RP230 Insomnia

 RP230 Insomnia

Sleeping: what could be easier? It's just doing nothing, after all. For people suffering from insomnia, however, getting precious sleep can feel impossible.

Insomnia is the inability to sleep. It is classified two ways, as primary and secondary. Secondary insomnia is caused by outside factors, such as pain, breathing problems, drugs, or jet lag. It isn't hard to treat once the cause is identified. Primary insomnia is trickier as it isn't caused by physical discomfort or substances. It is harder to cure because there's no cause to remove.

Insomnia can take many forms—trouble falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, and waking up too early in the morning. Most insomnia is transient (lasting a week or less) or short-term (lasting less than a month). This insomnia usually results from stress, noise, illness, pain, jet lag, or work-shift changes. The results are unpleasant: tiredness, irritability, difficulty concentrating or remembering, and muscle fatigue. Fortunately, these symptoms only last as long as the insomnia. There's no lasting damage.

Chronic insomnia—sleeplessness lasting longer than a month—is a different story. Chronic insomnia is usually caused by long-term anxiety, depression, or other psychiatric problems. Its symptoms are more intense than those of short-term insomnia. Plain sleeping is bad enough. Tired drivers frequently cause fatal accidents. On top of that, add serious depression, muscle aches, and increasing emotional instability. Chronic insomniacs may hallucinate. Nausea may set in, along with high blood pressure and erratic body temperature. Blurred vision is common. Chronic insomniacs have brain patterns that look like those of people with serious mental disorders.

Chronic insomnia is difficult to treat. Some medicines can induce sleep, but they are often addictive. Talk therapy and behavioral therapy are other options. The solution must be tailored to the patient as the causes of insomnia are so varied.

Insomnia is a very serious disorder. The next time you feel yourself start to drift away, remember to be grateful for a good night's sleep.