Insomnia
Types of Insomnia
It is recommended that you get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. However, some people can manage to function with less. I know of some people who can manage to function with as few as 4 hours of sleep every night (perhaps during the week, but the probably sleep more on the weekends). Some people just don't need to sleep as much as everyone else. These people are usually considered "evening people" or "owls", because they typically tend to stay up late at night.
Everyone occasionally has problems sleeping. Insomnia is when you have difficulty falling asleep or when you don't sleep as much as you want to. With that general definition, a majority of people should suffer from insomnia. However, insomnia is best determined by how you feel the following day. Some people just aren't "morning people" -- I know I'm definitely not a morning person -- but if you are tired and generally do not feel good throughout the day because you find that you cannot fall asleep fast enough or have trouble staying asleep then it is most likely due to insomnia.
There are several types of insomnia, excluding sleep problems and disorders resulting from drugs or substances (i.e. coffee, medication), a medical condition, and organic, non-organic, and environmental causes. One type of insomnia is called acute insomnia. This type of insomnia is usually caused by high amounts of stress, which is why it is also known as stress-related insomnia, short-term insomnia, or adjustment insomnia. This type of insomnia requires poor sleep for about a month to be diagnosed. This insomnia usually subsides when the stress has been eliminated or when you adapt to the stress. Some symptoms of this type of insomnia include the inability to achieve and maintain refreshing sleep.
Transient insomnia is usually a more minor form of insomnia. It typically lasts for about a week. It can be caused by changes in sleep environment, jet lag, or changing your sleep pattern.
Chronic insomnia, also known as long-term insomnia, must last longer than a month in order to be diagnosed. Chronic insomnia can cause hallucinations, double vision, muscular fatigue, mental fatigue, and impaired psychomotor performance, and all of these symptoms result from the severe sleep deprivation.
Below is a YouTube clip explaining how insomnia could possibly be combated by classical conditioning:
Very interesting video. Im going to try some of the advise that they suggest. Im the person that likes to sleep in a very cold environment but since I have a baby in the house the a/c stays at 75 the whole night, that's just to hot for me. Good blog.
ReplyDeleteI am one of those who need to sleep the recommend 7-8 hours a night ;and cannot understand how some individuals sleep 4 hours and are okay throughout the day. Many experience insomnia at least once but it must be difficult to have chronic insomnia and not be able to sleep. Sleep is necessary for us to function properly during the day. Great information!
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