What is Insomnia?Is it Sleep disorder?
Is it a serious problem? what to do what to avoid.
what are symptoms,causes, precautions, and
so many things we are going to discuss and explain!!
It is perfectly normal for people to feel dissatisfied by their sleep from time-to-time and the word ‘insomnia’ is thrown around a lot but – how is insomnia defined?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling and/or staying asleep. a combination of both dissatisfaction with sleep and a significant negative impact on daytime functioning.
Dissatisfaction with sleep is further defined as difficulty initiating and/or maintaining sleep or non-restorative sleep, on at least three nights per week for at least 3 months, despite adequate opportunity to sleep. Negative daytime impacts can include significant fatigue, sleepiness, poor concentration, low mood, or impaired ability to perform social, occupational or care giving responsibilities.
Types of Insomnia
There are two types of insomnia
- Primary insomnia: Primary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems that are not directly associated with any other health condition or problem.
- Secondary insomnia: Secondary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems because of something else, such as a health condition (like asthma, depression, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn); pain; medication they are taking; or a substance they are using (like alcohol).
- Transient insomnia - occurs when symptoms last up to three nights.
- Acute insomnia - also called short-term insomnia. Symptoms persist for several weeks.
- Chronic insomnia - this type lasts for months, and sometimes years. According to the National Institutes of Health, the majority of chronic insomnia cases are side effects resulting from another primary problem.
What Causes Insomnia?
Causes of acute insomnia can include:
- Significant life stress (job loss or change, death of a loved one, divorce, moving)
- Illness
- Emotional or physical discomfort
- Environmental factors like noise, light, or extreme temperatures (hot or cold) that interfere with sleep
- Some medications (for example those used to treat colds, allergies, depression, high blood pressure, and asthma) may interfere with sleep
- Interference in normal sleep schedule (jet lag or switching from a day to night shift, for example)
Causes of chronic insomnia include:
- Depression and/or anxiety
- Chronic stress
- Pain or discomfort at night
Medical Causes of Insomnia
There are many medical conditions that can lead to insomnia. In some cases, a medical condition itself causes insomnia, while in other cases, symptoms of the condition cause discomfort that can make it difficult for a person to sleep.Examples of medical conditions that can cause insomnia are:
- Nasal/sinus allergies
- Gastrointestinal problems such as reflux
- Endocrine problems such as hyperthyroidism
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease
- chronic pain
- Low back pain
Sleep apnea is another sleep disorder linked to insomnia. With sleep apnea, a person's airway becomes partially or completely obstructed during sleep, leading to pauses in breathing and a drop in oxygen levels. This causes a person to wake up briefly but repeatedly throughout the night. People with sleep apnea sometimes report experiencing insomnia.
Treatment
Some types of insomnia resolve when the underlying cause is treated or wears off. In general, insomnia treatment focuses on determining the cause. Once identified, this underlying cause can be properly treated or corrected. In addition to treating the underlying cause of insomnia, both medical and non-pharmacological (behavioral) treatments may be used as therapies.
Non-pharmacological approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in one-on-one counseling sessions or group therapy.
Medical treatments
- prescription sleeping pills
- antidepressants
- over-the-counter sleep aids
- antihistamines
Home remedies
- Improving "sleep hygiene": Not sleeping too much or too little, exercising daily, not forcing sleep, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine at night, avoiding smoking, avoiding going to bed hungry, and ensuring a comfortable sleeping environment.
- Using relaxation techniques: Examples include meditation and muscle relaxation.
- Stimulus control therapy - only go to bed when sleepy. Avoid watching TV, reading, eating, or worrying in bed. Set an alarm for the same time every morning (even weekends) and avoid long daytime naps.
- Sleep restriction: Decreasing the time spent in bed and partially depriving the body of sleep can increase tiredness, ready for the next night.
Insomnia & Food
Certain substances and activities, including eating patterns, can contribute to insomnia.
Caffeine is a stimulant.Caffeine in moderation is fine for most people, but excessive caffeine can cause insomnia. A 2005 National Sleep Foundation poll found that people who drank four or more cups/cans of caffeinated drinks a day were more likely than those who drank zero to one cups/cans daily to experience at least one symptom of insomnia at least a few nights each week. Caffeine can stay in your system for as long as eight hours, so the effects are long lasting. If you have insomnia, do not consume food or drinks with caffeine too close to bedtime.
