Insomnia - An Explanation of Insomnia

Insomnia is too little or poor-quality sleep caused bySecondary insomnia can be caused by a medical
one or more of the following: Trouble falling asleepcondition (such as cancer, asthma, or arthritis), drugs,
Waking up a lot during the night with trouble returningstress or a mental health problem (such as
to sleep Waking up too early in the morning Havingdepression), or a poor sleep environment (such as too
un-refreshing sleep (not feeling well rested), even aftermuch light or noise, or a bed partner who snores)
sleeping 7 to 8 hours at night Insomnia can causeTreatment
problems during the day, such as excessive sleepiness,Treatment of insomnia includes alleviating any physical
fatigue, trouble thinking clearly or staying focused, orand emotional problems that are contributing to the
feeling depressed or irritable.condition and exploring changes in lifestyle that will
What are the different types of insomnia and whatimprove the situation. Call your health provider if: A
causes them?sleeping problem becomes persistent and unbearable,
Insomnia can be:despite home treatment A sleeping problem occurs
Transient (short term) insomnia lasts from a single nightmore than 3 nights per week for more than 1 month
to a few weeks.The insomnia is accompanied by other worrisome
Intermittent (on and off) insomnia is short term, whichsymptoms, such as chest pain or shortness of breath.
happens from time to time.Sufficient evidence does not exist to support
Chronic (on-going) insomnia occurs at least 3 nights aover-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids as an effective
week over a month or more.treatment for insomnia. There are some prescription
Chronic insomnia is either primary or secondary:medications that treat insomnia but, the problem with
Primary insomnia is not related to any other healththese are they are habit forming and may cause next
problem.day drowsiness and short term memory loss.