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What
Is Chronic Insomnia?
Insomnia
is the inability to obtain adequate sleep.
Notice the word “adequate.” This means that if you
have difficulty sleeping at night but the sleep that you get
is adequate -- that is, if you are not tired during the day
-- then you do not have insomnia.
Rather, insomnia is reserved only for those people whose quality
of life suffers because they do not get enough sleep.
There are two main types of insomnia: short term and chronic.
Short-term insomnia
Short-term insomnia is the inability to obtain adequate sleep
for a brief period of time, usually just a few days or weeks.
The insomnia goes away entirely once the factor that causes
the insomnia ends or the person adjusts to it.
Factors that often cause short-term insomnia include stress,
poor sleep habits and behaviors, a poor sleep environment, a
lack of physical and / or mental activity, physical or mental
illness, and use of certain drugs, including caffeine and alcohol.
Occasional bouts of short-term insomnia are normal. Nearly everyone
experiences them from time to time. For example, the death of
a loved one, a divorce or the loss of a job can put much stress
on a person which can result in an inability to sleep. However,
the insomnia stops once the stress level falls, either from
getting over the death, settling the divorce, finding another
job, etc.
Chronic insomnia
Chronic insomnia is the inability to obtain adequate sleep that
continues after the original cause of the insomnia ends. Chronic
insomnia can last indefinitely, even the rest of one’s
life, if no effective treatment is received.
Chronic insomnia grows out of short term insomnia and is often
primarily caused and perpetuated by irrational, negative thoughts
and self-defeating behaviors related to sleep.
Next: How and why
chronic insomnia begins
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