INSOMNIA

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by an inability to sleep and/or to remain asleep for a reasonable period during the night. Sufferers typically complain of being unable to close their eyes for more than a few minutes at a time, or of 'tossing and turning' through the night.

If insomnia continues for more than a few nights running, it can become chronic and cause a sleep deficit that is extremely detrimental to the sufferer's well-being. Insomnia interrupts the natural sleep cycle, which can be hard to restore. Some insomniacs unwittingly perpetuate their complaint by napping in the late afternoon or early evening, leading to wakefulness at bedtime and more insomnia. Others push their bodies to the limits, until their sleep deficit causes severe physical and mental effects.

Many people who feel they are suffering from insomnia may actually have a lower physical need for sleep than they believe they do. A normal part of the ageing process is to sleep more lightly and for shorter periods of time, and some elderly people toss and turn in bed late at night or early in the morning when their body has no physical need for more rest, because they believe that they must 'need' a certain amount of sleep to be rested.

Insomnia is a common side-effect of some medications, and it can also be caused by stress, emotional upheaval, physical or mental illness, dietary allergy and poor sleep hygiene. Insomnia is a major symptom of mania in people with bipolar disorder, and it can also be a sign of hyper-thyroidism, depression, or other physical complaints with stimulating effects.

Additionally, a rare genetic condition can cause a prion based, permanent and eventually fatal form of insomnia called Fatal Familial Insomnia.

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