Insomnia: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments
- 28 Sep 2022
- 0 Comments
- General
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep. It still makes you feel tired when you wake up. Therefore, it can negatively affect your health, work performance and quality of life.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that regularly causes sleep problems. It usually improves with changing sleeping habits. However, in cases where it does not heal, it is necessary to seek support.
How Common Is Insomnia?
Insomnia symptoms occur in approximately 33% to 50% of the adult population, while chronic insomnia associated with distress is estimated at 10% to 15%.
What Causes Insomnia?
Common causes of insomnia are as follows:
- Stress
- Travel or study schedule
- Bad sleep habits
- Eating very late in the evening
- Mental health disorders
- Medicines
- Medical conditions
- Sleep related disorders (Sleep apnea etc.)
- Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol
What Are the Types of Insomnia?
Types of insomnia are as follows:
- Short term: Lasts for a few days or weeks. It is often triggered by stress.
- Chronic: The occurrence of sleep difficulties at least three times over a period of three months or longer.
What are the Symptoms of Insomnia?
Sleep disorder are as follows:
- Ongoing concerns about sleep
- Difficulty falling asleep at night
- Increased errors or accidents
- Difficulty concentrating, focusing on tasks, or remembering
- Waking up during the night
- Waking up too early
- Not feeling well rested after a night's sleep
- Daytime sleepiness
- Irritability, depression or anxiety
What Are the Risk Factors for Insomnia?
Sleep disorder risk factors are as follows:
- Hormonal shifts in the menstrual cycle and menopause
- Advanced age
- Mental or physical health disorder
- Stress
- Irregular life
What Are the Complications of Insomnia?
Sleep disorder complications are as follows:
- Poor performance at work or school
- Slow reaction time and higher accident risk while driving
- Mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety disorder
- Substance use
- Increased severity of long-term illness or conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease
How Is Insomnia Treated?
If you find it difficult to do your daily activities because you are tired, your doctor may prescribe sleeping pills for a short time. Quick but short-acting drugs will help you avoid problems such as drowsiness the next day.
It is recommended not to use over-the-counter sleeping pills for insomnia. That's because they can have side effects, and these drugs tend to work less well over time.
Chronic sleep disorder , your doctor may also recommend cognitive behavioural therapy. This will help you change what makes insomnia worse and learn what you can do to promote sleep.
FAQ
Which Age Group is Most Deprived of Sleep?
The risk of sleep deprivation increases with age. Therefore, older individuals are the most sleep-deprived group.
Which Country Has the Highest Insomnia Rate?
The country with the highest rate of insomnia is South Korea.
Which Culture Fits Most?
The Dutch sleep an average of eight hours and 12 minutes per night. This makes them the culture that sleeps the most. The Netherlands is followed by France and New Zealand.
How Can I Prevent Insomnia?
To prevent insomnia, you can consider the following recommendations:
- Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.
- Do not use phones or e-books before bed.
- Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day.
- Exercise regularly.
- Do not eat a heavy meal late in the day.
- Follow a routine to relax before bed. Read a book, listen to music or take a bath.
- If you can't sleep and you're not sleepy, get up and do something calming, like reading, until you're sleepy.


