What Is Insomnia?: Sleep and Insomnia Symptoms

What is insomnia? Popular culture defines insomnia as an inability to sleep. Insomnia symptoms are, in reality, more complicated that a mere lack of sleep. For example, a person who sleeps through the night but wakes up tired may be suffering from insomnia.
In many cases, insomnia is a symptom of an underlying medical condition rather than a separate disorder. Treating the underlying cause will, in most cases, reduce symptoms of insomnia. Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea often cause insomnia symptoms, as do medication side effects, physical pain and even aging.

Symptoms of Insomnia

An occasional period of sleep disruption doesn't necessarily indicate chronic insomnia. Most people experience difficulty falling asleep at some point in their lives.
Difficulty falling asleep at night is one of the most common symptoms of insomnia. An inability to get enough sleep also indicates the possibility of insomnia.
A person with insomnia often wakes up feeling tired after sleep. Insomnia symptoms also include walking up early and being unable to get back to sleep, or frequent awakening throughout the night.

Daytime Insomnia Symptoms

Most people experience symptoms of insomnia periodically. When insomnia becomes severe, the condition causes additional symptoms that affect people during their waking hours.
Waking symptoms of insomnia include daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Mental abilities are impaired. A person suffering from insomnia symptoms may be irritable or develop symptoms of depression.
Lack of sleep negatively affects mental alertness and impairs concentration. People suffering from insomnia symptoms often find their performance at school or work suffers.
Insomnia symptoms can include physical effects that appear unrelated to sleep. Insomnia may trigger gastrointestinal problems, muscle aches and headaches.

Accidents and Symptoms of Insomnia

People suffering from symptoms of insomnia may find themselves falling asleep at work, while watching television or while driving. One study conducted by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center (1999) found that sleeping less than six hours per night was strongly associated with a risk of being involved in a drowsy driving crash.

Quality, Quantity and Insomnia Symptoms

Some people are surprised to find they have symptoms of insomnia when they have no trouble falling asleep. Quality of sleep is just as important as quantity of sleep. Sometimes, insomnia disrupts deep sleep, or causes people to wake up frequently during the night, leaving people tired even though they have no difficulty falling asleep.

Sleep Stress and Insomnia Symptoms

Insomnia symptoms can cause a vicious cycle of stress and disrupted sleep. Learned insomnia describes insomnia caused by worrying about being able to get to sleep. In such circumstances, symptoms of insomnia become the stressor that causes the inability to sleep.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hypersomnia: An Overview

Hypersomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by sleeping too much, experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness or a combination of the two. Hypersomnia is not the same as feeling tired due to poor quality sleep or not getting enough sleep. Often, people with hypersomnia fall asleep suddenly throughout the day, a symptom the condition shares with narcolepsy. Symptoms of Hypersomnia Symptoms of hypersomnia often develop in adolescence or early adulthood. People with hypersomnia may sleep for up to 12 hours at a time, but still wake up feeling tired. Individuals may struggle to wake up after deep sleep and seem disoriented and confused. Hypersomnia often develops gradually, making it difficult for people to realize they are sleeping too much. Signs associated with hypersomnia include: Anxiety Headaches Irritation Loss of appetite Low energy levels Memory problems "Nap attacks" during the day Restlessness Sleeping too much Slow speech Slow thought proce...
Keep reading

Irritable Bowel Disease Syndrome (IBS)

IBS is a very common disorder that affects the functioning of the bowel. Although the severity of the condition (also occasionally called  spastic colon ) can vary considerably from one patient to another, typical characteristics include changes in bowel habits ranging from diarrhea to constipation, cramp-like pains, bloating and a feeling of "gassiness." For some sufferers, IBS is little more than a minor inconvenience; for others it can be totally disabling. In extreme cases, the patient is unable to travel, function in the workplace or enjoy socializing. Common Misconceptions Irritable bowel syndrome is not . . . an imaginary disease.  IBS has biological causes and biological symptoms and is certainly not a condition that is "all in your mind. " caused by other diseases  such as gallstones or ulcers. an infection , although it can sometimes be triggered by a bout of gastroenteritis or similar digestive system disorders. hereditary . a precursor to c...
Keep reading

Gastrointestinal Defects

Birth defects, also known as "congenital abnormalities," are structural defects in some part or system of the body that can affect the body's function. These congenital defects occur during fetal development, and are present in a baby from birth. Like other complex body systems, the gastrointestinal system (or digestive system), responsible for digestion and extracting nutrients from food, is vulnerable to congenital defects during its development. Healthy Gastrointestinal Tract Function The gastrointestinal system is made up of several organs, including the: Mouth Esophagus Stomach Small intestine: Duodenum, jejunum and ileum Large intestine: Cecum, colon, rectum and anus. In healthy people, food enters the mouth, and is chewed and swallowed, passing through the esophagus to the stomach. The stomach breaks down the food, then passes it into the intestines, where it is digested further, and particles from the food can be absorbed. Waste is stored in the r...
Keep reading