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The word insomnia encompasses more than just “not sleeping.” There
are various types of insomnia as well as various causes and remedies.
A way to tell if you are suffering from insomnia is by knowing
the symptoms. Read
the following symptoms checking off the ones that apply to you.
(a) Symptom Group 1
1. Difficulty falling asleep: People with this symptom have
difficulty getting to sleep. This is the initial time you lie
down to go to sleep. Some people toss and turn for hours before
finally falling asleep.
2. Problems with staying asleep: People with this symptom are
able to fall asleep but wake up in the middle of the night and
are unable to fall back asleep
3. Early morning wake up. People with this symptom may or not
be able to sleep through the entire night but wake up earlier
than they’ve intended and cannot fall back to sleep.
4. Awakening feeling “unrefreshed.” People simply wake up from
sleeping but feel they have not gotten enough sleep despite
the fact they may or may not have slept the entire night.
If
you suffer from at least one of the symptoms above AND the one
below, there is a possibility that you may be suffering from
insomnia.
• You are so exhausted that it is making you not able to function
properly throughout the day – causing irritability, trouble
concentrating, emotional, etc.
If you are suffering from these symptoms, speak to your physician
about possible causes and best way to treat it.
There
are three types of insomnia which are categorized by the length
of time the person is suffering: Transient insomnia: lasting
for a few nights;
Short-term insomnia: two or four weeks of sleep deprivation;
Chronic insomnia: poor sleep that occurs for the majority of
nights and last a month or longer.
There
are some behaviors that may exacerbate insomnia. These can include:
anticipation of a sleepless night (worrying); consuming caffeine
in excess; consuming alcohol right before bedtime; smoking cigarettes
before bedtime; napping excessively (near bedtime). |
