 Insomnia is a sleep disorder that includes difficulties of falling or/and staying asleep. Poor-quality sleep may be caused by one or more of the following:
- trouble falling asleep
- waking up too early in the morning
- waking up a great number of times during the night with trouble returning to sleep
- not feeling well rested even after sleeping from 7 to 8 hours at night
A lot of people have experienced sleeplessness or insomnia at one time or another in their lives. Approximately 30-50% of the general population are stricken by insomnia, and 10% have chronic insomnia.
Insomnia affects your energy level, mood, and your immune system. It can cause you to feel sleepy or fatigued during the day, and result in focusing on tasks. Fatigue leads to diminished mental alertness and concentration. Poor sleepers have been found to receive fewer promotions, to show poor productivity, and to have increased absent-mindedness. Lack of sleep is linked to accidents on the road and on the job.
Searching of both the daytime and the nighttime factors of this disorder can help individuals and their doctors understand the causes of this condition, and provide necessary treatment of it. Thanks to recent research into lifestyle, psychological, environmental, physical and psychiatric factors behind sleep disorder it has become possible now for healthcare professionals to help most persons with sleep problems.
Sleeplessness strikes all age group of people. Among older adults, it affects women more often than men. The risk to suffer from insomnia increases with age.
Stress can cause short-term or acute insomnia. If you do not treat your insomnia, it may develop into chronic insomnia.
Insomnia may be temporary or chronic. You can live without sleepless nights of insomnia. You can reach this success with the help of some simple changes in your routine and habits.
Insomnia can last for days, months or even years. It is divided into three categories:
- 2-3 days – transient insomnia
- From a few days to 3 weeks – short-term insomnia
- From 3 weeks – chronic insomnia
Chronic insomnia can cause serious mental problems such as depression, or alcohol or other medicines abuse in order to gain sleep.
We all are different so, it is hard to identify what normal sleep for you. Your age, diet, lifestyle, and environment have to be also included.
For example, newborn babies sleep for 16 hours a day, while school age children need an average of 10 hours. Adults usually need from 7 to 9 hours sleep a night. As we get older, we need less sleep, thus people over 70 need less than 6 hours sleep at night.
| 
