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NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF INSOMNIA By Ivy Wong
As students, we are no strangers to late nights. Whether it’s homework, revision, nighttime socializing, or revenge bedtime procrastination, we frequently find ourselves staying up when we should most definitely be asleep. While we may keep ourselves up for various reasons, some people simply cannot fall asleep, however much they want to — insomniacs.
Insomnia: Persistent difficulty with sleep initiation, duration, consolidation or quality
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s ICSD-3 manual, “insomnia” is defined as “persistent difficulty with sleep initiation, duration, consolidation or quality.”, and is used to describe the presence of polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep. The condition’s prevalence in teens is as high as 23.8%, and as high as 60% among adults in some parts of the world. Insomnia is said to be caused by a state of hyperarousal, the disorder is frequently attributed to environmental, physiological, or psychological factors, such as stress, anxiety, consumption of certain substances, health problems such as sleep apnea, etc.
