Insomnia can be acute or chronic. In acute insomnia the symptoms are present for less than a month. If insomnia symptoms occur for more than one month it is called chronic insomnia.

Signs and symptoms of insomnia

• Difficulty in falling asleep in the night.
• Inability to get adequate sleep at night.
• Waking up often during sleep and difficulty in getting sleep after waking.
• Tiredness after sleep
• Waking early in the morning
• Waking throughout the night.
• Feeling sleepy in the morning.
• Depression
• Fatigue.
• Decreased performance at work or in the school.
• Impaired alertness.
• Impaired concentration.
• Irritability.
• Muscle pain.
• Falling asleep during work, while watching television or while driving.

Causes of insomnia

Age: Insomnia occurs commonly affects old age individuals. Women attaining menopause have sleep disturbances. Men with enlarges prostate as they age causes nocturnal urination disturbing sleep.

Physical or emotional discomfort.

Health conditions like arthritis, gastro esophageal reflux disease, asthma, cancer and muscle sprains.

Mental health: Depression and anxiety causes insomnia.

Substance abuse like consumption of alcohol, taking nicotine also causes sleep deprivation.

Lifestyle: Night shift work, disturbance is daily schedules.

Jet lag is common temporary cause of insomnia

Certain medications like antidepressants and high blood pressure medication causes insomnia.

Stress: Stress is common cause for insomnia. A death in family, job loss or other stressor can cause insomnia.

Sleep disorders disrupt the normal sleeping habit. The important causes are teeth grinding, bedwetting, narcolepsy, night terrors, parasomnias, restless leg syndrome, sleep paralysis, periodic limb movement disorder.

Common causes of chronic insomnia

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Chronic stress.
• Pain or discomfort at night