About Insomnia

What is insomnia?

Insomnia, defined as trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, is a common problem. Occasional insomnia is experienced by more than a third of American adults, and chronic insomnia is known to effect more than one in ten. If you have ever suffered from insomnia, you know it can disturb your waking, as well as your sleeping hours. It can cause you to feel sleepy or fatigued during the day, affect your mood, and result in trouble focusing on tasks.

Looking at both the daytime and the nighttime factors of insomnia can help individuals and their healthcare professional understand the causes of this condition, and provide a basis for treating the disorder. Recent research into psychological, lifestyle, environmental, physical and psychiatric factors behind sleep disorders is making it possible for healthcare professionals to help most troubled sleepers.

Types of insomnia

Insomnia can occur in people of all ages. Most individuals just experience a night or two of poor sleep, but sometimes the sleep disturbance can last for weeks, months, or even years. Insomnia is most common among women and older adults.

Transient Insomnia
Transient insomnia is the inability to sleep well over a period, lasting fewer than four weeks. This type of insomnia is usually brought on by excitement or stress. Children, for example, may toss and turn just before school starts in the fall, or before an important exam or sporting event. Adults might sleep poorly before an important business meeting or after an argument with a family member or close friend. People are more likely to have trouble sleeping when they are away from home, especially if they have traveled across time zones. Physical activity close to bedtime (within four hours) and illness can also cause this type of insomnia.

Short-term Insomnia
Short-term insomnia is the inability to sleep well for a period of four weeks to six months. Periods of ongoing stress at work or at home, medical conditions, psychiatric illness or other persistent factors can result in short-term insomnia. As the cause resolves or the sleeper adjusts to it, sleep will usually return to normal.

Chronic Insomnia
More than 20 million Americans complain of chronic insomnia, defined as poor sleep every night or most nights for more than six months. While most of these individuals worry about their sleep, it's wrong to blame all troubled sleep on worrying. Insomnia may also be due to a physical problem. According to a nationwide study by the Association of Sleep Disorders Centers, physical ailments - such as disorders of breathing or abnormal muscle activity - are often the cause of sleep disruption and may account for a large number of self-diagnosed cases of insomnia.