Understanding Insomnia: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

Strategies for a Good Night’s Sleep: Insomnia Causes Symptoms and Management

Introduction to Insomnia

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that can have several forms – difficulty in falling asleep, waking up in the night or early morning, and getting tired with a feeling of unfulfilled sleep. Insomnia can have an impact on your health, energy level, and work performance. Although sleep requirements vary from person to person, seven to eight hours of sleep is considered adequate for adults. In this article, we will discuss causes, symptoms, and management strategies for treating insomnia.

Insomnia may be short-term or long-term. Short-term insomnia, which lasts for days or weeks, is caused by traumatic events or experiences in life. Long-term insomnia can last for several months or years. Insomnia is also associated with a person’s medical condition or the impact of medications.

Insomnia can be categorized as:

Primary Insomnia – Insomnia in this category is unrelated to any health problem.

Secondary Insomnia – This type of insomnia is linked to other health problems such as depression, medication, asthma, pain, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, etc.

Symptoms

Some of the common symptoms of insomnia include:

• Inability to fall asleep at night
• Waking up during the night and not getting back to sleep again
• Waking up without getting adequate hours of sleep
• Difficulty in focusing on work or paying attention
• Feeling tired and sleepy during the daytime
• Anxiety and irritability

Causes of Insomnia

Chronic or long-term insomnia is often associated with stress, traumatic events of the past, or habits that can adversely affect sleep patterns. Some of the causes of long-term insomnia include:

Stress – stress related to work, studies, financial matters, and family problems can be detrimental to falling asleep, resulting in insomnia.

A heavy meal in the evenings – Eating heavy meals in the evening causes a backflow of acid from the stomach, disrupting sleep.

Changes in working schedule – pilots and flight crew members often travel in different countries with different time zones. This also causes insomnia.

Habits detrimental to sleep – working in bed, using a computer before bed, watching TV late in the evening, playing video games, using cell phones just before bed, irregular bedtime, and napping during the day can adversely impact sleep patterns.

Medications – Long-term insomnia may also result from certain health conditions and prescription drugs. Some of the medications contain caffeine or stimulants that have a direct impact on the sleeping pattern.

Sleep Apnea – In sleep Apnea, the normal breathing process frequently stops during the night, which results in disturbed sleep.

Restless legs syndrome – people who suffer from this syndrome have an irresistible tendency to shake their legs which causes an interruption in sleep.

Caffeinated Drinks – tea, coffee, and cola are stimulants. Consuming them in the evening or late afternoon hinders falling asleep at night. Nicotine in tobacco also works as a stimulant and disrupts sleep.

Insomnia impacts physical and mental health and can result in:

• Depression and anxiety disorder
• High blood pressure and heart disease
• Poor performance in studies or work
• Greater probability of accidents while driving due to slow reflexes

How to manage insomnia

Overcome insomnia requires concerted efforts such as:

• Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening
• Avoid taking large meals before going to bed
• Maintain a bedtime and waketime schedule including weekends and holidays
• Lead an active life (walking, gardening, bicycling, socializing, etc.)
• Pursue relaxing activities such as listening to soft melodies, reading, relaxation exercises, yoga, and meditation
• Avoid daytime naps
• Discuss with you your doctor if some of the medicines are causing insomnia

References:

Mayo Clinic. Insomnia. (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167). Accessed July 23, 2022

Roth, T. (2007). Insomnia: Definition, Prevalence, Etiology, and Consequences. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 3(5 Suppl), S7. https://doi.org/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1978319/

Cleveland Clinic. Insomnia. (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12119-insomnia). Accessed July 25, 2022