Insomnia

Table of Contents:

1. What is insomnia?
2. Prognosis of insomnia
3. Symptoms of insomnia
4. Medical tests to diagnose insomnia
5. What causes insomnia?
6. Can it be prevented?
7. Can insomnia be treated?
8. What specialist treats insomnia?

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders and is defined as the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. This lack of rest prevents the body from recovering during the night and as a result can lead to daytime insomnia, poor concentration and inability to feel active during the day.

There are different types of insomnia:

• Acute or short-term insomnia, which usually lasts for days or weeks. It is a fairly common type of insomnia and the most typical causes include stress at work, family pressures or a traumatic event.
• Chronic or long-term insomnia may last for a month or more. Most cases of chronic insomnia are secondary, meaning that chronic insomnia is the symptom or side effect of some other problem, such as certain medical problems, medications, and other sleep disorders. Less often the primary problem is chronic insomnia, i.e., it has no other cause. Its origin is not well understood, but long-term stress, emotional distress, travel and shift work may be factors. Certain substances such as caffeine, tobacco and alcohol may also be a cause.

Prognosis of the disease

The prognosis varies according to the type of insomnia.

Symptoms of insomnia

Symptoms of insomnia include:

• Being awake for a long time before falling asleep
• Sleeping only for short periods of time
• Being awake much of the night
• Feeling as if you haven’t slept at all
• Waking up too early

Medical tests for insomnia

To diagnose insomnia, the medical specialist will consider:

• Your medical history
• Your sleep history (details about your sleeping habits)
• A physical exam to rule out other medical problems that can cause insomnia
• A sleep study

Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders.

What causes insomnia?

People who tend to be depressed or depressed or suffer from a significant degree of anxiety have insomnia as a common characteristic. It is frequent some associated factors can increase insomnia, such as:

• Age: insomnia increases with age.
• Gender: Insomnia is more common in women.
• Low socioeconomic status
• Poor cultural level
• Presence of a chronic illness
• Recent episodes of stress
• Abuse in the consumption of alcoholic beverages

Is it preventable?

Keep in mind that not everyone who has trouble sleeping is a true insomniac. The person must remain calm and not become obsessed with his difficulty to sleep, because if he does it will be more and more difficult to achieve it.

It is important to avoid insomnia by taking a series of measures:

• Bedtime: sleep follows a rhythm, which if we break it, can cause sleep disturbances. This is why it is important to try to go to bed at about the same time every day, because if you go to bed earlier, the body does not recognize that it is “bedtime” and will not do it.
• Time to wake up: It is necessary to be aware that the time at which we wake up conditions the time at which we get sleepy.
• Naps: It is not recommended for a person with insomnia to try to catch up on sleep lost during the day, as this will aggravate his or her nocturnal insomnia. To avoid napping, it may help to do some activity that distracts and prevents you from falling asleep.
• Food: It is not advisable to go to bed hungry or with an overly full stomach. Stimulating infusions such as coffee, tea or mate can stimulate the cerebral cortex, so these substances should not be consumed in the afternoon, as a general rule, and patients with insomnia should avoid them. Similarly, foods such as milk, rich in tryptophan, may produce certain sedative effects.
• Exercise: Exercising throughout the day can lead to beneficial fatigue, but late afternoon exercise should be avoided.
• Ritual: Following a series of steps before going to bed, such as putting on pajamas, brushing your teeth, brushing your hair or taking a bath, can signal to the body that bedtime is approaching.

The most important thing is that the person relaxes before going to bed. There is no point in trying to fall asleep when one is hyperexcited, so relaxation measures may be useful beforehand. In addition, the individual should avoid all situations that worry him or her, so one should avoid looking at the clock. If the person still cannot fall asleep, it is preferable to get out of bed and wait for sleep to come, rather than stay in bed.

Treatments for insomnia

In order to treat insomnia, the first thing we must know is the type of insomnia, and what is the cause that causes it, because when insomnia is the symptom or side effect of another problem it is important to treat the root of the problem. Normally a symptomatic treatment can be used but it will always be more advisable to carry out an etiological treatment, that is to say, taking into account the causes.

Treatment of insomnia can be approached in three ways:

1. Lifestyle changes: good sleeping habits often help relieve acute (short-term) insomnia.
2. A type of therapy: cognitive-behavioral therapy can help relieve anxiety related to chronic insomnia.
3. Various medications can also help relieve insomnia and help restore a regular sleep schedule.

What specialist treats it?

Insomnia is a pathology that can be treated from different specialties, since as we have indicated depending on the type of insomnia affects the patient in one way or another. Some specialists that can help in the treatment are specialists in Neurophysiology, specialists in Neurology and specialists in Psychology.