Insomnia Symptoms
Insomnia Symptoms: Knowing What They Are Can Help In Early Treatment
Sleep has played hide-and-seek with most of us at some point in our lives. In fact, statistics confirm that 8 out of 10 Americans experience various patterns of disturbed sleep and between 20 and 40% of these people end up with insomnia. While millions try to cope with sleeplessness, it makes sense to know what precise insomnia symptoms to look out for. This can then pave the way for early medical intervention, if need be.
However before we discuss the signs and indicators of this disorder, we need to bear in mind that there are several signs which may appear to be signals of insomnia but in essence they are not. What are these misleading signs?
Temporary sleeplessness caused by emotional setbacks like job loss, divorce, loss of loved one, etc.
Anxiety related to an impending event like job interview, marriage, etc.
Advancing age need less amounts of sleep,
Miscalculation regarding time spent in sleeping. What we presume to be 4 hours may actually be 8 hours of sleep.
Medically speaking, insomnia is confirmed when the typical features of the disorder persists for more than 3 weeks.
What are the signs that confirm the onset?
Problems in falling asleep
Frequent waking at night
Difficulty to go back to sleep
Sleep quality is non-refreshing
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Focusing problems
Irritability
Misleading signs leading to diagnostic confusion
A trusted way to identify insomniacs is to study the quality of their daytime activities. In this regard, excessive daytime sleepiness is a sign that can be misleading at the time of diagnosing this disorder, because it represents several types of sleep disorders.
For example, an insomniac may complain of excessive daytime drowsiness that results from sleep deprivation at night. But this sign could also mean the onset of obstructive sleep apnea, hypersomnia or even narcolepsy.
While polysomnography is the most trusted method used by doctors to identify the type of disorder, comparison of individual characteristic features can also help with identification.
Hypersomnolence is idiopathic which means there are no known causes for the onset of the disorder. All treatments are therefore designed to provide symptomatic relief. Treatments of all other sleep disorders however are linked to the cause of onset as well as severity of the condition. Antidepressants and nerve stimulants are primarily used for treating narcoleptics since the ailment originates from dysfunctional central nervous system. Obstructive sleep apnea is treated with the help of CPAP or even surgery if the condition is serious. This is a condition that happens when there is a complete collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract.
Age of onset is another differentiator. While one disorder may set in around 50 years of age, all other disorders set in much earlier.
Insomnia cures: what are the options?
Chronic sleeplessness could be fallout of another co-existing health condition or it could also be a stand-alone disorder. Treating the underlying or co-existent medical condition often solves the problem but when otherwise, doctors rely on medication as well as behavioral therapy
Behavioral therapies could be:
Stimulus Control: improving environment to make it more conducive to sleep
Cognitive therapy: helping with mind shift and change attitude towards sleep; develop positive thinking abilities, etc.
Sleep restriction: this prevents daytime naps to promote nighttime sleep.
Practicing relation techniques like yoga, meditation, etc are effective steps to promote sleep. Physical exercise, quitting alcohol and caffeine and other stimulants before bedtime can help too.
Drugs used for the treatment include:
Benzodiazepine-based sedatives
Non-benzodiazepine medications like eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata), and zolpidem (Ambien)
Melatonin supplements if it is caused by disturbed sleep-wake cycles.
In case there is depression accompanying insomnia symptoms doctors recommend anti-depressants like amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep) and trazodone (Desyrel).
by: kasutnya
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