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Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that affects millions of people worldwide—characterized by the inability to fall or stay asleep. You might go to bed but not be able to fall asleep, or you might wake up in the middle of the night and have a hard time getting back to sleep, even though you don’t feel rested. The next day, you may be tired and moody, and you may find it hard to concentrate or to do the things you need to do in the course of your day.
Insomnia commonly leads to daytime sleepiness, lethargy and a general feeling of being unwell both mentally and physically—and can exacerbate depression, anxiety, and can impact diet and weight.
Most people have trouble getting to sleep from time to time, especially when there’s a stressful situation at work or at home. But if you have trouble sleeping three nights a week or more, for at least three months, then it may be chronic insomnia.
Insomnia can disrupt your work and private life. And you’re not alone. According to one survey by the National Sleep Foundation, more than half of all people surveyed had suffered from insomnia in the past year. What’s more, the National Institutes of Health estimates that insomnia is a problem for about 1 in 3 Americans, and that this condition disrupts day-to-day life for one person out of every ten.
A number of issues in your life can make it hard for you to sleep. Sometimes insomnia is caused by a medical condition, while at other times it may be a result of stress, caffeine, or other issues in your day-to-day routine.
Common everyday causes of insomnia include:
For many people, insomnia has a medical cause. This can be a sleep disorder such as restless legs syndrome, {HYPERLINK TO RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME CONDITION CENTER] or it can be an illness with symptoms that disrupt your sleep, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, {HYPERLINK TO GERD CONDITION CENTER] which can wake you with heartburn in the middle of the night. In addition, the medicines you take for another condition may also make it harder for you to sleep.
Common sleep disorders include:
Other medical conditions that may disrupt your sleep include:
In addition, the treatments for another disorder may also affect your sleep cycle. Medicines that can disrupt your sleep include:
This is not a complete list of the problems that might lead to insomnia. Ask your doctor about other issues that may be disrupting your sleep.
Almost everyone has had trouble sleeping at some point, but there are factors that can make you more likely to have insomnia more often. Some of these are risk factors that you can change, or at least influence, while others are beyond your control.
Risk factors you may be able to change include:
Risk factors you can’t change include:
You can bring up insomnia at a regular doctor’s visit, or you can make an appointment just to talk with your doctor about your sleep problems. If you regularly share your bed with a spouse or significant other, then you may want to bring your significant other along to talk about things you might not notice, such as whether you snore or move in your sleep.
Your doctor will likely start by asking about your symptoms and your sleep patterns, such as:
Your doctor may also ask about your bedtime routine, your eating and drinking habits, and other aspects of your life that may affect your sleep, such as traumatic or stressful events. To help keep track of the answers, your doctor may give you a questionnaire to fill out.
In all likelihood, your doctor will also perform a physical exam, and possibly a blood test. Your doctor may also ask you to use a sleep log to keep track of your day-to-day sleep habits, such as when you go to bed, when you get up in the morning, and any times you wake up during the night.
If the cause of your insomnia still isn’t clear, you may need an overnight sleep study to watch how you sleep. During a sleep study, you will stay overnight in a lab or hospital, and lab techs will keep track of:
Firsthand observations about how you sleep can help your doctor diagnose your insomnia.
The definition of insomnia is difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. If you have trouble sleeping at least 3 nights a week for 3 months or longer, then you may have chronic insomnia.
Specific symptoms of insomnia may include:
Lack of sleep can also make it hard to function during the daytime. Problems caused by your insomnia may include:
Insomnia itself is almost never fatal, but it can impair your concentration, slow your reaction time, and increase your risk of accidental death or injury. According to some reports, drowsy driving causes 200,000 traffic accidents and 1,500 deaths every year in the United States.
Moreover, your body needs sleep to function properly. Failing to get enough sleep can lead to serious health problems. Over time, insomnia may lead to:
One study found that people who sleep less than 6 hours per night or rely on sleeping pills die at an earlier age, on average, than those who get 7 hours of sleep per night.
The course of insomnia can be very different from one person to the next. For many people, insomnia gets better on its own or with minor lifestyle changes, often within a few weeks. But if you have chronic insomnia, effective treatment may depend on finding and treating the underlying cause. Treatment can help most people with insomnia live happier, healthier, more productive lives.
Insomnia can disrupt your life, but you don’t have to let it control your life. Some things you can do to help you sleep better at night include:
Proper sleep is essential to your health. But many people don’t tell their doctor if they have trouble sleeping. For that reason, it’s a good idea for doctors to take the initiative. Many brief questionnaires are available to help your doctor watch for insomnia.
Yet you shouldn’t assume your doctor will screen you for insomnia. If you have trouble sleeping, tell your doctor, especially if it gets in the way of your day-to-day life.
Like many illnesses, insomnia is less troublesome if you deal with it before it becomes a big problem. The things you can do to help get your sleep back on track can also help you keep your sleep habits on track from the start.
Medical treatments are available to help you sleep, but you should not rely on sleeping pills as a first resort.1 Sleep aids can be very helpful in the short term for some people, but long-term reliance on sleeping pills may lead to addiction or dependence, and make it harder for you to overcome your insomnia.
The first line of treatment for insomnia usually relies on lifestyle changes and non-medical treatments. These treatments include:
If lifestyle changes and behavioral therapies aren’t enough, then short-term medication may help. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is available over the counter for short-term sleep problems, but if the problem lasts 4 weeks or longer, you should talk to a doctor.
Prescription medicines to help you sleep include:
All sleeping pills have side effects and at least some risk of addiction, so most doctors recommend limiting sleep aids to just a few weeks, until you get your sleep schedule back on track.
In addition to behavioral therapies, lifestyle changes, and medical sleep aids, there are many complementary and alternative treatments that may also help you sleep.
Some studies have found acupuncture to be very helpful, possibly in as many as 9 patients out of 10,although more research is still needed.
Another popular approach is melatonin, a sleep hormone your body produces naturally. Scientific evidence is mixed, but melatonin supplements appear to be effective for some specific types of insomnia, such as jet lag.
Other complementary and alternative approaches that may help you sleep include:
Always talk to your doctor about any treatments you use, including alternative and complementary treatments. Many herbal medicines and supplements may cause side effects or interact with other medicines you take.
7 out of 10 people with sleep problems don’t tell their doctor, but try to deal with the problem on their own. Yet lack of sleep can be devastating to your overall health and the quality of your life. If poor sleep makes it hard for you to function during the day, or if you have trouble sleeping 3 or more nights a week for 3 months or longer, talk to your doctor about your insomnia and what you can do to get a good night’s sleep.
When you go to see your doctor, it’s good to have a list of the questions you’d like to have answered. Take a moment to write down some of the things you want to know. Your questions for your doctor might include some of these:
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