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Insomnia


Sleep disorder or insomnia includes difficulty sleeping continuously for long hours, and it is one of the most common medical problems in people who suffer from insomnia and wake up from sleep and remain inactive and restless, which affects their performance during the day.

Insomnia not only harms energy level and mood, but also health, quality of work performance, and quality of life. Everyone needs a different number of hours of sleep. Adults often need seven or eight hours of sleep each night.

More than a third of adults suffer from insomnia in a certain period, and 10% - 15% complain of chronic long-term sleep disorders, and we find sleep problems in children very common.

In any case, there is no need to suffer long nights from the problem of insomnia and its consequences. This is because a simple change in daily habits may solve the problem of insomnia and restore much-needed rest.

Insomnia Symptoms

Symptoms of insomnia include:

  • Difficulty falling asleep at night.
  • waking up during the night
  • getting up early.
  • Feeling insufficiently rested after sleeping at night.
  • Tiredness or sleepiness during the day.
  • Nervousness, depression, or anxiety.
  • Difficulty concentrating on tasks.
  • Frequent errors and accidents.
  • Tension headaches.
  • Symptoms in the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Constant worrying about sleep.

Causes and risk factors of insomnia

Insomnia is most likely caused by a different problem, either a medical problem that causes pain, or taking substances that affect sleep. Common causes and risk factors for insomnia are as follows:

Causes of insomnia

The most prominent reasons include the following:

1. Medications

Medications that may affect sleep include: antidepressants, medications to treat heart conditions and blood pressure, anti-allergy medications, stimulants, and corticosteroids.

2. Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol

Coffee, tea, cola, and other caffeinated beverages are known to be stimulants.

3. Medical problems

Chronic pain from breathing problems or frequent urination that may cause insomnia. Other medical problems related to insomnia include:

  • Arthritis.
  • cancer.
  • Congestive heart failure (CHF - Congestive heart failure).
  • diabetes.
  • Diseases of the lungs.
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease.
  • Hyperthyroidism.
  • Stroke.
  • Parkinson's disease.
  • Alzheimer's disease.

This type may appear in the case of severe anxiety about lack of sleep and trying to sleep too much. Most people with acquired insomnia sleep better when they are not in their natural environment or when they are not trying to sleep, such as: while watching TV, or while reading.

5. Aging

Insomnia is more common at an advanced age, as aging may cause changes that affect sleep, including:

Changes in sleep patterns: Sleep is often more difficult with age, as NREM stages 1 and 2 take longer, stages 3 and 4 take shorter time, stage 1 is dozing, and stage 2 is Light sleep, and stage 3 is deep sleep, the most relaxed and gentle type, because the easier the sleep, the more likely it is to wake up. Need the same number of hours of sleep as young adults.

Changes in activity level: Older adults are sometimes less active, both physically and socially.

Changes in health status: Chronic pain from arthritis or back problems, depression, anxiety and stress may affect sleep.

6. Other sleep disorders

Such as sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome (RLS), as it becomes more common with age, sleep apnea occurs a few times at night and causes awakening, while restless leg syndrome causes an uncomfortable feeling in the legs and an impulse To move them uncontrollably, which may prevent falling asleep.

Insomnia risk factors

Every person may find it difficult to sleep sometimes, but sleep disorders increase in the following cases:

1. Women

The possibility of insomnia in women is twice as likely as that in men, and hormonal changes that occur during the menstrual cycle and menopause play a role in this, and a large number of women complain of various sleep disorders in the period before menopause and menopause.

Night sweats and heat waves often cause sleep disturbances, and it is believed that the lack of estrogen in postmenopausal women contributes to the emergence and emergence of sleep problems.

2. Over the age of 60

As a result of changes in sleep patterns, insomnia cases increase with age, and some estimates indicate that insomnia appears in about half of the people over the age of 60.

3. Psychological disorder

Many mental disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive psychosis) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cause sleep disturbances, and early morning awakening is a typical symptom.

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