Types Of Insomnia  

Insomnia is a condition that can affect any age group.  The National Sleep Foundation states almost 47 million Americans are prone to insomnia. In general, 30-50% individuals tend to suffer with symptoms of insomnia at some point in their lives.  There are usually several reasons why people suffer with insomnia. Some of these reasons include stress, anxiety, depression and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.  By keeping these issues in mind, it pays to have a better understanding of the different types of insomnia.   

Medically, insomnia can be broadly classified into three broad categories.  All 3 types of insomnia are explained below:  

Transient Insomnia:  

Also known as short-term sleeplessness, transient insomnia is the most common form of insomnia that people tend to deal with.  Transient insomnia can be characterized by symptoms that include sleeplessness or inability to fall asleep, sense of fatigue being experienced throughout the day and anxiety.  An interesting fact about transient insomnia is that the symptoms tend to appear intermittently and there seems to be no clear reason for their appearance. Also, this is the most treatable form amongst all the types of insomnia.  

Acute Insomnia:  

This is a slightly different form of transient or short-term insomnia that occurs when an individual experiences any major trauma or encounters a highly unexpected event in life. The condition might even occur due to emotional distress, occupational pressures or even due to jet lag. Unable to cope up with the situation, individuals tend to experience troubled sleeping patterns and stay awake for long hours or wake up frequently during nights.  

Chronic Insomnia:  

Also known as severe insomnia or long-term insomnia, chronic insomnia is a complicated condition that may last for months to several years.  People suffering with chronic insomnia tend to suffer with sleep-related disorders and experience troubled sleep or tend to stay awake without falling asleep for almost a month or even more.  There are a variety of reasons due to which people experience such form of severe insomnia.  Some of these causes include severe depression, mental stress, sleep apnea, or conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, heart diseases, kidney disorders, Parkinson’s disease and hyperthyroidism.  Even excessive use of stimulants such as caffeine can lead to chronic insomnia.  Symptoms of this form of severe insomnia include irregular sleeping hours, staying awake till late night, chronic fatigue, irritable moods, and feeling sad or depressed.  

To get the best treatment possible, it is important to do your research on these different types of insomnia.  This will help improve discussions with your doctor and increase the odds of getting the right treatment for your insomnia.