Define Insomnia 5 Ways

Five ways to define insomnia aims to provide clarity on what this sleep disorder actually is. Here are the 5 ways to define insomnia.

A common sleep disorder.

Most can define insomnia as a common sleep disorder that millions of people are experiencing. Almost everyone experiences nights wherein they have trouble falling asleep. A third of the world's population has insomnia. In the United States alone, approximately 70 million people have it. Half of that suffer from long-term insomnia. The rest experience short-term sleeplessness. Insomnia is also a symptom of other sleep disorders.

Prolonged trouble falling or staying asleep.

Insomnia, from its Latin roots means in-not; somnus-sleep, is the difficulty initiating and (or) maintaining sleep for an adequate length of time. Lying in bed unable to fall asleep and waking up in the middle of the night are forms of this disorder. Exactly how experts define insomnia.

Short-term sleeplessness caused by worrying or being psyched over something may be temporary. If it goes on for a period of time, it may turn into a problem.

Trouble falling asleep at conventional times.

Night people, also referred to as owls, are more comfortable staying up late. This is normal among adolescents. They are able to sleep normally if their schedules allow them too. Normally, people wake up early for work or school. Night people are then forced to wake up earlier than their bodies would want. If they force themselves to bed early, they probably end up lying awake in their beds.

This is related to circadian rhythm sleep disorders. A problem which a lot of shift workers face when they adjust to different schedules for work. This is also what people who have jet lag go through. The body does need time to readjust itself to a different time schedule.

Too little or poor quality sleep.

This marks the problem for insomnia. Nowadays, people actually just live with their insomnia. It's a part of everyday life just like stress. If insomniacs, people with insomnia, can function normally during the day. Despite having trouble sleeping, then they're fine.

The amount of sleep a person needs does vary. Napoleon Bonaparte only slept for 4 hours each night but that was all he needed. For other people who get to sleep for that amount of time, they might not be able to say the same.

A person suffering from insomnia can tell when their quality of sleep is poor. Unlike people who can still adapt to their sleeplessness, some suffer from the effects of lack of sleep. These include headaches, fatigue, sleepiness, poor concentration and memory among a list of other things.

A symptom of an underlying medical condition.

Oftentimes, insomnia is a symptom and not a medical condition in itself. Many psychological and physical problems can cause trouble sleeping. Psychological disorders from stress, anxiety and depression can cause trouble sleeping. Physical diseases and conditions of the heart, lungs, brain can cause sleeplessness. Other medical conditions that have chronic pain as a symptom can lead to interrupted sleep.

Know more about the ways to define insomnia at http://insomniarevealed.com/define-insomnia/. Read more about insomnia, the sleep disorder, on Insomnia Revealed.

Sally is a professional lady with an engineering background, and has had many a sleepless night.  She maintains a website dedicated to helping others understand insomnia.