Insomnia facts

Insomnia is the perception of inadequate or poor-quality sleep. It can be due to problems falling asleep, early wakening, waking frequently during the night, unrefreshing sleep, or a combination of these. Contrary to some popular beliefs, insomnia is not defined by the total amount of sleep one gets or how long it takes a person to fall asleep. Individuals can vary in their need for sleep, and in the time required to fall asleep. What is a refreshing night's sleep for one person might be insomnia for another person.
•     Insomnia is a condition characterized by poor quality and/or quantity of sleep, despite adequate opportunity to sleep, which leads to daytime functional impairment. Many medical and psychiatric conditions may be responsible for causing insomnia. Some common symptoms of insomnia include unrefreshing sleep, daytime sleepiness and fatigue, mood changes, poor concentration and attention, anxiety, headaches, lack of energy, and increased errors and mistakes.
•     Insomnia may, at times, be unrelated to any underlying condition. There are several useful non-medical behavioral techniques available for treating insomnia.
•     Medications are widely used to treat insomnia in conjunction with non-medical strategies. Sleep specialists are medical doctors who can play an important role in evaluating and treating long-standing (chronic) insomnia.
 Insomnia is very common. Ninety percent of the general population has experienced acute insomnia at least once. Approximately 10 percent  of the population may suffer from chronic (long-standing) insomnia. Insomnia affects people of all ages including children, although it is more common in adults and its frequency increases with age. In general, women are affected more frequently than men.
Insomnia may be divided into three classes based on the duration of symptoms. Insomnia lasting one week or less may be termed transient insomnia; short-term insomnia lasts more than one week but resolves in less than three weeks; and long-term or chronic insomnia lasts more than three weeks.
    
    Medical News Today

Insomnia facts

Insomnia is the perception of inadequate or poor-quality sleep. It can be due to problems falling asleep, early wakening, waking frequently during the night, unrefreshing sleep, or a combination of these. Contrary to some popular beliefs, insomnia is not defined by the total amount of sleep one gets or how long it takes a person to fall asleep. Individuals can vary in their need for sleep, and in the time required to fall asleep. What is a refreshing nights sleep for one person might be insomnia for another person. Insomnia is a condition characterized by poor quality and/or quantity of sleep, despite adequate opportunity to sleep, which leads to daytime functional impairment. Many medical and psychiatric conditions may be responsible for causing insomnia. Some common symptoms of insomnia include unrefreshing sleep, daytime sleepiness and fatigue, mood changes, poor concentration and attention, anxiety, headaches, lack of energy, and increased errors and mistakes. Insomnia may, at times, be unrelated to any underlying condition. There are several useful non-medical behavioral techniques available for treating insomnia. Medications are widely used to treat insomnia in conjunction with non-medical strategies. Sleep specialists are medical doctors who can play an important role in evaluating and treating long-standing (chronic) insomnia. Insomnia is very common. Ninety percent of the general population has experienced acute insomnia at least once. Approximately 10 percent of the population may suffer from chronic (long-standing) insomnia. Insomnia affects people of all ages including children, although it is more common in adults and its frequency increases with age. In general, women are affected more frequently than men. Insomnia may be divided into three classes based on the duration of symptoms. Insomnia lasting one week or less may be termed transient insomnia; short-term insomnia lasts more than one week but resolves in less than three weeks; and long-term or chronic insomnia lasts more than three weeks. Medical News Today