Many Americans suffer some form of insomnia, the most common types of insomnia transient, intermittent, or chronic. Many people suffer insomnia a few nights a week once or twice a month due to stress; stress can encompass many things both positive and negative. A person should consider the possibility that they may be suffering from insomnia if they find that they are unable to fall asleep, wake up frequently during sleep, wake early and are unable to return to sleep or wake up after sleep still feeling tired.
Stress Induced Insomnia
Stress induced insomnia or transient insomnia is thought to be the most common type of insomnia; many Americans find it difficult to fall asleep occasionally because of a promotion, an upcoming vacation, planning a party, meeting out of town relatives or any other variety of reasons which cause that person stress.
Intermittent Insomnia
Intermittent insomnia can be very frustrating for a person who suffers from it; they may have problem sleep for three nights in a row, and have normal sleep for weeks before trouble sleep returns. Intermittent insomnia may be eased by using over the counter remedies such as antihistamine.
Chronic Insomnia affects the fewest number of people who suffer at all, however Chronic Insomnia can lead to serious conditions or be a symptom of more serious illness. Chronic insomnia can lead to brain degeneration and eventually death if the case is severe enough.
The early signs of possible lasting effects of chronic insomnia include headaches, feeling abnormally fatigued even after sleeping, depression, short term memory loss, and even more serious effects are possible.
Some related diseases are familial chronic insomnia and fatal chronic insomnia; both are a form of insomnia which kill their victims after years of sleep deprivation. It isn’t the sleep deprivation in it self that kills, it is the brain degeneration which occurs due to the lack of sleep; the brain degeneration is known to scientists by the presence of prions.
Familial chronic insomnia is a very rare disease which is inherited genetically; it is so rare that less than a handful of families have recoded cases of the condition. Fatal chronic insomnia is the same basic disease though the difference would be that it is not inherited; this was discovered by the presence of prions on an autopsy report.
Many plans will begin with deciding with a consistent sleeping and waking time, committing to using their bed for nothing but sleep (well nearly nothing but), and making themselves a steadfast nightly routine.
If a person believes they suffer from insomnia they should consult a doctor and work with the doctor to decide which if any treatments are necessary.
