What is Insomnia? Causes, Types, and How It Affects Your Health

Insomnia generally refers to the condition of sleeplessness that affects one's life and health. However, one or two nights of sleeplessness doesn't mean you are struggling with insomnia. A clinical insomnia would last for at least 3-7 days. Also, clinical insomnia can be differentiated into chronic and acute sleeplessness. While insomnia can be a serious condition that can lead to the rise of several other physical and mental conditions, you might feel relieved to learn that it is curable when you can cure the underlying cause.

So, if you are spending sleepless nights and worried about whether you are also suffering from insomnia or not, keep on reading! This blog will have a deeper look at the condition called insomnia and equip you with essential details like causes, types, treatment and more.

What is insomnia?

Before we dive deep and learn about the common causes or types of insomnia, let's understand what insomnia is first. Insomnia is a sleep disorder. People with insomnia usually struggle to fall asleep or remain asleep throughout the night. As a result, they may not feel energised after waking up. The lack of restful slumber leads to a severe fall in the overall energy levels. While an adult requires 7-8 hours long and uninterrupted sleep for health and well-being. But with insomnia, people may not be able to get this restful sleep as a result, they may become grumpy, moody, and unable to healthy lives.

Insomnia causes

There are several causes of insomnia, which can vary from one person to another. Knowing the primary causes of insomnia not only helps you identify the condition but also helps you determine the right treatment. This is because the treatment of insomnia depends on the underlying cause of the sleeplessness. Here are a few common causes of insomnia discussed below in detail-

In men

As we have been highlighting the fact that insomnia affects genders differently. Therefore, you should understand that the causes of insomnia will also vary depending on gender and age groups. The most common causes of insomnia in men primarily include work-life stress, studies, family, money, social conditions, sudden stressful events in life such as death or serious illness of any loved ones, etc. Therefore, older men and young adult men tend to suffer more from sleepless nights than younger males.

In women

The cause of insomnia greatly changes when it comes to women. Insomnia in women is mostly caused by hormonal changes during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause as well as other mental and physical health conditions. Women are more likely to suffer from depression than men which also greatly contributes as a primary cause of insomnia in women. Also, women over 60 years suffer from insomnia or sleeplessness due to physical and hormonal changes.

In adults

No wonder, adults tend to suffer and report sleeplessness or insomnia than certain other age groups. Most adults suffer from insomnia or sleeplessness due to work-life pressure, school, studies, money matters, family, socio-economic conditions, employment and more. Adults across the globe mostly suffer from insomnia linked with anxiety, panic disorder, depression, chronic health conditions, etc.

In elderly people

Lastly, insomnia can also affect elderly or senior people significantly. The primary causes of insomnia in elderly or senior people mostly include midlife crisis, loneliness, chronic health conditions, back pain, joint pain, lack of social interactions, anxiety and depression. Insomnia in elderly people is mostly associated with chronic health conditions, loneliness, depression, etc.

Types of insomnia

There are several types of insomnia and the types mostly depend on the the underlying cause. If you want to treat your insomnia you must have proper knowledge about insomnia and the type you are dealing with. Here are some common types of clinical insomnia exists-

• Acute insomnia- Acute insomnia is also known as temporary insomnia. It usually lasts for at least 3 days to 24 days. Acute sleeplessness or insomnia is curable and most of the time goes away on its own.
• Chronic insomnia- Chronic insomnia is different from acute or temporary insomnia. It can occur 3 days per week for at least 3 months or more.
• Behavioural insomnia- Behavioural insomnia mostly affects one in childhood during 0-5 years. However, the condition can keep bothering the individual till the middle of childhood or beyond.
• Onset insomnia - This type of insomnia mostly troubles you falling asleep. You may face a hard time falling asleep due to extended sleep latency. Also, you may struggle to fall asleep if wake up middle of the night.
• Maintenance insomnia- Maintenance insomnia also known as sleeplessness associated with sleep-maintenance capabilities. In maintenance insomnia, you either struggle to stay asleep longer or are troubled with frequent night awakenings and the inability to fall back to sleep quickly.

How does insomnia affect your health?

Insomnia can negatively impact your physical and mental health. Here is how this sleeping disorder can affect your health:

• Physical health

Insomnia can affect your central nervous system, respiratory system, immune system, cardiovascular system and digestive system, causing a number of physical health conditions such as:

• Frequent cases of Common colds
• Severe lung diseases
• Heart diseases
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Poor balance
• Lower sex drive
• Mental health

Mental health conditions can cause sleep deprivation or insomnia. On the flip side, sleeping problems such as insomnia can also cause mental health problems such as:

• Stress and anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Depression
• Poor memory and concentration
• Difficulty in thinking
• Feelings of irritability

How insomnia is treated?

The symptoms of insomnia can be managed with lifestyle changes and natural remedies. However, if the symptoms do not improve with lifestyle changes, one needs to rely on sleep medications. Here, we will discuss the treatment of insomnia:

Lifestyle changes

Some lifestyle changes that can improve sleep quality and help in the management of insomnia symptoms:

• Maintaining sleep hygiene
• Reducing caffeine intake
• Reducing exposure to artificial lights
• Maintaining healthy weight
• Meditation and yoga
• Listening to relaxing music
• Trying natural remedies

Medicine

Another useful and effective way of treating insomnia is medicine. Medicines are mostly used for treating or managing chronic insomnia. However, if your acute or temporary insomnia is affecting your regular work and life, your healthcare providers may suggest some sleep aids to restore your sleep. Here are some common medicines used for treating insomnia-

• Zopiclone
• Zolpediam
• Eszopiclone
• Diazepam
• Lorazepam
• Melatonin
• Gabapentin
• Alprazolam

Conclusion

Insomnia is usually referred to as a sleep disorder which leads to sleeplessness or inability to have restful slumber throughout the night. The condition can be triggered by various causes which include depression, anxiety, hormonal changes, chronic health conditions, etc. Also, insomnia can be distinguished into different types like chronic, acute, behavioural and maintenance. Also, insomnia or sleeplessness can contribute to several mental and physical health conditions if left untreated (especially chronic) like, depression, palpitation, brain fog, stroke, lung disease, heart disease, obesity, hyperthyroidism, and more. Thankfully, the condition is manageable with over-the-counter sleep aids, natural remedies, lifestyle changes, identifying and treating the underlying cause of insomnia, etc.