Often at the reception in the clinic you can hear the outlandish diagnosis - "insomnia". What it is? In fact, this term refers to ordinary and familiar to many insomnia, which has turned from a routine problem into a real pathology. This sleep disorder manifests itself in several forms. You most likely have insomnia syndrome if:
- you have difficulty falling asleep at night;
- you wake up several times an hour, even if the day was busy and you are very tired;
- you wake up very early in the morning and cannot fall asleep again.
Upon awakening, people with insomnia feel overwhelmed and tired. A prolonged disorder can not only deprive energy and a good mood, often this pathology seriously undermines health, interferes with normal functioning and significantly reduces the overall quality of life.
How right?
How many hours a day should be devoted to continuous sleep? It is impossible to answer this question with extreme accuracy, since it all depends on the individual characteristics of each organism, but most adults need to sleep at night for about seven to eight hours.
Types of Insomnia
At some point, some adult patients experience short-term bouts of acute insomnia that last several days or weeks. Typically, this body reaction follows significant stress or traumatic events. Types of insomnia also include long-term, or chronic, insomnia - a disorder that lasts continuously for a month or longer. Sometimes the inability to sleep normally is an independent pathology, but in some cases it is a symptom (manifestation) of other health problems or a side effect of taking certain medications.
Signs of pathology
The following symptoms of insomnia are known to medicine:
- difficulty falling asleep at night;
- frequent awakenings in the middle of the night;
- excessively early morning awakening;
- feeling unwell after a night of full sleep;
- tiredness or drowsiness during the day;
- irritability, depression, or anxiety;
- difficulty attending or remembering;
- progressive distraction;
- ongoing anxiety about sleep.
Causes
And yet, insomnia - what is it: a direct violation of health or a sign of another pathology? Often, insomnia is the result of stressful events in the patient's life or the result of his bad habits that impede the normal sleep and wakefulness.
The most common causes of insomnia are:
- Stress. Concerns about work, study, health or finances, family well-being are the main prerequisites for sleep disturbances, since such anxieties keep the mind active, thinking. Traumatic life events (illness or death of loved ones, divorce or loss of prestigious work) can also lead to insomnia.
- Schedule trips or work. Human daily biorhythms function like an internal clock, determining not only body temperature and metabolic characteristics, but also sleep and wakefulness. Violation of daily biorhythms can trigger insomnia. Often this disorder affects people who often travel through the air between different time zones, as well as those who work on shift schedules.
- Bad habits. Irregular bedtime, drowsiness in the daytime, uncomfortable bed, active pastime at bedtime, using the bed as a place to eat, work or watch TV are all causes of insomnia. Computers, televisions, video games, smartphones and any other devices with luminous screens can disrupt the normal sleep and wake cycle.
- Overly plentiful dinner. If you really want to, you can have a bite to eat with fruits or low-fat dairy products before you go to bed, however, a full meal at night almost always causes significant discomfort and prevents you from falling asleep. Many people in such cases suffer from heartburn - the reflux of food and acidic gastric juice into the esophagus. An unpleasant sensation, of course, also does not contribute to a quick fall asleep.
Specific prerequisites
Not always the reasons for such a pathology seem so harmless. In some cases, insomnia is caused by:
- Mental disorders. Anxiety and post-traumatic stress is not just a consequence of heavy emotions. Very often, these disorders develop into serious mental disorders. Too early awakening is one of the signs of chronic depression.
- Medicines Many drugs interfere with normal sleep patterns. These include, for example, antidepressants and drugs for asthma and unstable blood pressure. Even the most seemingly simple and safe medicines sold in pharmacies on non-prescription conditions (painkillers, medicines for allergies and colds, dietary supplements for weight loss) contain caffeine and other stimulants that prevent quick falling asleep.
- Diseases Most often, insomnia is observed with atherosclerosis, diabetes, cancer, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux, hormonal disorders, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Risk factors
Almost all people suffer from sleepless nights from time to time. However, in most cases, insomnia is observed in patients, which include one of the following statements:
- Belonging to the female sex. Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle and menopause play a role. During menopause, night tides disturb the sleep. Insomnia is also commonly seen in pregnant women.
- Age over 60 years. Many older people complain of such a pesky problem as insomnia. What is it - a disease or a sign of impending old age? In fact, the state of human health really changes with age, and most pensioners struggle with various manifestations of insomnia.
- The effect of significant stress. Short-term problems in the family or at work can provoke acute insomnia. Chronic insomnia occurs in cases when a person is forced to stay in unbearable conditions for a very long time.
- Lack of regime. More often than not, a shift schedule prevents normal sleep.
Diagnostics
The first thing a doctor should determine upon arrival of a patient with complaints of poor sleep is the nature of the pathology. In this case, of course, insomnia is most likely. What is it - an independent problem or a symptom of a latent disease? To begin with, the doctor conducts the following examinations:
- Medical checkup. If the causes of insomnia remain unknown, the specialist will first search for other possible pathologies that are potentially related to the sleep and wake cycle. Sometimes blood tests may be required - they, for example, determine if a patient suffers from thyroid disorders.
- Sleep analysis. You may need to keep a sleep diary for a couple of weeks - the doctor should understand how your individual regimen affects the quality of night rest.
Examination of the patient during sleep
If your insomnia is not supported by obvious reasons (or if you suffer from disorders such as night apnea), it may make sense to spend the night in a specialized sleep center. In such institutions, careful monitoring of the activity of the body during rest is carried out. Doctors measure the electrical impulses of the brain, analyze breathing, heart rate, eye and body movements. All of this is of paramount importance in confirming the diagnosis of insomnia.
Treatment
If simply getting rid of bad habits was not enough, the doctor will write you a prescription for the purchase of special drugs in the pharmacy to combat insomnia. Most often, experts prescribe medications containing:
- eszopiklon ("Lunesta");
- ramelteon ("Roserem");
- zaleplon ("Sonata");
- zolpidem ("Edluard", "Intermezzo", "Zolpimist").
There are, of course, many other over-the-counter drugs. You can choose sleeping pills based on your own preferences, but doctors do not recommend drinking the same medicine for too long.
An alternative is to take sedatives such as valerian or motherwort.
In addition, yoga, tai chi, meditation and acupuncture will help calm the mind.