Insomnia is defined as “…the inability to obtain sufficient sleep, especially when chronic.” or if you prefer, “…the chronic inability to fall asleep or remain asleep for an adequate length of time.”

It comes from the Latin “insomnis” meaning sleepless and an estimated sixty million Americans suffer from it!

But we must appreciate that insomnia is not a problem to be solved but a symptom of a weak sleeping system.

When your inner sleep clock malfunctions, sleep deprivation will occur, and insomnia develops.

It is not a single disorder. It is a general symptom and could have many potential causes. In order to qualify as a sleep disorder it has to meet three specific requirements:

1. Experience poor sleep or have a problem falling or staying asleep

2. Under a proper sleep environment and with opportunity, the problem still occurs.

3. Poor sleep causes some form of impairment while awake.

This most common of sleep disorders can be classified in two different ways. It can be categorized by how long it lasts or by its source. This can be charted as follows:

Types of Insomnia

A. Length of Time
(i) A Few Days = Transient Insomnia
(ii) A Few Weeks = Short Term Insomnia
(iii) More Than Three Weeks = Chronic Insomnia

B. Source of the Insomnia
(i) Primary
(ii) Secondary

Transient insomnia is commonly experienced by most people at some time during their lives. It can Be caused by stress such as worrying about the first day of a new job or a family illness. Sometimes this sleep disorder occurs because of a disruption of the circadian circle (or natural sleep cycle), perhaps caused by a shift change at work or even a long flight. This type goes away once the stress issue has gone.

Short term insomnia is often caused by similar stress as transient insomnia. If the sufferer of this sleep disorder cannot break the cycle of poor sleep it will develop into a chronic problem, a deeper and longer cycle of poor sleep.

Primary insomnia develops without any obvious cause. Sometimes it starts as early as infancy. Often it is the result of high metabolic rates or an overactive nervous system.

Secondary insomnia is the direct result of another cause. This can come from illness, medication, alcohol or pain. For example, if the underlying cause is pain from arthritis that keep you from sleeping, then the treatment is for the arthritis in order to help the sleep disorder.

Insomnia is often treated with medication but there are other methods for this disorder. Behavioral treatments such as meditation, muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, bio-feedback, visualization, sleep hygiene, cognitive and reconditioning sleep restrictions have also been applied with success. Simple exercises or use of hot water relaxation has also been used successfully.

Understanding insomnia is the first step in it’s treatment, in the breaking of the cycle and the restoring of the natural sleep cycle.

Don’t wait…see your doctor if you suspect you may have a problem.

Go to Insomnia Causes

Return to Sleep Help Home Page From Insomnia