What is Insomnia in adults?

Insomnia in adults

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is poor-quality sleep. You may find it difficult to get to sleep or to stay asleep at night. You may wake early in the morning or not feel refreshed when you get up.

Some people only have problems sleeping for a short time, whereas others have longer-lasting insomnia.

Source:
British National Formulary.
Central nervous system.
Section 4. British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Also available at http://www.bnf.org (accessed on 4 February 2009).

Insomnia for a short time

Temporary insomnia can happen for a couple of days to people who usually sleep well. Your sleep may be disturbed by noise, shift work, jet lag or short-term anxiety or depression.
Short-term insomnia may last for a few weeks. And it may happen again. You may find it difficult to sleep because you're worried about something (such as an illness or anxieties about money) or because of an emotional problem (such as coping with the death of someone close to you).

Longer-lasting insomnia

If you've had problems sleeping on at least three nights a week for one month or more, you probably have longer-lasting (or chronic) insomnia.

Source:
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Working Group on Insomnia.
Insomnia: assessment and management in primary care.
American Family Physician. 1999;59:3029-3038.

Some people don't sleep well because of a medical or psychiatric condition, such as sleep apnea, depression or dementia.

Some people don't sleep well because of a medical or psychiatric condition, such as sleep apnea, depression or dementia. If you have one of these conditions, you may sleep better if it's treated. (To learn more about these conditions, see our information on sleep apnea, depression and dementia.)

Here we're looking only at chronic insomnia that hasn't been caused by any other illness. This is known as primary insomnia.

Why do I have insomnia?

We don't know for sure why some people have problems sleeping and others don't. But we do know that:

Source:
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Working Group on Insomnia.
Insomnia: assessment and management in primary care.
American Family Physician. 1999;59:3029-3038.

Source:
Bliwise DL.
Sleep in normal aging and dementia.
Sleep. 1993; 16: 40-81.

Source:
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research Working Group.
Recognizing problem sleepiness in your patients.
American Family Physician. 1999; 59: 937-944.

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You're more likely to have problems sleeping if you're over 65. This may be because of changes in your body clock (your circadian rhythm) that can happen as you get older
Changes in your life as you get older can make the changes to your sleep pattern seem worse. You may become less satisfied with sleep
You might be more likely to have sleep problems if you are stressed
Some people have trouble sleeping because they are too alert, aware or wakeful
Napping during the day might make it harder to sleep at night. But in some countries people regularly take an afternoon "siesta" without any problems
Stimulants can interfere with your sleep. These include alcohol, nicotine from smoking, and caffeine from tea, coffee, chocolate and sodas
Some medications can disturb your sleep. These include

diuretics
Diuretics are a type of medicine that reduce the amount of fluid in your body. The extra fluid is removed in your urine.

diuretics (water pills),

steroids
Steroids are a type of chemical. Your body naturally produces steroids, which play a part in many of its processes. For example, steroids are involved in how your immune system, reproductive system and metabolism work. Steroids can also be given as medicines and are used for a number of different conditions: including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and eczema. Corticosteroids are not the same as the steroids used by some body builders and athletes. Those steroids are called 'anabolic steroids'.

steroids,

beta-blockers
These drugs work by blocking the effects of certain chemicals produced by your body (such as adrenaline). Beta-blockers slow your heart rate and improve the beating of your heart. They are often used in people with angina or heart failure.

beta-blockers and some painkillers
Some people may just need less sleep. How long people sleep and what they think is normal varies a lot. Most people sleep for between six hours and eight hours a night. But you may find you sleep less as you get older.

Sources for the information on this page:

British National Formulary.Central nervous system.Section 4. British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Also available at http://www.bnf.org (accessed on 4 February 2009).

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Working Group on Insomnia.Insomnia: assessment and management in primary care.American Family Physician. 1999;59:3029-3038.

Bliwise DL.Sleep in normal aging and dementia.Sleep. 1993; 16: 40-81.

National Center on Sleep Disorders Research Working Group.Recognizing problem sleepiness in your patients.American Family Physician. 1999; 59: 937-944.

This information was last updated on Feb 05, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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