What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a common problem that is characterized by persistent sleep difficulties, such as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. To be diagnosed with insomnia, a person must experience these sleep problems at least three times a week for three months. Insomnia can cause a range of problems, including difficulties with mood, memory, concentration, and alertness, which can greatly affect a person's quality of life.
Insomnia is long-lasting
Everyone has a bad night’s sleep from time to time. A bad night’s sleep can be caused by many things, including your moods (fear or sadness or worry), stress (about health or finances or relationships), disruptions (such as a crying baby or a snoring bed partner), substances (including caffeine, alcohol, medications), and thoughts (about a work presentation or a friend who is ignoring your calls). These are just a few examples of the types of life events that can creep into your head (and bed) at night, causing disruptions to your sleep. Insomnia is more than a bad night's sleep.
Insomnia affects you
all day long
Insomnia is a long-lasting, ongoing problem with sleep that doesn’t just affect you during the night. Insomnia is considered a “24-hour disorder” because the symptoms of fatigue, distress, low energy, and moodiness impact daytime functioning as well. In short, insomnia is a long-lasting difficulty with sleeping (and sleeping well), along with difficulty functioning at your best during the day.