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What Is Insomnia and How Do We Define It? Diagnosing the Different Types of Insomnia

October 19, 2011 Posted by Counting Sheep under Uncategorized
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Insomnia describes our difficulty and problems in trying to achieving the proper amount of sleep at night. Sleeplessness can occur in many different forms, but most often people will suffer from two distinct types–both of which become classified under the definition of insomnia.  The following are common symptoms that people suffering from insomnia will report and will help you answer the question “what is insomnia”.

  • Having repeated trouble getting to sleep —   Lying wide awake in bed for long periods of time, but being unable to get to sleep. Increasing anxiety about being tired the next day and worrying about not getting to sleep constantly.
  • Can’t stay asleep — Periods of rest are infrequent, waking up repeatedly throughout the night
  • Poor quality of sleep — The sleep that you do get is non restorative, low quality sleep.  This can be a side effect of not being able to sleep.
These common symptoms of insomnia may either be from a case of primary insomnia or an onset from some other problem.  Often cases of insomnia are secondary to another condition like increased levels of stress, anxiety, or depression.  Sudden changes in any of these levels can throw an otherwise normal sleep pattern into disarray.

Identifying Different Types of Insomnia: What it is

Effectively identifying the types of insomnia is important to diagnosing a specific problem or cause.  If you are suddenly experiencing problems of sleeplessness then examine any drastic changes in your lifestyle.  Insomnia can most effectively be classified by the period over which the symptoms are experienced.
  • Transient Insomnia (under a week) — This is a short term insomnia that happens because of some change in lifestyle or environment.  People experiencing this kind of insomnia will suffer similar effects as sleep deprivation that can range from mild to severe.
  • Acute Insomnia (under one month) —  Persisting sleeplessness for a period this long will continue to cause different levels of tiredness and fatigue as well as possible adverse effects on daytime cognitive abilities.
  • Chronic Insomnia (over one month) —  Long term symptoms of insomnia can still be an adverse effect of some other problem or disorder.  People living with such a disorder on a day to day basis often report tiredness, hallucinations, and even double vision.  Depending on the severity of the disorder and symptoms these effects can become debilitating.

Causes of Insomnia and Diagnosing the Problem

Insomnia can be caused by any major physical or mental change in a person’s life and environment.  Some of these changes can be brought on by the use of drugs or changing hormone levels.  Similarly, increased stress and anxiety produce changes in the body that can wreak havoc on healthy sleep.  Common drugs that are known to have negative effects on sleep for some people include, but are not limited to
  • Caffeine
  • Nicotine
  • Cocaine
  • Amphetamines
  • Methylphenidate
  • Aripiprazole
  • MDMA
  • Modafinil
Different kinds of pain or injury can also lead to cases of insomnia.  Injuries that prevent someone from falling to sleep can disrupt a healthy sleeping pattern and leave symptoms of insomnia even after healing fully.  When trying to diagnose the cause of insomnia, first examine any major changes to the physical environment.  Moving to a new place, starting a new job, or any kind of stressful activity is the most obvious to assess.  Fear and anxiety for an upcoming deadline or presentation are common causes as well.  Think about any increases in activity causing emotional or mental distress in your life.

On the physical end of the spectrum it’s important to look for any changes in routine or chemical intake.  Some people develop problems getting to sleep after taking in caffeine later in life.  Personally I can’t do caffeine anymore in the evening and expect a good night’s sleep–this wasn’t the case for me earlier in life.  Physical changes with the body can coincide with current behaviors and require you to adapt your lifestyle accordingly.


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