling refreshed when you wake up.

Insomnia can affect any person, of any age, at any time in their life. While insomnia is often a fleeting or “transient” condition, many people experience chronic insomnia. When left untreated, insomnia can have many dramatic effects on the body, including physical, psychological and emotional.

Types of Insomnia

There are different classifications of insomnia: transient, intermittent, and chronic. Transient insomnia is short term insomnia. It can last from a single night to a few weeks. Intermittent Insomnia is insomnia that occurs on and off. Chronic insomnia is insomnia that occurs constantly, usually most nights and lasts for a month or more.

Symptoms

Insomnia symptoms can vary and may be different from person to person. Insomnia is a medical condition characterized by the inability to sleep. People who suffer from insomnia typically have a hard time falling asleep; they lie in bed for hours in frustration, tossing and turning. Because of the poor quality of sleep they are getting, insomniacs are tired for most of the day.

The following symptoms indicate possible insomnia:

•    difficulty falling asleep at night

•    inability to get adequate sleep at night

•    feeling tired after sleep

•    waking up at early hours

•    waking up through the night.

Causes

You might be surprised at the vast range of factors that can cause sleep problems. Health and lifestyle issues such as stress, illness, or sleep environment might be at play. Or you might have a sleep disorder that interferes with the quality of your sleep. Whatever the cause or causes of your insomnia, there are effective solutions.

Insomnia stems from 4 main causes:

1.    Psychological

2.    Lifestyle

3.    Environmental

4.    Insomnia as a secondary illness

Treatment

Treatment of insomnia often depends on the cause. If insomnia is a secondary condition or symptom to another problem, healthcare professionals prefer to treat the primary condition whether it be depression, long term anxiety, or a medical condition that is leaving the patient awake at night. Some antidepressants, such as SSRI’s, can cause insomnia, however, others have a sedating effect. These include: Elavil, mirtazapine, trazodone and doxepin.

The antidepressant trazodone (Desyrel) also may help with insomnia. Over-the-counter sleep aids contain antihistamines that can induce drowsiness. They’re OK for occasional sleepless nights, but they, too, often lose their effectiveness the more you take them. Many sleeping pills contain diphenhydramine, which can cause difficulty ********* and a drowsy feeling in the daytime.