Olivia Wenrich

period 6

Sleep Insomnia
Insomnia is a very common sleep disorder that affects roughly 30 percent of the
worlds population of people all over the world. Scientist and professional doctors have
researched this sleep disorder for many years figuring out what exactly it is, how it is
caused, how you can cure it, what part of the brain it affects, what are the symptoms of
it, and how it affects your body.
Insomnia is the inability to sleep. In other words it is the lack of sleep due to
many different reasons, such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the
night with difficulty going back to sleep, waking up early in the morning and getting
unrefreshing sleep. Insomnia is not actually defined by the number of hours of sleep you
get at night or how long it takes you to fall asleep. It is a measure of satisfaction with
sleep (What Causes Insomnia). Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders in
the world and affects people in many different ways usually starting at the age of 14 and
older.
Many people wonder what exactly causes insomnia. Insomnia can be caused

by many different things such as psychiatric and medical conditions, unhealthy

sleep habits, specific substances, and/or certain biological factors. Recently,
researchers have begun to think about insomnia as a problem of your brain being
unable to stop being awake. Your brain has a sleep cycle and a wake cycle,
when one is turned on the other is turned off, insomnia can be a problem with

either part of this cycle. It's important to first understand what could be causing
your sleep difficulty. Insomnia can be caused by psychiatric conditions such as
depression. Psychological struggles can make it hard to sleep, insomnia itself
can bring on changes in mood, and shifts in hormones and physiology can lead
to both psychiatric issues and insomnia at the same time. It can also be caused
by anxiety. Many teenagers and adults have anxiety if they are nervous or
stressed out about insomnia (Insomnia-symptoms and causes). Insomnia may
also be caused by the way you are living your life. If you are living an unhealthy
lifestyle it can cause insomnia. Some cases of insomnia start out with a small
problem but turn into a bigger problem. For example, if say a person can't sleep
for a night or two after receiving bad news. The person might start to try things to
help them feel better such as smoking, drinking, eating unhealthy or late at night.
Doing that can make your insomnia worse.
There are many different symptoms you need to be aware of if you think
you may have insomnia. If insomnia is caused by medical conditions some of the
symptoms you need to be aware of are nasal/sinus allergies, gastrointestinal
problems such as reflux, endocrine problems such as hyperthyroidism which is
overactivity of the thyroid gland, resulting in a rapid heartbeat and an increased rate of
metabolism, arthritis, asthma, neurological conditions such as parkinson's

disease, chronic pain,and low back pain. Most people also take medications for
these issues which can also be apart of the cause for insomnia. Other sleep
disorders also can be linked to insomnia. For example sleep apnea which is

when a person's airway becomes partially or completely obstructed during sleep,

leading to pauses in breathing and a drop in oxygen levels. (What causes
Insomnia) This causes a person to wake up briefly but repeatedly throughout the
night. People with sleep apnea sometimes report experiencing insomnia. The
symptoms you should be looking for if it is caused by depression are energy loss,
no motivation, feelings of sadness and insomnia can be linked, and one can
make the other worse. The good news is that both are treatable regardless of
which came first (What causes insomnia). If you have Insomnia caused by
anxiety the symptoms are tension, getting caught up in thoughts about past
events, excessive worrying about future events, feeling overwhelmed by
responsibilities, or a feeling of being worked up about something (Insomniasymptoms and causes). Examples of how your lifestyle can cause insomnia are if
you take a lot of naps during the day, if you work night shifts, etc. If you are
having any of these symptoms you should see or call a doctor.
If you go to a doctor and tell them about your insomnia depending on your
symptoms the doctor will give you many different recommendation. Some may
tell you that you need to change your lifestyle and the way your living, some may
tell you to change your eating habits and when you eat. If you have because of
anxiety or depression they may describe you medicine to help with those
problems. You also need to be aware of the side effects a doctor gives you
because it could actually make your insomnia worse. They may recommend
doing stuff you enjoy so you can relax and get your mind of things and they might

want you to go through light therapy. Light therapy is something doctors

recommend for people who have insomnia more severely. In light therapy you sit
near a special light box for a certain amount of time each day. The light from this
box mimics outdoor light, which is important for regulating your body's sleeping
and waking cycles. Exposure to this bright light helps to adjust your physical,
mental, and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24 hour cycle and respond
primarily to light and darkness in the environment (Insomnia - Symptoms &
Causes).This may help certain people sleep earlier at night or sleep later in the

morning. Light therapy is designed to use visible light, while filtering out
ultraviolet rays (Insomnia-complications). Insomnia is and can be curable as long
as you do not do anything to worsen it. If you do anything to worsen it, it could
make your insomnia a very serious issue.
Insomnia can last a very long time or a very short time depending on how
severe it is. There is also something called Chronic Insomnia. Chronic Insomnia
is is disrupted sleep that occurs at least three nights per week and lasts at least
three months. Chronic insomnia disorders can have many causes. Changes in
the environment, unhealthy sleep habits, shift work, other clinical disorders, and
certain medications could lead to a long term pattern of unhealthy sleep. People
with chronic insomnia usually get a form of treatment right away to help them get
back to healthy sleep patterns. Chronic insomnia can be comorbid meaning it is
linked to another medical or psychiatric issue, such as sleep apnea and many
other sleep disorders (Causes, cures, and treatments for Insomnia).

Insomnia can affect your body in many different ways. It can affect and
change the way you normally act, your performance in either work or school, and
also how you treat other people. In some cases, insomnia may be caused by
certain neurotransmitters in the brain that are known to be involved with sleep
and wakefulness. There are many possible chemical interactions in the brain that
could interfere with sleep and may explain why some people are biologically
prone to insomnia and seem to struggle with sleep for many years without any
identifiable cause, even when they follow healthy sleep advice (Insomniacomplications). Sleep begins with signals from an area at the base of the brain called
the pons. These signals travel to a brain region called the thalamus, which relays them
to the cerebral cortex which is the outer layer of the brain.

Therefor, sleep insomnia can be caused by many different things and has
many different treatments. Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders
so it is not something to freak out about as long as you do what you can to help
it.