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Conditions InDepth: Insomnia - HealthLibrary

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Conditions InDepth: Insomnia

by Editorial Staff And Contributors

En Español (Spanish Version)
 

Insomnia is defined as inadequate or poor-quality sleep. Insomnia may take the form of difficulty falling asleep, or middle-of-the-night or early-morning awakening. It may be a short-term problem or occur more often over a long period of time (chronic).

Over the course of a year, about one third of adults experience some level of insomnia. About 10%-15% have more severe or chronic insomnia. It may cause problems during the day, such as tiredness, a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, and irritability.

Insomnia is not a disease. Instead, it is a result of a behavior or a symptom of an underlying mental or physical problem. There are many causes of insomnia.

Short-term insomnia is often due to temporary situations. It generally occurs in people who are experiencing one or more of the following:

  • A life crisis or stress
  • A change in the sleep environment, including factors such as noise, light, or temperature
  • Sleep/wake schedule problems, such as those due to jet lag or temporary shift work
  • Side effects of medication

Chronic insomnia often results from a medical condition. They may include:

Chronic insomnia may also be due to behavioral factors. These include:

  • Misuse of nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, or other substances
  • Disrupted sleep/wake cycles from shift work or other nighttime activity schedules
  • Chronic stress

For some people, insomnia is aggravated by:

  • Changes in time zone after a long flight (‘jet lag’)
  • Expecting to have difficulty sleeping and worrying about it
  • Excessive napping in the afternoon or evening
REFERENCES::

Insomnia. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us. Updated July 9, 2012. Accessed August 13, 2012.

Insomnia. Quick Answers to Medical Diagnosis and Therapy. Access Medicine website. Available at: http://accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=3267380.

McCarty DE, Chession AL. Insomnia. In: Gilman S, ed. MedLink Neurology. San Diego, CA: MedLink Corporation. Available at: http://www.medlink.com/medlinkcontent.asp. Accessed Sept 25, 2010

Morgenthaler T, Kramer M, Alessi C, et al. Practice parameters for the psychological and behavioral treatment of insomnia: an update. An American Academy of Sleep Medicine report. Sleep. 2006;29:1415-1419.

Morin CM, Vallieres A, Guay B, et al. Cognitive behavioral therapy, singly and combined with medication for persistent insomnia: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA . 2009;301(19):2005-2015.

National Center on Sleep Disorders Research website. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/index.htm.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/.

National Sleep Foundation website. Available at: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/.

Parmet S, Burke A, Glass RM. Insomnia. JAMA Patient Page. 2006 June 28.295(24).

Sivertsen B, Omvik S, Pallesen S, et al. Cognitive behavioral therapy versus zopiclone for treatment of chronic primary insomnia in older adults: a randomized, controlled trial. JAMA. 2006;295(24):2851-2858.

Your guide to healthy sleep. National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. November 2005. NIH Publication No. 06-5271. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute website. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.pdf. Accessed February 11, 2009.

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Last reviewed October 2012 by Brian Randall, MD
Last Updated: 10/11/2012

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