Everything You Need to Know About Insomnia

Insomnia, a common type of sleep disorder, causes a person to have difficulty falling asleep. This health disease, which is characterized by problems such as difficulty staying asleep, waking up earlier than necessary, and falling asleep again, causes the person to feel sleepless when they wake up.

What is insomnia?

Inability to sleep (Insomnia) is a sleep problem disorder that refers to the person’s inability to get enough of the amount of sleep they need at the end of the day. In case of not getting enough sleep, various health problems begin to arise in the person. Individuals with this disease have great difficulty falling asleep.

What are the symptoms of insomnia?

Common effects of imsonia may include:

Difficulty falling asleep at night
Waking up during the night
Waking up too early
Increased errors or accidents
Ongoing worries about sleep
Not feeling well-rested after a night’s sleep
Daytime tiredness or sleepiness
Irritability, depression or anxiety
Difficulty paying attention
Trouble sleeping

What are the types of insomnia?

There are three types of insomnia:

Acute Insomnia

People with sudden insomnia experience sleep disorders for a short period of time, less than 1 month. This is also known as primary insomnia. This disease usually presents in a way that does not require treatment and disappears on its own. Acute insomnia usually develops due to stress and psychological disorders. It can also occur with various medications used and causes of health problems.

Cronic Insomnia

In people who have this problem, sleep disturbance is observed in a way that lasts for months. As in acute, psychological factors are at the forefront in chronicity. If it develops due to psychological factors, this condition is called psychophysiological insomnia. In addition, according to the situations around the person, chronic insomnia may develop. However, if this condition is chronic, it requires treatment by a specialist. First of all, the underlying physical causes are sought. If no findings are found, the patient is referred to psychological treatment. The patient is treated with psychotherapy and, if necessary, drug supplements.

Fatal familial insomnia

Fatal insomnia is considered a prion disease caused by the fact that it also involves the accumulation of abnormally folded forms of prion protein in the brain. These misfolded proteins tend to accumulate in clusters that are resistant to breakdown by brain enzymes. The ability to treat the disease is quite limited. Often, even the strongest sedatives don’t make their patients sleep. For this reason, treatment usually focuses on alleviating the symptoms of the disorder as much as possible.

How common is insomnia?

Sleep problems are generally quite common. However, insomnia occurs in approximately 33% to 60% of the adult population, while chronic insomnia is known to occur in 10%.

How much sleep do most people need?

Most adults need sleep in the range of approximately 6-8 hours. The amount of sleep that a healthy person needs to spend the day in the best way is 8 hours. However, it is important that your sleep is uninterrupted. If you sleep uninterruptedly, you feel more vigorous during the day. However, your immunity will also be strong.

What causes insomnia?

This sleep problem may develop due to an underlying cause in the person. These can take the form of many diseases such as asthma, arthritis, depression, heartburn and cancer. In addition, the drugs used and the consumption of alcohol can also lead to insomnia. But this problem is most often caused by excessive stress and the presence of habits that disrupt sleep patterns. Some of the common factors that lead to chronic insomnia can be listed as follows:

Stress

In people who are overly stressed, the problem of insomnia is very common. For the treatment of this, you need to reduce your stress. You can see a psychologist for help. By reducing your stress level with the most appropriate therapies for you, you can eliminate your sleep problem.

Travel or work schedule

Busy work tempo and long travels can also lead to sleep disorder. For this, it is important that you do not go on long trips too often. At the same time, you can prevent this problem by reducing your work tempo as much as possible.

Poor sleep habits

A bad sleep pattern, if it continues, can cause chronic insomnia in you. To avoid causing this, make sure your room is as quiet and dark as possible. At the same time, make sure that there are no items such as telephones, televisions, etc. that will distract you from your attention.

Eating too much late in the evening

Usually, meals eaten just before going to bed cause you to experience insomnia. For this reason, you should stop eating and drinking at least 2 hours before you go to bed.

Mental health disorders

Mental health problems often cause insomnia. For example, depression and sleep problem are linked. You need to apply cause-oriented treatment to eliminate your sleep problem due to this reason.

How is insomnia diagnosed?

After the person with sleeplessness applies to the physician, the physician takes the history of the disease and performs a physical examination. The habits that cause the person to have sleep problems are questioned. You may be asked to fill out the questionnaire, also known colloquially as the sleep problem test. In some cases, a sleep diary may be requested for several weeks.

If deemed necessary by the physician, laboratory tests and hospitalization in the sleep center may be required. The person is monitored by video and audio during one night in sleep center. The person’s breathing, pulse, body movements and brain waves are also examined. In the light of the findings obtained, the person is diagnosed with sleepness.

Insomnia treatment

The cure for insomnia is done by improving the underlying focal disease. In some cases, the physician may prescribe medication. In addition, cognitive behavioral therapy can be applied to the person for the insomnia cure. The same methods are applied for the chronic insomnia treatment.

You can ask the Erdem Hospital expert team about the issues you are curious about insomnia and treatment methods, and you can ask for suggestions about your question. You can use the contact form on our website to contact us.