20 Dec, 2022
Insomnia can be identified by prolonged periods of sleeplessness, lack of deep sleep and poor sleep. The sleep disorder makes it hard for individuals to initiate and maintain their sleep. They cannot complete minimum hours of sleep, affecting
their health and daily routine. It impacts every individual differently, and their conditions can vary.
While occasional sleeplessness is common across age groups in Adelaide, chronic insomnia is found primarily in older adults and women. The symptoms can be temporary or continue for months due to reasons ranging from age, hormonal changes in women, stress, bad lifestyle choices, lack of exercise and others. Let us understand the different types of insomnia to know this disorder better.
Acute Insomnia
Short-term or acute insomnia affects an individual for a few days or weeks. It is known as adjustment insomnia because it occurs due to a change in the environment of the individual or a stressful situation. Some of the reasons that can lead to acute insomnia include stress, trauma, jet lag, use or
withdrawal of drugs or medicines, pain or injury and change in the bedroom’s environment.
Chronic Insomnia
When a person is not able to sleep for a minimum of three days a week for more than three months, he/she is suffering from chronic insomnia. Reasons for this disorder include sleep apnoea, depression, excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine, heart disease, irregular sleeping schedule, etc. People who have been affected by the disorder for the most part of their lives have idiopathic insomnia.
Maintenance Insomnia
The inability to maintain deep sleep for seven hours is considered maintenance insomnia. Usually, the person is up much before the wake-up time and cannot fall asleep again. Some of the reasons for this type of insomnia include sleep apnoea, restless leg syndrome, acid reflux, nose block, and asthma. Consulting a health practitioner who offers
sleep disorder treatment in Adelaide can help in curing this problem.
Behavioural Insomnia of Childhood
The behavioural insomnia of childhood is linked with the habits that young children associate with sleeping. For example, some kids like to be rocked to sleep or fall asleep only while watching TV. Thus, they are not able to sleep until the same action is implemented every time by the parent. Another aspect of this problem is when children become fussy about their sleep time and do not follow a routine. Setting a fixed time for bed can help in reducing this type of behavioural insomnia.
Onset Insomnia
People who keep tossing and turning in the bed waiting to fall asleep suffer from onset insomnia because they are unable to initiate sleep. It affects those who want to have a fixed sleeping time because of their professional commitments in Adelaide. The
common causes of onset insomnia are anxiety, stress, depression, restless leg syndrome, mood swings and periodic limb movement disorder.
Conclusion
Insomnia should not be ignored because it can make the patient prone to depression, diabetes, heart problems, obesity and stroke. Diagnosing and insomnia testing can help in treating the problem that involves psychotherapy and talk therapy.
