Insomnia is a sleep disorder where an individual finds difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting quality sleep. Although people can suffer in this condition for a variety of reasons, the most common causes are cancer and stress. It is a very common disorder that affects millions of people every year.
Symptoms
There are two kinds of insomnia: acute (short term) or chronic (long term). The characteristic symptoms of this condition include:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Waking up several times all throughout the night
- Waking up too early
- Feeling tired after waking up
Causes
One of the most common causes of insomnia is the medications that are taken, especially those that are taking them for maintenance purposes. There are several medications that can produce a variety of side effects, the most common of which include insomnia. When picking up medications, it is important that consumers should first check the patient information on the medication to have an idea of the side effects that they should expect. This way, they can immediately report anything unusual while under the drug.
Fatigue is very common among many people today and most of them turn to gulping huge amounts of coffee, energy drinks, and soft drinks to combat it. Caffeine does have an effect in giving a boost of energy but it plays a very big role in causing sleep disorder. In fact, it can take 8 hours for it to wear off from the body system. To prevent sleep problems, it is best to limit consumption or just avoid it altogether.
Another familiar cause of insomnia is anxiety and stress. People who are subject to stresses, whether physically or emotionally can suffer from sleep problems. Medical conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are also common causes.
Treatment
Insomnia can be caused by a variety of conditions. Therefore, treating a particular condition is highly dependent on its cause. Doing so will alleviate all the symptoms that are associated with it, including insomnia. Tackling on the issues of medication side effects, fatigue, and stress will overcome insomnia.
There are sedatives and sleeping pills that are available in the market, most of them are even available over the counter. However, such drug therapies are not effective for everyone. Further, it can also bring along other side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches that will all the more cause discomfort and uneasiness.
Exercise and other forms of physical activity can also help battle insomnia. There are many people that have reported to have better sleep with yoga and meditation. Other alternative and non-pharmaceutical insomnia therapies include relaxation therapy and aromatherapy.
Insomnia might be a very common disorder but it should not be overlooked. Anyone who is experiencing its symptoms should not hesitate to consult their health practitioners as it can also be a sign of a potentially alarming underlying condition. After much needed screening and tests, such sleeping disorder can be properly managed by pharmacological, non-pharmacological, and alternative treatments.
