Insomnia – Causes, Signs, and Treatment

This short article contains every bit of information that you would need in order to figure out whether you are facing a form of insomnia or not.

Most people struggled at least once in their lifetime with something that was similar to the symptoms of insomnia. Not being able to fall asleep at night because of various reasons doesn’t implicitly mean that you suffer from insomnia. The inability to sleep can be related to all sorts of aspects and this is the exact reason why you need to read this article thoroughly. Not many persons know about what insomnia really means, what causes it has, what the signs of insomnia are, what impact it has on one’s life or how it’s treated.

Consider that reading about this topic won’t be enough to determine your problem. It’s best to seek medical advice once poor sleep quality starts to influence your overall life quality. Even so, you should be thoroughly informed about this topic to figure out when something isn’t right and make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.

What’s Insomnia?

Insomnia comes in various types and subtypes. General insomnia can be defined as a sleep disorder that causes the impossibility to sleep, facing difficulty falling asleep or trouble staying asleep during a session. These problems result in a poor sleep quality, which is closely related to other serious affections that could alter the lifestyle of the patient. Insomnia can be mild or severe, the latter one requesting specialized treatment schemes instead of relying on natural remedies or tips to fall asleep faster. The types of insomnia are:

1.      Insomnia caused by a substance

This type of insomnia occurs when a person consumes certain drugs, caffeine or even alcohol. The quality of sleep can be perturbed drastically for those that don’t react well to these substances. By staying away from the substance, the problem is gone. This is a mild type of insomnia that doesn’t require long-term treatment.

2.      Insomnia as a result of a mental disease

In some cases, insomnia can be caused by an existent mental disease. Insomnia is simply a symptom of that disease. Its intensity will be directly proportional to the gravity of the mental disease itself. Even though it’s just a symptom, most physicians recommend treating insomnia separately, as it can affect other aspects of the patient’s life, both mentally and physically.

3.      Non-specific insomnia

This type of insomnia appears when the doctor can’t give a final verdict because the affection is not caused by substances nor a mental disease. Until further investigations are done, this type of insomnia is called non-specific and it usually requires medical treatment.  

4.      Idiopathic insomnia

This is a serious sleep disorder that starts to show up during childhood and persists during adulthood. There is no known cause of idiopathic insomnia, but it is not influenced by stress, drug use, different substances or medical disorders. Some say that it appears as a result of a hormonal imbalance in the body that may cause a hyper- or underactive wake-up system.

5.      Stress insomnia

This is probably the most common type of insomnia and it refers to not being able to fall asleep because of feelings of excessive concern, stress or previous trauma. This sleep disorder is supposed to disappear immediately after the source of the stress or concern disappears. It’s important to keep in mind that not only negative experiences carry stress, but regular, day-to-day activities as well. 

What Causes It?

The most frequent causes of insomnia are the following:

·         Consuming certain substances

·         Suffering from anxiety

·         Taking medicine that has insomnia as a side effect

·         Working in shifts or changing time zone often

·         Environment characteristics (noise, light, temperature)

·         Stress

·         Menopause, in the case of women

·         Depression or other mental health affections

You can’t determine the cause of insomnia without a thorough analysis. It can be diagnosed based on medical history, based on the description of the problem as told by the patient, and based on physical examination. Oftentimes, the diagnosis is unclear, and physicians may recommend further tests to figure out the cause of insomnia. A polysomnogram may be recommended in serious cases. This test is used to record and monitor breathing, heart rate, and various body functions during sleep to figure out the causes of sleeplessness.

What Treatment Options or Remedies Can Be Used?

The way insomnia is treated heavily depends on what causes it and how severe it is. If insomnia is caused by another disease, treating the root disease may improve the quality of sleep. Medication that is based on diphenhydramine and doxylamine (antihistaminic) can be helpful as a chronic insomnia treatment. When the situation is not severe, the affection can be alleviated through lifestyle changes. The best sleep aid is to create and respect a regular schedule. You can do that by:

1.      Using an app that creates the perfect environment for sleeping

In the era of technology, is difficult to stay away from devices, even though blue light can affect your sleep quality. People tend to keep their smartphones in the room at night. To make the best out of this situation, use apps like Sleep Automatic to add sleep-inducing sound frequencies to your bedroom’s ambiance. Your brain will start associating these sounds with sleep time and you might fall asleep easier with further uses. There are plenty of apps that may help people who struggle with insomnia. Take a moment to analyze your options.

2.      Make use of lighting

Your body will rely on light exposure to know when it’s time to rest. Manipulating light is mandatory if you want to reset your internal clock and create a sleep schedule for yourself. Follow the natural order and try to expose yourself to natural light during the day and stay away from light in the evening. When you’re ready for sleep, make sure that the bedroom is devoid of artificial light, including blue light (e.g. TV). To synchronize your internal clock to the natural cues of the Earth, consider going camping for a few days. The lack of electricity will force your body to sleep when the sun goes down and to wake up when it rises.