Insomnia Causes

Affecting around 30-40 percent of the American population, insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorder in the United States. The high rate of incidence of this medical condition can be attributed to the ignorance about its causes and symptoms to a significant extent. Insomnia is typically characterized by the inability of a person to sleep or stay asleep for a significant period of time. On the basis of its duration, this medical condition is categorized into two types - chronic insomnia - which lasts for more than a month, and acute insomnia - which lasts for 2-4 weeks. These insomnia types differ from each other in several contexts, including the causes and effects of each of them.

Causes of Insomnia

Understanding the causes and symptoms of an ailment plays a crucial role in initiation of the diagnosis and treatment of any medical condition, and insomnia is no exception. The causes of chronic insomnia tend to differ from that of acute insomnia. Given below are the details of various causes of each of these two types of insomnia, with passing reference to their effects on the human body.

Chronic Insomnia

Chronic insomnia, also known as severe insomnia, is a type of insomnia which lasts for more than a month. It can be attributed to some underlying medical condition, either psychological or physical, and medication prescribed for such medical condition. As far as the psychological conditions which cause severe insomnia are concerned, the lengthy list consists of some of the most common mental problems, including chronic stress, depression, and anxiety. Coming to the physical conditions which cause chronic insomnia, they include various health disorders - ranging from certain allergies to severe complications such as cancer.

Basically, any ailment which can cause severe discomfort and pain at night can lead to sleep deprivation in individuals. Then there also exist a list of prescribed medications which can trigger insomnia, which includes several antidepressants, diuretics and painkillers. Chronic insomnia can trigger severe complications, including memory loss and stroke, in the individuals. Taking into consideration the long term effects of lack of sleep, being well-versed with insomnia causes, symptoms and cures is a definite advantage.

Acute Insomnia

Unlike chronic insomnia, acute insomnia persists for a relatively shorter span of time as the underlying factors which cause it are slightly different from those which cause chronic insomnia. A person can suffer from acute insomnia as a result of emotional discomfort, caused by some incident in life, or physical discomfort, which is caused by certain medical conditions. Other than this, there also exist some environmental factors which trigger acute insomnia, extreme temperature and loud noise being the best examples of the same. One has to also take a note of the fact that the drugs and medications which cause chronic insomnia also have the tendency of causing discomfort which can result in sleep deprivation for a shorter span of time. Irritability, confusion, difficult in concentration are some of the most common problems you are likely to face if you are suffering from acute insomnia.

Other than the two insomnia types mentioned above, some medical journals describe yet another type of insomnia referred to as terminal insomnia - wherein a person sleeps well for some time, but abruptly wakes up and finds it difficult to go back to sleep. The causes of terminal insomnia are somewhat similar to the causes of acute insomnia, with physical and mental discomfort making it difficult for the person to sleep continuously.