What You Need to Know About Insomnia
posted on Health Match
What is insomnia?
If you have trouble falling asleep or sleeping through the night, you may have a common sleep disorder called insomnia. This is likely to cause you to feel groggy or tired as if your sleep was poor quality. So, what is insomnia?
Insomnia is defined as a “persistent difficulty with sleep initiation, duration, consolidation or quality.”
There are two different types of insomnia:
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Primary – This type of sleeplessness may also be called chronic or ongoing insomnia. It refers to sleep disturbances that last longer than a month. If your doctor rules out other medical conditions, you might be diagnosed with primary insomnia.
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Secondary – Sometimes referred to as acute or short-term insomnia, secondary means something is causing the sleep disturbance. There are several physical, mental, chemical, and lifestyle factors that can cause secondary insomnia.
Sleep disorders are common in the United States, affecting 70 million Americans annually. Secondary or short-term insomnia affects between 33% to 50% of adults, while primary insomnia is estimated to affect about 10% to 15%.
The amount of sleep needed at night is different for everyone. That number can also fluctuate depending on certain factors like health, activity level, age, and nutrition.
Whether you need 4-5 hours of sleep a night or 8-9 hours, insomnia means that you are not getting enough good quality sleep for what your system requires. It also means that you’re not waking up refreshed and your body does not feel restored.
Over time, the symptoms of this sleep debt grow, and it may cause serious side effects or health problems in the future.