Not everyone needs seven or eight hours of sleep per night to feel refreshed. Some people only need a few hours sleep to function during the day. When a person undergoes changes in the duration or quality of sleep they invariably feel the impact during the day, and that’s when we can talk about insomnia.

The consequences of this sleep disorder experienced during the day are: significant fatigue, drowsiness, irritability and impaired concentration. The causes for insomnia are quite diverse and therefore numerous; it can be:
• Stress, anxiety, depression.
• Restlessness or irresistible urge to move the legs, which prevents the person from falling asleep.
• Sleep apnea or decreased respiratory rate during sleep that can wake the person and give the impression of suffocation. This condition is more common among middle-aged men who are overweight.
• Periodic movements of sleep or repetitive movements of the lower limbs during the night may wake the person.
• Pain such as pain from arthritis, chronic pain, etc..
• Gastrointestinal disorders such as heartburn or acid reflux.
• Nocturia or urge to urinate several times during the night.
• Heart or lung disease causing shortness of breath that prevents sleep.
• Itching.
• Psychoactive substances (coffee, nicotine, alcohol, drugs) and drugs, such as those used in the treatment of hypertension, angina or asthma, as well as anti-inflammatories, antidepressants and, Rarely, drugs used for Parkinson disease.
• Disruption of the sleep cycle, such as jet lag, night work or shift variables, the delay or phase advance of the sleep-wake (the subject falls asleep at 2 am or 3 am and can not wake up early the next morning or, rather, it sets very early in the evening and ends his or her night of sleep around 3a.m.).
• Environmental factors such as noise, light, an uncomfortable mattress, an uncomfortable room temperature or partner noisy.
• Poor sleep hygiene, such as irregular hours or an extended nap during the day.
• Emotional disturbances: problem at work, divorce, death, etc..
• Changes in the pace of life (baby, illness in the family, etc).
And sadly, this list can be considerably extended.

Depending on the circumstances, insomnia can be caused by a definite factor like time difference, or alternatively it can be progressive, when it is not possible to identify the determining factor. Insomnia can be acute (suffered for less than two weeks), subacute (suffered from two weeks to six months) or chronic (suffered for six months or more). It is divided into three categories: original insomnia, when a person is unable to fall asleep for a period of time longer than 30 minutes. Then there is insomnia that makes a person wake up several times during the night and waking time establishes more than 30 minutes. And the so-called terminal insomnia makes a person wake up early in the morning or 30 minutes before scheduled time.

Depending on the type of insomnia, the tips listed above will correct the causes of insomnia to change identified by the doctor. If the person suffers from restlessness or periodic movements of sleep very bothersome, medication may be prescribed. The problems of sleep apnea can be corrected either by medication or by breathing apparatus installed at home or with surgery. If insomnia conditions recur, your doctor may advise the patient to resort to the help of a psychologist. If deemed necessary, sleeping aid medications are advised. In general, their use is not recommended for more than a few weeks because of the risk of dependence and decrease in their effectiveness after a while.