Have you ever experienced something like crawling into bed completely exhausted, ready to fall asleep in a minute or two, only to find yourself still wide awake two hours later? Or may be your case is a little different. Generally you fall asleep quickly but you take around 3 to 5 breaks through the night. Or perhaps you suddenly wake up early in the morning and can’t get back to sleep, even though you want to sleep more, at least till 7 a.m. These are common symptoms of different versions of insomnia.
Are Insomniacs Sleep-Deprived?
It is believed that psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, mental stress and depression sometimes cause lack of sleep or lack of sleep may trigger all these psychiatric disorders in a person. A study done on the risk of developing depression syndrome by National Institutes Of Mental Health Epidemiologic Catchment fond that insomnic are more prone to the risk of developing depression syndrome, compared to those who are without any sleep problem. Another research, however, supports a completely different view. According to that another research, too much sleep can trigger a depressive state in a person. We can reconcile these two seemingly reverse findings assuming that insomniac people inclined to sleep too much when they are also victim of depression. Unfortunately, the assumption flies in the face of a general belief that holds that insomniac people are sleep-deprived.
Stress May Induce Insomnia
Importance of sleep is very high in human life; it is not less than important to healthy diet and exercise in any case. It is vital to maintain sleep hygiene throughout the life. Stress usually causes disruption in sleep. Let’s figure out the sources of stress that may be:
- Important occasions such as business meeting, presentation, birth of a child
- Financial worries like low income or unemployment
- Chronic disease
- Loud noise
- Performance issues or other professional liabilities
- Relationship problems such as; female, being widowed or single
The above described scenarios may lead to short term or prolonged stress, causing sleep disorders. It is not a chronic illness but it affects health and efficiency at work and other fields.
Situational Factors Leading To Insomnia
Other than stress there may be various other factors that may cause sleep disorder such as:
- Prolonged use of illicit drug,
- Caffeine intake just before going to bed
- Working different shift
- Cigarette smoking
- Jet lag
These factor usually affect a sleep only for a short term and are transient in nature, therefore insomnia may resolve when the sufferer shows a little concern on these underlying factors.
Incorporate Some Stress Management Technique In You
Insomnia may it a transient or intermittent can be resolved by regulating some proven techniques of stress management and incorporating sleep hygiene. Chronic insomniacs should seek professional help, especially when they are having a sleep disorder due to some medical condition. Sometimes a hormonal disorder may also causes sleep disturbaces. So, there is no general rule, and when you are not sure about the underlying cause in you, let your doctor determine your individual problem and prescribe you a treatment accordingly.
