What Is Insomnia?

When you ask people what is insomnia all about, they'll invariably tell you it's got something to do with trouble getting to sleep. Their idea would be right, partially anyway. A more complete definition of what is insomnia is that it's a sleep disorder that is mainly characterized by trouble falling asleep AND/OR staying asleep for a normal period of time.

Insomnia 101

Part of understanding the question what is insomnia about is knowing its related symptoms. These include frequent night waking and trouble sleeping again, waking up way too early in the mornings, difficulty dozing off and feeling exhausted upon waking up.

In asking what is insomnia, people will typically encounter two main types. There's the primary and there's the secondary. Primary insomnia refers to sleep problems that are not directly linked to other health conditions. Secondary insomnia has to do with sleep problems that are brought on by something else like a medical condition, medications, substances used or pain.

People asking what is insomnia about will likely also come across the classifications based on duration and frequency of insomnia occurrence. Researching what is insomnia will lead them to two insomnia kinds - the acute or short-term and the chronic or long-term.

Insomnia problems can also come and go, meaning there are periods wherein people experience no sleep difficulties. The acute variety can last one night or stretch to weeks. Chronic insomnia is when people have insomnia around three or more nights a week for one month or much longer.

Most adults require at least eight hours of night's sleep. You'll know you're receiving enough sleep if you rarely feel sleepy at daytime. The amount of sleep a person needs stays the same all through adulthood for the majority of people. But sleep patterns can change with age, which can lead to raising "what is insomnia doing to me?" questions.

In determining what is insomnia and what's causing it, a doctor might ask you a series of questions related to your sleep habits and medical history. If he still can't pinpoint the cause, he might suggest that you maintain a sleep diary. The diary will be useful in keeping track of your sleep routine - from bedtime to waking.

Now that you've got a handle on what is insomnia, it's important to understand that sleeping pills aren't a permanent solution to the problem. The relief they provide doesn't last. A better way to deal with insomnia would be to cut down on caffeine and alcohol intake, and adopt better sleep habits. Understanding what is insomnia is one step toward effectively treating the sleep problem. Relaxing Dreamscene - VistaDreams.org