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What Is Insomnia? Insomnia is the
inability to enjoy normal and sufficient sleep. Tossing and turning
for hours, with your eyes wide open, while everyone else is sleeping
peacefully is a most undesirable experience. Still, sporadic insomnia
lasting a few days is not uncommon, and it is generally related to
stress and the ups and downs of life. When insomnia becomes chronic,
however, emotional or clinical disorders may be involved. For
appropriate treatment to be given, it is important to know exactly
what is causing the insomnia. A medical examination called a
polysomnogram has contributed to the diagnosis and treatment of many
sleep disorders. One of the most common causes of chronic insomnia
among adults is related to snoring. If you have ever slept near
someone who snores, you know that this can be extremely
uncomfortable. Snoring can be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea
syndrome (OSAS), in which the closure of the throat temporarily
prevents a sleeper from sucking air into his lungs. Initial steps in
treating OSAS include weight loss, avoidance of alcoholic beverages,
and avoidance of muscle-relaxant drugs. Specialists may also
prescribe specific medication or the use of dental appliances or a
continuous positive airway pressure machine. Children can also suffer
from insomnia. The signs of sleep deprivation may appear at
school—poor scholastic achievement, irritation, lack of
concentration—perhaps leading to a wrong diagnosis of
hyperactivity.
Approximately 1
in 8 people suffer from Insomnia. That means that there are
approximately 32 million insomniacs in the United States and some ¾
billion worldwide. Very few hospitalizations are due to insomnia
(0.001%). However, 98% of hospital consultations of insomnia resulted
in admission. The median length of stay in hospital for insomniac
admissions was is 1 day.
58% of adults
experience symptoms of insomnia a few nights or more per week. 35% of
adults report at least one symptom of insomnia every night or almost
every night. Research suggests that adults require an average of 8 to
8.5 hours of sleep each night**Each year, sleep disorders, sleep
deprivation and sleepiness add an estimated .9 billion to the
national health care bill. The International Classification of Sleep
Disorders lists 84 sleep disorders that serve as a guide for
diagnosis .
(Statistics from
the National Institutes of Health National Center for Sleep Disorder
Research).
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