What is Insomnia? Insomnia is a sleep disorder which results in sleeplessness. There are three types of insomnia. Mild insomnia is a state in which there are sporadic short duration sleep disorders and does not last longer than a few days. The second type of insomnia is the acute insomnia in which the sleep disorder lasts for a longer period often over a period of several weeks. The last type of insomnia is the chronic insomnia where the patient has been suffering from the disorder for a long time sometimes spread over a period of months or years.

Symptoms of Insomnia

Some of the major symptoms of insomnia are the following:

• Difficulty falling asleep,
• Awakening in the middle of being asleep,
• Difficulty in returning back to sleep after suddenly getting awake,
• Continuously changing shifts that is difficult for the body to get accustomed to,
• Stressful conditions at work and home,
• Depression and related issues,
• Denying the body sleep when sleep is required,
• Working for long hours in jobs requiring constant alertness,
• Poor concentration and focus and
• Worrying about something emotional.

Most of the symptoms of insomnia are related to the environment or society in which the person lives, though there are some which are medication related where the person is required to take drugs to keep him awake.

What Causes Insomnia?

There are various causes for insomnia, though it is believed that the underlying medical conditions are the most important of all causes. However, chronic insomnia may also be a job related issue like constantly changing shifts and situations requiring the person to be ever alert on duty. People serving the military in most cases, exclusively those posted in difficult terrain and strategic locations vulnerable to enemy disturbances are reported to severely suffer from insomnia.

Apart from work related causes, insomnia is also the outcome of habitual consumption of alcohol, hallucinating drugs, decongestants, weight loss drugs and caffeine, nicotine and cocaine.

Treatment of Insomnia

There are some widely used medicines that go in the treatment of insomnia. However, most of these are habit forming drugs like benzodiazepines may cause severe side effects like depression and anxiety which may go against the purpose of the treatment of insomnia. Most doctors prescribe polysomnography and actigraphy, which involve an overnight sleeping test that studies the sleep pattern and the sleep behavior of the patient. This helps the doctor to understand the patient’s requirement better and accordingly prescribe a detailed therapy.

Most of the therapies advised by medical experts on insomnia are cognitive in nature and some are also stimulus based. Doctors prescribe going to bed only when feeling sleepy, not watching the television, not to have day time naps and to wake up with the help of an alarm clock even in weekends so that the patient gets accustomed to a fixed pattern of sleeping. Many also prescribe a walk after dinner or supper to lighten up the day’s load of worries and listening to music which acts as an excellent nerve relaxant too. Unwinding is an important part of the treatment to this problem.