Nicotine is also a stimulant and can cause insomnia. Smoking cigarettes or tobacco products close to bedtime can make it hard to fall asleep and to sleep well through the night. Smoking is damaging to your health. If you smoke, you should stop.
Heavy meals close to bedtime can disrupt your sleep. The best practice is to eat lightly before bedtime. When you eat too much in the evening, it can cause discomfort and make it hard for your body to settle and relax. Spicy foods can also cause heartburn and interfere with your sleep.
The Best Foods for Sleep:
There are four main vitamins and minerals that can be found in food that aid in promoting sleep: tryptophan, magnesium, calcium, and B6. Some of these substances help the body produce melatonin, the hormone that is responsible for regulating your circadian rhythm (sleep/wake patterns). When you're close to bedtime, melatonin production naturally increases to help you sleep. In the morning when you're ready to wake up, melatonin production tapers off to allow you to be awake and alert for the day.
Tryptophan
Tryptophan is an amino acid that when ingested gets turned into the neurotransmitter serotonin and then converted into the hormone melatonin. Here are some some of the best foods loaded with tryptophan:
- Dairy products (milk, low-fat yogurt, cheese)
- Poultry (turkey, chicken)
- Seafood (shrimp, salmon, halibut, tuna, sardines, cod)
- Nuts and seeds (flax, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts)
- Legumes (kidney beans, lima beans, black beans split peas, chickpeas)
- Fruits (apples, bananas, peaches, avocado)
- Vegetables (spinach, broccoli, turnip greens, asparagus, onions, seaweed)
- Grains (wheat, rice, barley, corn, oats)
Magnesium
Magnesium is a powerful mineral that is instrumental in sleep and is a natural relaxant that helps deactivate adrenaline.Excellent sources of magnesium are:
- Dark leafy greens (baby spinach, kale, collard greens)
- Nuts and seeds (almonds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts, flax-seed, pecans)
- Wheat germ
- Fish (salmon, halibut, tuna, mackerel)
- Soybeans
- Banana
- Avocados
- Low-fat yogurt
Calcium
Calcium is another mineral that helps the brain make melatonin. A lack of calcium can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty returning to sleep. Calcium rich diets have been shown to help patients with insomnia. Dairy products that contain both tryptophan and calcium are among the best sleep inducers. Sources of calcium include:
- Dark leafy greens
- Low-fat milk
- Cheeses
- Yogurt
- Sardines
- Fortified cereals
- Soybeans
- Fortified orange juice
- Enriched breads and grains
- Green snap peas
- Okra
- Broccoli
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 also helps convert tryptophan into melatonin. A deficiency in B6 has been linked with lowered serotonin levels and poor sleep. A deficiency in B6 is also linked to symptoms of depression and mood disorders which can lead to insomnia. Highest sources of B6 are:
- Sunflower seeds
- Pistachio nuts
- Flax-seed
- Fish (tuna, salmon, halibut)
- Meat (chicken, tuna, lean pork, lean beef,)
- Dried Prunes
- Bananas
- Avocado
- Spinach
Melatonin
Many of the vitamins and minerals that are on this list are there because they help aid in the production of turning serotonin into melatonin.
- Fruits and vegetables (tart cherries, corn, asparagus, tomatoes, pomegranate, olives, grapes, broccoli, cucumber)
- Grains (rice, barley, rolled oats)
- Nuts and Seeds (walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, mustard seeds, flax-seed)
Insomnia & The Brain
In some cases, insomnia may be caused by certain neurotransmitters in the brain that are known to be involved with sleep and wakefulness.
There are many possible chemical interactions in the brain that could interfere with sleep and may explain why some people are biologically prone to insomnia and seem to struggle with sleep for many years without any identifiable cause—even when they follow healthy sleep advice.
Risk factors
Insomnia can affect people of any age;
it is more common in adult females than adult males. It can undermine school and work performance, as well as contributing to obesity, anxiety, depression, irritability, concentration problems, memory problems, poor immune system function, and reduced reaction time. Some people are more likely to experience insomnia. These include:
- travelers, particularly through multiple time zones
- shift workers with frequent changes in shifts (day vs. night)
- the elderly
- users of illegal drugs
- adolescent or young adult students
- pregnant women
- menopausal women
- those with mental health disorders
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