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Inability to fall asleep and insomnia

by — Last updated: 2022-09-30 in Respiratory tract disorders and diseases

Table of Contents

Most people have already heard about sleep apnea but don’t know how to define it precisely. Well, experts say that sleep apnea is defined as the cessation of breathing during sleep.

Like it was already mentioned, insomnia is one of the common symptoms of sleep apnea! Insomnia is a sleep disorder and it is important to know that it is a symptom and not a disease. When we talk about how to cure insomnia therefore we are not talking about curing insomnia directly, but are looking at treating the underlying cause or causes.
In its simplest form insomnia disorder can be defined as difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep or waking after too short a period of sleep.
 

Different types of insomnia

There are several different types of insomnias. Several researches done in the past have came to the conclusion that the Initial Insomnia is most common type that occurs in sleep apnea! Beside this type there are several others:

  • Transient insomnia

Transient insomnia lasts for just one or two nights. It can be provoked by some important upcoming meeting or a minor illness. Important thing is that, as the underlying cause passes-sleep pattern returns to normal.  

  • Intermittent insomnia

If transient insomnia starts to occur frequently-then insomnia could be termed as intermittent insomnia.

  • Chronic insomnia

Once a patient reaches the stage at which sleep is being affected on most nights then you are suffering from chronic or severe insomnia.
 
Specific difficulties a patient encounters in sleeping divides insomnia into three types:

  • Initial insomnia- difficulty in falling asleep

This form of insomnia is the most common for sleep apnea! If a person finds difficulty in falling asleep, typically taking 30 minutes or more to get to sleep, then there is a great chance that she or he is suffering from initial insomnia.

  • Middle insomnia

Important thing to know is that, in the case of middle insomnia you experience problems in staying asleep.  

  • Late or Terminal insomnia

In late or terminal insomnia, patient falls asleep with relative ease and sleep through the first part of the night but then wake early in the morning. Patients usually have less then six hours of sleep!

Causes of insomnia

There can be many causes for insomnia and the common cause of an interrupted sleep pattern is increased alcohol ingestion. Several researches have confirmed that approximately 80% of individuals do report dreams during, and we do know that REM sleep does produce the excretion of acetylcholine. The fact is that experts know that increased alcohol ingestion definitely interrupts, and even inhibits REM sleep, although they are uncertain of the exact physiological mechanism. Of course, some other factors such as tension, stress, anxiety, conflicts in the home are more common causes of insomnia.

The side-effects of insomnia

There are many side-effects accompanying insomnia but perhaps the most significant are:
  • Increased accident rate
Reasonably- accidents at home, at work and particularly on the road can often be traced back to insomnia. Recent statistics attribute fatigue to some 100,000 vehicle accidents and 1,500 deaths in the Unites States alone during 2004.
  • Premature death
Several researches done in the past have came to the conclusion that people who regularly take sleeping pills do have lower survival rates than the general population. These deaths therefore, while not directly resulting from insomnia, must certainly be attributed to it.
  • Stress and depression
Insomnia can have a significant effect on mood and increased hormonal activity. It can lead to anxiety, stress and depression.
  • Heart disease
There is some evidence to suggest that severe insomnia can produce activity within the heart and nervous system that, in turn, may lead to heart disease.
  • Headaches
Insomnia can often lead to headaches during the night and early in the morning.
 

Treatment of insomnia

  • Exercising during the day or going for a short walk an hour or so before bedtime.
  • Taking a warm bath or drinking a glass of warm milk before bedtime.
  • It is often possible to break the cycle of insomnia by staying awake for an entire night.
  • Medicines may be prescribed when the cause of insomnia includes a particularly stressful situation or pain from some physical condition.