Insomnia
Uploaded by mumsa1 on Feb 07, 2012
Insomnia (poor sleep) affects about 1 in 5 people in the UK.
In this article:
What is insomnia?
Diagnosis
How Chemist Online can help
Symptoms
Effect on your life
Advice & Support
Causes
Treatment
What is insomnia?
People with insomnia are unable to enjoy a restful night’s sleep. Due to a number of possible causes, insomnia sufferers find it extremely difficult to get off to sleep and, as a result, this can affect them during the daytime.
Insomnia can be categorised into two types:
Primary insomnia (where there is no obvious underlying cause), and
Secondary insomnia (sleep problems due to a medical condition)
Symptoms
Symptoms of insomnia include:
an inability to fall asleep
periods of wakefulness throughout the night
waking up earlier than planned in the morning, and
feeling unnaturally tired upon waking
Causes
As well as things such as caffeine and alcohol consumption, nicotine, and medication side-effects, causes of insomnia can include:
stress
worry and anxiety
turmoil due to relationship problems and parenting issues
depression
dementia
illness
being too hot or too cold in bed
an uncomfortable bed
pain & discomfort (e.g., asthma)
environmental noise
shift work, and
jet lag
Insomnia can also be caused by eating late at night.
Diagnosis
If you are suffering from the aforementioned symptoms, and techniques to combat insomnia have all proved unsuccessful, then make an appointment with your GP. He or she may refer you to a psychologist trained in assessing your condition and able to recommend a range of therapeutic treatments (such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) which may help.
Effect on your life
If you suffer from insomnia you may find that you do not function as well in the daytime as someone who benefits from a restful night’s sleep. For example, you may become irritable, find it difficult to concentrate when doing things such as reading, driving, participating in conversations and focusing upon your work. Unsurprisingly, people with insomnia often complain of feeling chronically tired during the daytime and of being in an unbreakable cycle of lost days due to sleepless nights.
Treatment
Treatments for insomnia can include:
vitamins such as melatonin (which should only be taken with medical supervision)
the amino acid L-tryptophan
herbal remedies, and
acupuncture
Note: Sleeping tablets are not commonly prescribed for insomnia, except as a short course to help someone sleep after a period of recent trauma.
Although there is no cure for insomnia as such, as well as the above treatments there are lots of things you can do to promote better sleep and overcome insomnia. For example:
Reduce caffeine (not just in the hours prior to bedtime, but also throughout the day)
Avoid eating a heavy meal, drinking...