Are you facing difficulties to fall asleep or stay awake at night? The thoughts about family, work or finances are catching up your sleep. There may be any medication or illness the reason for your sleep deprivation.
If you are feeling difficult to get enough sleep, you may not be alone. Nearly 30 % of adults in the United States have insomnia based on the research studies.
How can you know whether your sleep issues are short-term or a persistent issue?
Temporary issue or chronic insomnia
The chronic insomnia has the symptoms of three times a week for a 3-month duration. This disorder imparts constant difficulty disrupting your daily life.
You experience insomnia if you have the following symptoms:
- Unable to sleep
- Frequent wake up in the midnight
- Unable to resume the sleep
- Mood swings, have daytime fatigue, problems related to memory and concentration.
You may have short-term insomnia, if your sleep issues last less than 3 months. People with short-term sleep disorders get their symptoms gradually better.
The temporary episodes are caused due to stressful life events like the death of a loved one, job loss or a divorce. The change in routine or illness are the other possible causes. Symptoms improve once the issue gets resolved. The short-term insomnia would occasionally develop into a lasting condition.
Children and adults can experience chronic insomnia and short-term insomnia. Women have these conditions more common than men.
Causes of Insomnia
The common causes of sleep troubles are as follows:
- The stressful or traumatic events make your brain active at night and lead to difficulty to fall asleep.
- The schedule changes worsen while you travel or change your normal sleep routine.
- The antidepressants and blood pressure medications generally disrupt the sleep.
- Depression and anxiety people usually suffer from insomnia.
- Certain medical conditions are linked with insomnia that includes cancer, diabetes, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Alzheimer’s disease and overactive thyroid. The sleep disorders like restless legs and sleep apnea keeps you up at night.
- Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine can lead to a bad night’s sleep.
- Intake of heavy meals at night can make you trouble falling asleep.
- When you use smartphones, computers or other devices before bed disrupts your sleep cycle. The unpleasant sleep environment or a poor nighttime schedule could lead to sleep difficulties.
When to visit your doctor?
You would visit a doctor if you had 3 months of insomnia or if the symptoms interfere with your day to day activities.
The doctor recommends you to keep a sleep diary for recording your habits. This includes the information about when you go to sleep, how much time you are awake at night and when you wake up. For additional testing, you may be referred to a board-certified sleep doctor. The short-term insomnia will go away on its own as it is the temporary condition. But it affects how you function as for today. Always follow good sleep habits like limited naps and consistent bedtime schedule. If your symptoms are severe and don’t go away in 3 months, immediately consult your doctor.
The chronic insomnia can last for months at a time. You can consult a sleep expert for helping you with a treatment approach. Still, there are many therapies to give you a restful night’s sleep.
