Difficulty in sleeping at least three nights a week for a minimum of 3 months is a sign of insomnia, which can be prevented before it becomes daily. Read further to get a grasp of insomnia in full.

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WHAT IS INSOMNIA?

Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder. People with insomnia find it hard to fall asleep, stay asleep, or both.

They also often do not experience the feeling of renewal when they wake up. This can cause fatigue and other symptoms.

 CLASSES OF INSOMNIA

Short-term insomnia

The most frequent causes are stress and environmental disturbances, such as an exam, the loss of a loved one, hospitalization, or the presence of pain. It can also be induced pharmacologically by stimulants (coffee, nicotine) or by the withdrawal of central nervous system depressants (barbiturates, benzodiazepines, alcohol).

Long-term insomnia

Chronic insomnia must last, by definition, at least 3 weeks. In most cases, the amount of nightly sleep lost is minimal, daytime sleepiness is poor, and daytime performance is normal. There are several possible causes of this type of insomnia:

Insomnia is associated with psychiatric disorders.

30-60% of patients with chronic insomnia have an identifiable psychiatric disorder, particularly mental depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks, borderline personality, drug and alcohol abuse, anorexia nervosa, or adjustment disorders, among others. However, insomnia is not per sea symptom of psychiatric illness, and sometimes psychiatric patients may have other causes of insomnia, such as periodic sleep movements. In depression, the characteristic pattern consists of a normal-onset sleep, but with an early morning awakening. This pattern is not specific, as it can be seen in other illnesses, such as anorexia nervosa or during weight loss.

Sleep apnea

It is a rare cause of insomnia and represents 6% of cases referred for polysomnographic evaluation. Insomnia due to sleep apnea is more common in the elderly.

Periodic sleep movements

They consist of movements of dorsiflexion of the foot and extension of the big toe lasting a few seconds, who are repeated every 20-40 seconds; especially during the first hours of sleep. These movements can be associated, if they are intense and frequent enough, with a difficulty in initiating sleep and, later, with the fragmentation of it, which can cause insomnia and, on rare occasions, hypersomnia. In many cases, however, they are an asymptomatic finding. These movements occur very often (80% of cases) in "restless legs syndrome", in which there is an irreversible need to move the legs, associated with recurrent paresthesias in them and which is accentuated with relaxation.

 

CAUSES OF INSOMNIA

The causes of your insomnia will depend on the type you experience.

Short-term insomnia, or acute insomnia, can be caused by several things, including:

·        stress

·        a disturbing or traumatic event

·        changes in your sleeping habits, such as sleeping in a hotel or a new house

·        physical pain

·        jet lag

·        certain medications

Chronic insomnia lasts at least 3 months and can be primary or secondary. Primary insomnia has no known cause. Secondary insomnia occurs with another condition that may include:

·        medical conditions that make it hard to sleep, such as arthritis or back pain

·        psychological problems, such as anxiety or depression

·        substance use

·        Sleep apnea

·        diabetes

 

HOW TO PREVENT INSOMNIA

 

Before starting treatment, the patient must take a series of measures that can help him avoid his insomnia.

The first thing to keep in mind is that not everyone who has trouble sleeping is a true insomniac. The individual must remain calm and not obsess over his difficulty in sleeping, because if he does, it will be more and more difficult for him to achieve it. It is not necessary to sleep 8-10 hours a day, to be able to live perfectly even if you only sleep 5 hours a day. Each person has individual needs and sleeping less than others does not mean that he is an insomniac.

On the other hand, it is normal for elderly patients to sleep less at night and it does not mean that damage can be caused to their body, but rather it is a normal and physiological situation that accompanies old age.

It is important to avoid insomnia through a series of measures:

·        Bedtime. Sleep has a rhythm that if we skip can lead to alterations. In the first place, the individual should try to fall asleep at more or less the same time every day, since if he goes to bed earlier, the body does not recognize that his "time to sleep" has come and will not do so. Staying awake in bed, especially when you have to get up early the next day, can lead to anxiety that leads to difficulty sleeping.

·        Time to wake up. It is also important to be aware that the time we get up determines the time we fall asleep. You should therefore try to always get up at the same time, including on weekends, or at least make sure that these times do not differ too much.

·        Naps. A person with insomnia should never try to catch up on sleep lost during the day, as this will aggravate their night-time insomnia. The individual should try to stay awake. After lunch, which is the time when one usually takes a nap, it is advisable to do some activity that distracts us and prevents us from falling asleep.

·        Feeding. Going to bed hungry or on a full stomach is not recommended. It should also be borne in mind that certain foods can stimulate the cerebral cortex, especially stimulating infusions such as coffee, tea, or mate. Therefore, these substances should not be consumed in the afternoon, as a general rule, and should be avoided in patients with insomnia. Similarly, foods such as milk, rich in tryptophan, can produce certain sedative effects.

·        Exercise. Exercising during the day can cause beneficial tiredness, but if you do it 3 hours before bedtime, it can lead to nerve stimulation. Therefore, exercising in the late afternoon should be avoided.

·        Ritual. Following a series of steps before going to bed, such as putting on pyjamas, brushing teeth, brushing hair, or taking a bath, can make the body understand that bedtime is approaching.

The most important thing is that the individual relaxes before going to bed. There is no point in trying to fall asleep when you are hyper aroused, so relaxation measures may be helpful beforehand. The environment in the room must be adequate, with adequate lighting, temperature, and noise level. In addition, the individual must avoid all those situations that worry him, so he should avoid looking at the clock. If the person still cannot fall asleep, it is preferable to get out of bed and wait for sleep, rather than stay in bed.