Insomnia
Introduction
Insomnia is the condition in which sleep disorder takes place and reduces the tendency to fall sleep. It also effects the duration that an individual is required to stay asleep in order to stay healthy. This condition occurs due to the daytime sleepiness, anxiety and depressed mood. However, scholars have also argued that the frequency of inadequate lifestyle can be a cause of the increasing rate of insomnia. It is observed that the occurrence of insomnia can range from short-term, long-term and periodic basis, and can result in life threatening situations if it is left untreated (Bonnet & Arand, 2010). The current paper aims to discuss the cause and effects of insomnia in order to understand its occurrence and imposed health threats in an effective manner. The diagnosis of insomnia takes place by conducting the sleep study, in which the sleep schedule and pattern is analyzed. Moreover, interview is also conducted by the professionals, clinicians and physicians that helps in the effective diagnosis of insomnia (Baglioni et al., 2011).
However, the causes of insomnia are not limited to a few factors and hence, a systematic diagnosis is required in which the identification of the cause of insomnia is necessary to develop for its treatment (Baglioni et al., 2011). It is estimated that the prevalence of insomnia is observed to be 10% to 30% among adults and the condition is found to be consistent during a specific duration of time. Moreover, it is inferred that almost 6% people have insomnia that usually lasts for more than one month. Similarly, the repetition of sleeping disorder or long-term insomnia is observed to be among the individuals who are aged 65 and above. The recent studies have also indicated that insomnia is found to be more common among women than men. The occurrence of insomnia is found to be related with several biological, psychological, social and external factors (Bonnet & Arand, 2010).
Discussion
The individuals who are suffering from the chronic diseases can also face the occurrence of insomnia due to the administration of certain medications. Similarly, some medical conditions can also cause insomnia due to the occurrence of discomfort or pain, which eventually causes disturbances in the sleep patterns and reduces the ability to remain asleep. The medications for cold allergies, thyroid disorders, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and asthma can cause insomnia. The most fundamental cause of insomnia is found to be the restless legs syndrome, in which the individual feels the unusual need of moving his legs, which eventually leads towards low quality of sleep leading to insomnia (Baglioni et al., 2011). It is estimated that 10% of the world population has the restless legs syndrome and it is implied that they face extreme difficulties in managing their state of sleep towards the daily activities due to poor quality of sleep. Sleep apnea is also considered as a common cause of insomnia, in which the breathing problem during sleep takes place and results in decreased oxygen level and causes repetitive interruptions in sleep. However, the prevalence of insomnia is also observed to be related with the level of depression, which eventually indicates the psychological factors causing insomnia. In this manner, the inadequate mood changes take place that is also found consistent during the biological factors, in which the hormonal imbalance takes place incorporating changes in mood of an individual (Bonnet & Arand, 2010).
The occurrence of anxiety also reduces the quality of sleep and leads towards insomnia. In this situation, the individual is usually worrying about the future or overthinking about the past, which eventually causes distress and decreases the ability to sleep. The inadequate lifestyle is also playing a significant role in the increasing extent of insomnia, in which individuals need to work in the evening or till late night and hence, the disturbances in sleep patterns take place and cause insomnia. The inadequate pattern of sleeping in which frequent naps are observed during the day-time also causes changes in sleep cycle, whereas the biological clock is also found to be disturbed when the individuals tend to sleep more on weekends (Baglioni et al., 2011). It is also inferred that inadequate eating habits can also cause disruptions in the pattern of sleep, in which the consumption of heavy and spicy foods can cause discomfort during sleeping hours. The overconsumption of alcohol during daytime can cause sedation in the day which can also disturb the sleep cycle during the night. Moreover, the overconsumption of caffeine also decreases the ability to sleep as it is observed that caffeine can remain for up to 8 hours in the body. In this manner, the consumption of coffee near the sleeping schedule can cause inadequate disturbances and can cause short-term insomnia. Moreover, the overconsumption of nicotine is also found to be related with the occurrence of insomnia (Morin et al., 2011).
