Did you know about 50 to 70 million adults in the United States deal with a sleep disorder? Sleep orders are the prevalent health issue globally, with insomnia as the leading sleep disorder. According to statistics, 30% of US adults experience short-term insomnia, while 10% experience chronic insomnia.
An individual living with insomnia struggles with falling or staying asleep. In some cases, they may have trouble with both. Moreover, if you’re living with insomnia, you can experience fatigue and have trouble functioning during the day.
To help you understand insomnia better, here’s a guide by a leading Adult sleep coach.
What are the Common Types of Insomnia?
Experts define insomnia in various ways. As a result, they’re categorized into different types. They are as follows.
Acute Insomnia
Acute insomnia is short-term insomnia that usually lasts for a few weeks, making it difficult for individuals to fall asleep. This type of insomnia generally occurs due to physical, psychological, environmental, or social changes.
Chronic Insomnia
Chronic insomnia is long-term insomnia when an individual has trouble falling asleep for three days or more per week regularly. This type usually continues for three months or more. Chronic insomnia is further divided into types—primary and secondary insomnia.
Primary Insomnia
Primary insomnia doesn’t occur because of medical conditions and is still vaguely understood by experts. Numerous ongoing research studies hint this type is related to chemical changes in the brain. However, substantial research is still needed to second that.
Secondary Insomnia
Secondary insomnia can occur due to various situations, such as trauma, stress, health issues, lifestyle changes, etc.
Onset Insomnia
Onset insomnia refers to having trouble going to sleep. Caffeine consumption, mental health issues, or other prevalent insomnia causes may trigger difficulty falling asleep, but other sleep problems may also cause it.
Maintenance Insomnia
Maintenance insomnia can be described by persistent early morning awakenings or difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Unfortunately, staying up all night worried about not getting enough sleep worsens this sort of insomnia. As a result, it may be linked to underlying physical and mental health concerns.
What are the Symptoms of Insomnia?
Insomnia can easily be recognized by some symptoms, including:
- Trouble falling asleep during the night
- Disrupted sleep schedule
- Constantly waking up in the night or waking up early
- Fatigue or drowsiness throughout the day due to lack of sleep
- Constant stress-related to sleep
- Mood changes
- Insomnia may also trigger depression, irritability, anxiety, etc.
- Trouble concentrating, paying attention, or recalling information.
What Causes Insomnia?
Sometimes insomnia can be a chief problem or associated with other conditions. The cause of insomnia varies from type to type. For instance, some causes of acute insomnia are:
- Stress
- Jet lag
- A traumatic or emotional event
- Some medications
- Illness or physical pain
- Changes in sleep habits, such as sleeping in a new home.
On the other hand, chronic insomnia can occur due to various reasons or on its own. Some common causes are:
- Chronic pain issues, such as back painor arthritis
- Psychological conditions such as depression, substance use disorders, anxiety, etc.
- Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea
- Health conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.
Does Insomnia Complicate Your Health?
When your body isn’t well-rested and sleep-deprived, it can’t function properly. As a result, your brain has a tough time performing daily functions for smooth working. That’s why you can’t concentrate and focus when you’re sleep-deprived. So, yes, insomnia leads to various health complications over time.
Barely getting any sleep for nights can spike the chances of developing various conditions, such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Asthma attacks
- Obesity
- Stroke
- Hypertension
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Seizures
- Deteriorating immune system
- Diabetes
In addition to the above risks, insomnia can also:
- Impact your memory
- Make you prone t errors due to poor concentration and focus
- Affect your sex drive
- Make it tough to control your emotions.
Tips to Help Cope with Insomnia
If you’re having trouble sleeping and experiencing insomnia, you could follow some tips to cope with it. These tips are as follows:
- Set a bedtime routine that helps you sleep better and follow it religiously.
- Establish a sleeping schedule and maintain it throughout the week. For instance, if you’re sleeping at 10 p.m. and waking up at 7 a.m. on weekdays, follow these timings for weekends too.
- Avoid screen time an hour or so before your bedtime. Plus, prep your room by dimming the lights.
- Avoid caffeine before your bedtime and throughout the day.
- Minimize afternoon naps since it can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
Should You Take Medications for Insomnia?
Many individuals experiencing insomnia have been taking medications to improve their symptoms. Initially, these medications work, but after some time, the body becomes resistant to them. As a result, people start increasing their dosage, which isn’t the right approach.
In short, medications might help you, but this isn’t the right approach if you’re looking for prolonged benefits. Instead, opt for natural remedies for insomnia.
Looking for Insomnia Help Online? A Better Snooze Can Help You!
Are you looking for insomnia help online but don’t want to take medications? We’ve got just what you need—A Better Snooze.
A Better Snooze is well-known for offering professional sleep help services. Unlike other sleep help services, our top adult sleep coaches offer natural remedies for insomnia in adults. Using a natural approach, our professionals help improve sleep efficiency amongst adults facing sleep-related problems.
All our sleep help services begin with comprehensive assessments to evaluate each patient’s conditions. After thorough analysis, we offer a natural sleep plan focusing on sleep, lifestyle, and other changes to alleviate insomnia. In addition, we also effectively track their client’s progress to ensure the client gets the help they need.