One of the most frequently mentioned issues pertaining to one’s sleep is insomnia. One in every four women struggles with some form of insomnia, which can manifest as difficulty falling asleep, difficulty remaining asleep, or both. In adults, chronic insomnia, also known as long-term insomnia, affects around one in seven people. Your ability to perform daily activities like going to work or school, as well as taking care of yourself, may suffer if you suffer from chronic insomnia. Women, particularly elderly women, are more likely to suffer from insomnia than males, regardless of age.
What exactly is Insomnia?
One of the most frequent sleep disorders is known as insomnia. It is described as an inability to get to sleep, waking up too early, or feeling unrested after sleep for at least three nights a week for at least three months. This inability to sleep, waking up too early, or feeling unrested after sleep is considered to be a symptom of insomnia. In order to feel refreshed during the day, the majority of adult women require seven or more hours of sleep each night.
Insomnia that is chronic or lasts for an extended period of time makes it difficult to carry out normal responsibilities such as going to work or school and taking care of oneself. Insomnia may be the cause of or a contributing factor in the development of a number of additional health issues, including depression, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.
What are the types of Insomnia?
There are two categories of insomnia:
Insomnia of a primary nature: There is a disorder known as primary insomnia. It is not a symptom of another medical illness, nor is it a side consequence of that ailment. After determining that no other underlying medical issue is to blame for your lack of sleep, your physician may diagnose you with primary insomnia.
Secondary Insomnia: It is a form of sleeplessness that is brought on by or coexists with another medical condition or occurs as an adverse reaction to medical treatment. It might be acute (of a brief duration), or it can be persistent (long-term). The majority of people who suffer from chronic insomnia have what’s known as secondary insomnia.
What Causes Insomnia?
It is not known what the precise cause of primary insomnia is. It could be a condition that lasts a lifetime, or it could be something that develops as a result of disruptions to your normal pattern, such as those caused by travel or other stressful life events.
The following are some of the conditions that may lead to secondary insomnia or occur concurrently with it:
- Conditions related to one’s mental health, such as major depressive illness
- Generalised anxiety disorder and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Injuries to the head caused by trauma (TBI)
- Neurodegenerative (brain) diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and
- conditions that result in persistent pain, such as arthritis
Asthma and sleep apnea are two examples of conditions that can make it difficult to breathe. Problems related to hormones, especially those involving the thyroid Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, such as acid reflux.
In addition to that, you might hear about:
- Sleep-onset insomnia: It is a condition in which a person has problems falling or staying asleep.
- Sleep maintenance insomnia: Insomnia characterized by an inability to maintain sleep throughout the night or an excessively early awakening.
- Insomnia mixed: This type of insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep as well as difficulty remaining asleep during the night.
- Insomnia paradoxica: A person who suffers from paradoxical insomnia tends to grossly underestimate the amount of time they spend asleep. It seems like you get a lot less sleep than you actually do, but this is not the case.
Both short-term insomnia and long-term insomnia are known as acute insomnia (long-term). Chronic insomnia can endure for three months or longer, in contrast to acute insomnia, which typically only lasts for a few days or weeks at most.
Signs and symptoms of Insomnia
The most common symptom of insomnia is difficulty sleeping, which can manifest as either difficulties falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or early morning awakenings. If you have insomnia, you may:
- Stay awake for an extended period of time without falling asleep.
- I find it difficult to get back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
- Not have the feeling of having rested when you wake up.
- It’s possible that more symptoms will manifest themselves during the day if you don’t get enough sleep.
For instance, you might wake up feeling exhausted, and you might also find that your energy levels are low throughout the day. It is also possible for you to experience feelings of anxiety, depression, or irritability, and it may make it difficult for you to concentrate or recall things.
Are women more likely to have Insomnia than men?
Insomnia is defined as the inability to get asleep or remain asleep and affects women at a rate that is two times higher than that of males. This has a lot to do with hormones, but it also has a little bit to do with the natural ups and downs that occur during a woman’s life. Here are three factors that frequently contribute.
Hormones
There is a significant relationship between hormones and the need for sleep. In point of fact, researchers who study boys and girls and how they sleep find no variations between the sexes until puberty begins. The changes in their menstrual cycles will cause different times of the month for women and girls to have better sleep than other times of the month. This will occur at different periods of the month. This will likely result in a poor night’s sleep.
Other significant hormonal transitions that occur throughout a woman’s life, such as pregnancy, the postpartum period, and menopause, are all known to wreak havoc on a woman’s ability to maintain regular routines and get adequate sleep.
Mood disorders
Women are more likely to suffer from mood disorders including anxiety and sadness, which makes them more susceptible to experiencing issues falling asleep or staying asleep. This is due to the fact that many of the same chemicals in the brain are involved in controlling sleep as are involved in regulating mood, and these chemicals can be affected when mood disorders occur.