Effects of Insomnia
The short-term insomnia, if left untreated, can transform into the long-term insomnia due to the continuous reinforcement of the inadequate sleeping pattern and hence, it can cause chronic health related consequences. The occurrence of insomnia causes the occurrence of sleep deprivation, which is the most prominent factor of accidents and injuries while driving and performing physical activities at the workplace. It reduces the quality of performance due to which errors in the job takes place and hence, it effects the overall quality of life of the individual (Bonnet & Arand, 2010). The processing speed or cognitive ability of the individuals with insomnia decreases, which eventually effects the working memory and short-term memory of the individuals. This type of negative effect on working memory reduces the ability to recall the information that has been recently acquired. It reduces the ability of the individual to recall the information that is required to carry out the daily life activities in an efficient manner. However, the short-term memory effects the ability to recall the most important events and it also reduces the ability to memorize and remember new information. In this manner, it effects the professional, intelligence and academic level of the individuals by means of hindering their ability to utilize their cognitive abilities at a full potential (Baglioni et al., 2011). The lack of sleep also effects the extent to which an individual can utilize his focus and remain attentive during the work related activities. It reduces the ability to respond in an efficient manner and reduces the focus of an individual. Moreover, the decision making ability is also decreased due to insomnia because the reduces the ability to focus on various aspects that are needed to make an effective decision. It also reduces the individual’s ability to reason and provide justification, which also indicates the causal effect of insomnia on being highly focused and responsive (Morin et al., 2011).
The occurrence of sleep disorders can also effect the heart rate, which eventually increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. It increases the pressure on brain to incorporate the daily activities while reducing the tendency of the brain to work at its full potential, which can also cause the occurrence of stroke along with the hypertension. It stops the regulation of hormones in the body and effects the functions of pituitary glands, which can eventually cause increase the blood glucose level and imbalance in the testosterone that leads towards diabetes mellitus and reproduction issues (Passos et al., 2010). The lack of proper sleep also increases the extent of anxiety and can cause disruptions in the positive behavior. It can also make the individuals paranoid as a result of the long-term insomnia. It effects the work capacity of an individual and reduces the ability to work at full potential. It also develops the negative behavior among the individuals, due to continuous discomfort, mood swings and hormonal imbalance, due to which the individuals become highly unsatisfied with their lives and develop an extreme level of anxiety. The lack of sleep results in the increased release of cortisol, which is a stress hormone, and its high levels can breakdown the skin surface and can cause acute skin disorders (Vgontzas et al., 2009).
Conclusion
Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that hinders the quality of sleep by means of disturbing the sleeping patterns and inability to remain asleep. It is observed to be caused by the several factors, in which life style, psychological, social and biological factors are considered important. However, the individuals with chronic health conditions can also face disturbances in the sleep patterns due to the administration of certain medicines. It is also observed that the insomnia initiates on a short-term basis and if it is left untreated, then it can result in the long-term insomnia, which eventually causes chronic diseases. The occurrence of insomnia can cause cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, hormonal imbalance and psychiatric disorders. It also reduces the individual’s ability to remain attentive and focused, which eventually effects the memory and intelligence level. It also effects the individual’s ability to carry out adequate decisions and consider problem solving and hence, it effects the quality of life in a negative manner. Insomnia is considered as a chronic disorder, which is required to be treated by using the adequate medical interventions and behavioral therapy. It is suggested that the adequate change in lifestyle can help the development of effective sleeping patterns and can reduce the occurrence of long-term insomnia (Vgontzas et al., 2009). The increasing rate of insomnia among the population is threatening due to which it is required that the individuals should be educated about the occurrence, symptoms, causes and effects of insomnia in order to incline towards a healthy life style and address its prevalence in an effective manner.
References
Bonnet, M. H., & Arand, D. L. (2010). Hyperarousal and insomnia: state of the science. Sleep medicine reviews, 14(1), 9-15.
Baglioni, C., Battagliese, G., Feige, B., Spiegelhalder, K., Nissen, C., Voderholzer, U., & Riemann, D. (2011). Insomnia as a predictor of depression: a meta-analytic evaluation of longitudinal epidemiological studies. Journal of affective disorders, 135(1), 10-19.
Morin, C. M., Belleville, G., Bélanger, L., & Ivers, H. (2011). The Insomnia Severity Index: psychometric indicators to detect insomnia cases and evaluate treatment response. Sleep, 34(5), 601-608.
Passos, G. S., Poyares, D., Santana, M. G., Garbuio, S. A., Tufik, S., & Mello, M. T. (2010). Effect of acute physical exercise on patients with chronic primary insomnia. J Clin Sleep Med, 6(3), 270-275.
Vgontzas, A. N., Liao, D., Bixler, E. O., Chrousos, G. P., & Vela-Bueno, A. (2009). Insomnia with objective short sleep duration is associated with a high risk for hypertension. Sleep, 32(4), 491-497.
