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Insomnia is difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep
for long enough to feel refreshed the next morning. The most
common problem in young people with insomnia is difficulty
falling asleep (sleep-onset insomnia). An insomniac may also
experience:
-
Waking in the
night (most common in older people).
-
Not feeling
refreshed after sleep and not being able to function
normally during the day, feeling irritable and tired and
finding it difficult to concentrate.
-
Waking when
you have been disturbed from sleep by pain or noise.
-
Waking early
in the morning (the least common type of sleep
disturbance).
Nearly everyone has problems sleeping at some point in their
life and it is thought that a third of people in the UK have
bouts of insomnia. Insomnia appears to be more common in
women and more likely to occur with age.
There are a number of possible causes for insomnia, such as
anxiety, a disrupted sleeping environment, or an underlying
physical condition or mental health problem (see Causes,
above, for more information).
How long does
insomnia last?
Insomnia can last for days, months or even years. It can be
split into three categories:
-
transient insomnia lasts for two to three days,
-
short-term insomnia lasts for more than a few
days but less than three weeks, and
-
chronic insomnia occurs most nights for three
weeks or longer, and can lead to mental health problems
such as depression or misuse of alcohol in order to gain
sleep.
How much sleep
should you get?
Every individual is different, so it is hard to define what
normal sleep is for you. Factors influencing the amount of
sleep you need include your age, lifestyle, diet and
environment.
For example, newborn babies can sleep for 16 hours a day,
while school-age children need an average of 10 hours sleep.
Most healthy adults sleep for an average of seven to
nine hours a night. As you get older, it is normal to need
less sleep. Most people over 70 need less than six hours
sleep a night, and they tend to be light sleepers.
Free
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