Facts About Insomnia

The primary facts about insomnia are that it is a sleep disorder resulting in a person’s inability to fall asleep or that they cannot stay asleep for a decent length of time. These people experience little or no stage 4 or REM sleep. This sleeplessness is due to unregulated activity of the person’s cerebral brain centers controlling wakefulness. Another of the facts about insomnia is that there are three different forms. These are transient, acute, or chronic insomnia. Often the type is related to the cause.

The facts about transient insomnia are that it lasts only a short period of time. Frequent travelers often experience this with nagging jetlag symptoms. Certain medications can also have this effect. Other sources include pain, caffeine, and stress. This form of insomnia can come and go and is then termed intermittent insomnia.

The facts about acute insomnia are that it lasts longer than transient insomnia, no shorter than 3 weeks. The sources of this form of insomnia are similar to that of transient insomnia. In addition, stress, anxiety and other psychological disorders often contribute to sleepless nights.

Chronic insomnia is the most serious form of insomnia and will severely exhaust this patient. This form of insomnia occurs nearly every night for a period of a longer than a month. The facts of this insomnia are that it is often a direct result of a metabolic abnormality or uncontrolled activity in this individuals brain or brain stem in the areas controlling wakefulness.

Facts About Insomnia

The facts about insomnia are that it is usually caused by another disease or psychological problem. In this case, medical or psychological help may be useful. This implies there are a wide variety of treatments available to the insomniac. Treatment options of varying effectiveness include drug therapy, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, dietary supplements, or herbal remedies. The facts about insomnia treatments are that they vary in effectiveness and often are ineffective unless the underlying physical or psychological cause is addressed.

A common drug therapy for insomnia is benzodiazapines. Other classes of drugs with differing effectiveness and drawbacks include antihistamines, antidepressants, or antipsychotics. The facts about insomnia drug treatment are that all sedative drugs can potentially cause a psychological dependence where the individual does not believe they can sleep without the aid of drugs.