The overlapping roles of those providing care and those who are employed
Despite shifts in gender roles, women continue to be the primary carers for children in most households. In later years of their lives, women frequently find themselves in the role of primary caretaker for either their own or their partner’s parents. Some people are juggling two sets of responsibilities at once, taking care of their young children and their ageing parents.
In addition, women may hold jobs outside the home in addition to their responsibilities as caregivers. Their time spent sleeping is reduced as a result of all of these activities.
How Insomnia affects women’s health?
In the short term, insomnia can make you feel exhausted, nervous, and angry all at the same time. Your risk of developing more significant health issues, such as the following, may grow over time if you don’t get enough sleep.
- Problems with one’s health, such as diabetes and hypertension Accidents Health issues.
- Increased risk of falling, especially among women of advanced age.
- Women who suffer from chronic insomnia may be at a greater risk than men who suffer from chronic Insomnia for experiencing mood issues, cardiovascular illness and stroke, as well as obesity.
How is Insomnia diagnosed?
Your physician will perform a physical exam on you and ask you questions about your symptoms, daily routines, and levels of stress in order to determine whether or not you have insomnia.
Before going to the doctor, you should give keeping a sleep journal for one or two weeks a shot. Record the times that you get into bed, wake up, and take breaks throughout the day. Note the length of time you spend sleeping each night as well as how you feel throughout the day. If you are still having periods, you should also write down your menstrual cycle on your calendar.
Conduct tests to eliminate the possibility of other medical issues being the cause of your insomnia. These could involve blood tests to look for thyroid disorders or other types of medical conditions.
Discuss the medications that you currently take with me. There is a possibility that some medications, especially those prescribed for the treatment of depression and cardiac conditions, could cause insomnia. Tell your primary care physician or nurse about any and all medications you take, whether they were prescribed to you or were purchased over the counter. Your physician or nurse will assist you in determining which medications are going to perform the best for you.
Ask you to undergo a sleep study, called a polysomnogram (PSG). You are required to spend the night at the sleep centre or medical facility where the study is being conducted. During the time that you are asleep, you are hooked up to monitors that keep track of your brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, and blood pressure. Snoring, chest movements, the amount of oxygen in your blood, and the volume of air that travels through your nose while you breathe are all things that can be recorded by the machines. A physician who specializes in the treatment of sleep disorders can also provide you with a diagnosis. Find a doctor who specializes in sleep medicine in your area.
How Do You Treat Insomnia?
If the cause of your insomnia is a shift in your sleep/wake cycle that is just temporary, like jet lag, your sleep schedule will probably return to normal on its own once the source of your insomnia has passed.
Insomnia that lasts for an extended period of time or is chronic can be treated with prescription medications, cognitive behavioral therapy (also known as CBT), and at-home sleep improvement strategies.
If insomnia is a sign of another health problem or a side effect of that health problem, then your doctor may prescribe treating the other health problem at the same time as treating the insomnia. Secondary insomnia typically disappears on its own once the underlying health condition has been addressed and remedied. For instance, if menopause symptoms like hot flashes are keeping you up at night, your doctor may initially attempt to treat the hot flashes before moving on to other menopause symptoms. According to research, older women who utilize hormone replacement therapy, consume nutritious foods based on a Mediterranean diet, and restrict how much caffeine and alcohol they drink may have fewer sleep issues than women who do not do these things. This is in comparison to women who did not do these things.
If you think you could be suffering with insomnia, make an appointment with your primary care physician or nurse and inquire about the most effective treatments for the condition.
Many people who suffer from chronic or long-term insomnia may find that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is just as effective as taking medicine prescribed by a doctor as a treatment option.
Cognitive behavioral therapy helps you modify attitudes and behaviors that may be preventing you from getting enough sleep.
Depression, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders are just some of the problems that can be treated with this kind of talk therapy. It’s possible that cognitive behavioral therapy won’t work for you until you commit to seeing a therapist once a week for at least two months. CBT may involve the following:
- Keeping a journal to record your sleeping habits.
- Positive thinking should be used in place of negative thinking when it comes to sleeping.
- This involves associating being in bed with being asleep rather than associating your difficulty falling asleep with being in bed.
- Having one-on-one or group sessions with a counselor or therapist. This can assist you in recognizing unhelpful ideas and habits towards sleep and assisting you in changing those thoughts and actions.
- Developing improved sleeping patterns can significantly improve your quality of rest.
Insomnia that lasts for a shorter or longer period of time may be treated with prescription medication.
In order to manage your insomnia, however, your physician or nurse may suggest that you first attempt cognitive behavioral therapy rather than using medication.
Final words
If you’re suffering from insomnia, don’t hesitate to reach out to your healthcare professional for support. They may give recommendations for controlling concerns that interfere with your sleep. Many people with insomnia rest better after modifying their food, lifestyle and nightly rituals. Or they may also offer drugs or cognitive behavioral treatment.