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