Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, and is prominent in women, the elderly and people with psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. It consists of a reduced ability to sleep.
There are different types of insomnia depending on which phase of sleep they affect. Onset insomnia is one in which there are problems initiating sleep in less than 30 minutes. In maintenance insomnia there are nocturnal awakenings that cause little total sleep time.
There are medical causes for insomnia, such as metabolic diseases, pain that interrupts sleep or urological problems that cause the need to urinate during the night. Psychiatric illness is also a contributing factor to less sleep. There are also external causes, such as poor sleep habits or irregular shift work.
The vicious circle of insomnia
Depending on its duration, insomnia can be temporary or chronic. Chronic insomnia develops over time and is often preceded by situational insomnia that is caused by stressful events and experiences. Whether sleeping badly for several nights develops into chronic insomnia depends to a large extent on the person’s attitude towards this situation.
It is necessary to face the problem of insomnia calmly. If the daily routine of the person affected by transient insomnia continues without worries, the problem may disappear by itself. On the other hand, people with a tendency to anxiety who worry excessively about the consequences of sleeping badly can enter a vicious circle. Anxiety about trying to sleep reduces the chances of falling asleep. The person, after the bad night, will worry about the next night as well. This makes it difficult to rest and can turn the problem into chronic insomnia.