Surely you have heard people claim that they had a horrible time sleeping last night, but imagine if it were like that night after night, month after month. Although the symptoms can vary the main symptom of insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep. This has to be over a period of at least one month as well to be considered chronic. Chronic insomnia can be especially dangerous too, not just for the health of the person who has the insomnia but for many other reasons. Consider, stress, depression, and mental illness will either be the reason for or the result of insomnia.
The daytime symptoms associated with insomnia are also of great concern as the insomniac will have a very low ability to concentrate which can be very dangerous depending on if they operate an automobile or what type of job that they have. Motor coordination is impaired; there is an evident inability to interact socially, and an increased risk of being involved in an auto accident.
Chronic insomnia effects each and every part of a persons day. They can not perform adequately at work or in any part of their life in general. They are constantly tired and fatigued. This in turn affects their personality and overall judgment. Insomnia is classified into three different groups: transient which lasts for only a few nights, intermittent which are episodes of insomnia, and chronic which is someone who has experienced insomnia on most nights for at least one month. As a result this is extremely dangerous when considering health and emotional well being.
The symptoms of insomnia include trouble falling asleep, experiencing restless sleep, in which you wake frequently throughout the night and then have trouble falling back asleep, waking up way too early in the morning, and feeling tired and un-refreshed after they do wake up. People want to know what they are doing wrong and why it is that they are having this difficulty. The answer to that is that there are many, many factors that could be to blame but some of the most common causes are stress, anxiety, and depression. However, a doctor should be seen in case there are any medical related problems that are causing the insomnia. This is never a time doe assumption when it comes to your health and well being.
The list is plentiful and those are not the only causes, they are just the main causes. Often people need to reduce their intake of caffeine, drinking too much alcohol, napping during the day, changes in your surroundings and sleep schedule, noise, and in particular, medication. Insomnia statistics are actually quite mind-boggling as about half of all Americans will face some form of insomnia throughout their lifetime.
So when it becomes clear that more than just a few nights have passed and one has not gotten a good night's sleep, then is the time to address the issue before it blazes out of control. This should be done before that person and their loved ones have to suffer.