Insomnia is insufficient or poor quality sleep caused by one or more of the following factors:
Sleeping problems
Waking up a lot at night with trouble getting back to sleep
Waking up too early in the morning
Get a good night’s sleep (not feeling well rested), even after sleeping 7 to 8 hours a night
Insomnia can cause problems during the day, such as excessive sleepiness, fatigue, trouble thinking clearly or staying focused, or feeling depressed or irritable.
What are the different types of insomnia and what causes them?
Insomnia can be:
Transient (short-term) insomnia lasts from a single night to a few weeks.
Intermittent (intermittent) insomnia is short-term, which happens from time to time.
Chronic (ongoing) insomnia occurs at least 3 nights a week for a month or more.
Chronic insomnia is primary or secondary:
Primary insomnia is not related to any other health problem.
Secondary insomnia can be caused by a medical condition (such as cancer, asthma, or arthritis), drugs, stress, or a mental health problem (such as depression), or a poor sleeping environment (such as too much light or noise, or a bed partner who snores)
Treatment
Treatment for insomnia includes alleviating any physical and emotional problems that contribute to the condition and exploring lifestyle changes that will improve the situation. Call your healthcare provider if: A sleeping problem becomes persistent and unbearable, despite home treatment. A sleep problem occurs more than 3 nights a week for more than 1 month. Insomnia is accompanied by other worrisome symptoms, such as chest pain or shortness of breath. There is insufficient evidence to support over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids as an effective treatment for insomnia. There are some prescription drugs that treat insomnia, but the problem with these is that they are habit-forming and can cause drowsiness the next day and short-term memory loss.