Insomnia: You may sleep long hours but still have it, here’s why.
How Long Should You Sleep For?
Last time we talked about functions of sleep. Today we will to look at various kinds of #sleep disorders. But before doing this it will be good to know how long is normal for one to sleep. The length of sleeping time varies with age. New-borns are expected to sleep about 14 – 17 hours daily, toddlers 11-14 hours, school age 9-11 hours, teenagers 8-10 hours, adults 7-9 hours.
Of course it is normal and there will be some people whose sleep lengths vary from the given range either for shorter or longer times. these are called short sleepers or long sleepers as the case may be. Where do you fall?
What is Insomnia?
Now let’s discuss sleep disorders. We can broadly classify sleep disorders into two groups, the first group are called dyssomnias. These are those sleep disorders that affect the quality, amount or timing of sleep, the most popular among this group is what we know as #insomnia.
Do you have difficulty getting to sleep?
Do you have difficulty maintaining your sleep after you’ve started?
This is insomnia.
Many people have varying forms of insomnia which may include
- waking up before it is dawn,
- tossing and turning and
- waking up at different times in the night.
Do you know that despite sleeping the recommended hours if you still don’t feel rejuvenated it is still termed insomnia.
Causes of Insomnia
There are many things that may cause insomnia.
The common causes include
- medical illnesses like pain, heart and brain disease,
- use of certain medications like steroids and antidepressant,
- alcohol ,drugs and stimulant use e.g. caffeine
- some psychiatric disorders and anxiety.
Can you pin point the cause of your insomnia from the above? Join me tomorrow as we talk about the second broad group of sleep disorders.