What Type of Insomnia do you Have?

There are three main types of insomnia that have been identified, they are transient, acute and chronic. It is important to know which category you fall under as there are different causes and treatments available for each person.

Transient Insomnia
Is a temporary bout of insomnia, often caused by environmental changes disrupting a persons sleep for a night or two. Other things such as jet-lag can disturb sleep patterns. The majority of people suffering from this type of insomnia just need a period of time to adjust to there new sleeping patterns.

Acute Insomnia
This can last from 1 night to a few weeks, a can be caused by a variety of factors, but is not as serious as chronic insomnia.

Chronic Insomnia
This is the most serious case of the three and is also known as long-term insomnia. It can last for years among sufferers, plaguing them throughout life. Insomnia is classified as chronic when a person has trouble sleeping for 3 times a week or more for over a periods of at least a month.

There are also 2 categories insomnia can fall into for causes, they are;

Primary insomnia
Meaning that your insomnia is not directly related to any other health problem or environmental cause.

Secondary insomnia
Is that your insomnia is the result of another health condition, the most common types of secondary (otherwise known as co- morbid) insomnia include;

• Depression – 70% of all sufferers report symptom of insomnia
• Side effects from other medications
• Being in pain or difficulty e.g arthritis or asthma can hinder sleep
• Substance abuse – such as alcohol or drugs
• Stress worry and anxiety
• Environmental change – such as difficulty adjusting to climate

Symptoms of Insomnia

Do you experience nights when you are unable to fall asleep? Or if you do fall asleep, are you constantly waking up throughout the night and unable to return to sleep? If so, you are probably one of the many people who suffer from a sleep disorder commonly referred to as insomnia. Insomnia affects a lot of people, and though the root causes are different for people, the symptoms are generally the same. People who have insomnia often report that although they may feel tired and relaxed when they go to bed, they are unable to fall asleep and often lie awake for hours trying to get to sleep.

Anyone who has not slept well for a night, or a couple of nights can understand the effects that it can have on your physical and mental health, and how hard it can be to function on little or no sleep. Imagine if you were unable to get to sleep or stay asleep during the night for a long period of time. Those who suffer from insomnia can attest to how miserable it can be and feel like most days they are simply sleepwalking through their days, unaware of what is going on around them in their daily life, and simply trying to focus.

Insomnia symptoms can be gradual, or they can come on strong at times, depending on each person. Some people gradually begin to notice that they are having a more difficult time falling asleep than they use to, and simply assume that it will pass, or that is caused by something that is causing them stress. But when it doesn’t pass on its own, and the nights turn into weeks of not being able to sleep, it is time to talk to your doctor and see what you can do to make it better.

There are a number of medications and sleep aids that are now available to try, and some are available over the counter, while others you will need to have a prescription for. Before you try any kind of sleep aid, you want to make sure that you have discussed that and all other options for treatment with your doctor first. They will be able to help you determine what might work the best for you, and get you the sleep that you need. Sleep is important, and you can find ways to treat whatever is causing your insomnia symptoms.