WELLNESS AUTHOR
Sam Hacker
INSOMNIA AND YOU n Here are the top ways to tell if you’re just having a restless night or actually struggle with insomnia.
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t’s 2 a.m., your brain is wide awake and all you can hear is the ticking of the clock. According to John Hopkins Medicine, 1 in 3 adults will experience short bursts of insomnia known as acute insomnia, while 1 in 10 will experience chronic insomnia, wherein they have difficulty sleeping at least three nights each week for more than a month. While there can be many reasons for why you are experiencing insomnia (ranging from stress in daily life to adverse medications to a symptom of another disease), there are ways to know if you are truly suffering from chronic insomnia or if you just need to put down the phone a little earlier in the evening.
Sweet says. “Sleep is crucial for the brain and body to replenish and repair. For most people, 7 to 9 hours is optimal to achieve this.” Acute insomnia often occurs due to a change in environment, whether it be physical or mental stress, or perhaps being a shift worker with no set schedule. Ways to combat this include decreasing stress in your life, perhaps through talking with a therapist or changing any medication that may cause insomnia. Another way to combat insomnia is to avoid or limit how often you take naps. Napping may start out as a way to catch up on sleep, but it can make your body think it’s time for bed, keeping you from sleeping when it’s actually bedtime.
Acute Insomnia
Chronic Insomnia
The Mayo Clinic defines acute insomnia as a shortterm condition that often has a specific cause, such as a big test, an important business presentation or a stressful family situation. Dr. Charles Sweet, a psychiatrist at the Specialty Clinic in Austin, says stress can play a huge role in insomnia. “If there are increased stress levels, this can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle and cause insomnia,”
JULY 2022
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute defines chronic insomnia as when you have trouble sleeping more than three nights a week for more than three months, with no sign of any other health issues that may cause insomnia (such as medications). According to an article written by Dr. Richard J. Schwab from the Division of Sleep Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the four most common sleep disorders are as follows:
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