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Insomnia
What
is Insomnia ?
Insomnia
complaints may include any of the following:
Inability
to get enough sleep
Trouble
falling asleep
Frequent
awakenings with difficulty returning to sleep
Early
morning awakening
light
or unrefreshing/nonrestorative sleep
Can
not sleep without sleeping pills
Impaired
daytime functioning with fatigue, mood disturbance, decreased motivation, inattention, muscle aches, etc.
What causes Insomnia ?
Insomnia is a symptom of another underlying condition.
Stress
Anxiety
Depression
Poor sleep hygiene
Excessive caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, etc.
Circadian rhythm disturbances (shift work, jet lag, etc.)
Sleep-related disorders (arousals caused by Sleep
Apnea or Restless Legs/PLM,
etc.)
Pain from arthitis, Fibromyalgia, etc.
Excessive worry, racing mind, intrusive thoughts, etc. while awake
in bed
Certain medications
Unsuitable sleeping environment (noise, light, etc.)
Types
of Insomnia:
There are three types of Insomnia:
Transient Insomnia:
Sleep disturbance for a few nights. It may be due to illness or jet lag.
Short-term Insomnia:
Sleep problems may last for 2-3 weeks due to stressful life events (family, work-related, etc.)
Chronic Insomnia:
Nightly complaint of poor sleep. It could be due to another underlying psychiatric
or medical condition.
When professional help should be sought ?
Everyone experiences occasional difficulty falling or staying asleep. When sleep
disturbance becomes persistent and lasts more than a month or it disrupts your
daytime activities, a sleep specialist should be consulted.
Osler Sleep Clinics provides specialized
treatment services for Insomnia and an unique natural non-drug Sleep Improvement Programme.
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