Insomnia
Sleep is a natural part of life but many people know very little about how important it is and some even try to get by with very little of it. Poor sleep quality can be a cause of insomnia and is more common than people are aware of. There are different patterns of insomnia that are identified as onset insomnia, middle of the night insomnia, middle insomnia, and terminal insomnia. Along with these patterns, there exist varying degrees of insomnia classified as transient, acute, and chronic. During the course of this paper, I will discuss how age, sex, race, and financial status contribute to the onset of this condition. Insomnia affects an individual’s performance in day-to-day activities, physiological and psychological health, and wellbeing. Many people do not realize that they are victims of this sleeping disorder until it has gotten out of control. Although not being able to sleep can sometimes be a temporary condition, not acknowledging it could allow it to progress into an unhealthy disorder. We have all heard that the older you get the fewer hours of sleep you need. However, the National Sleep Foundation states that age weighs very little on the amount of sleep you should get each night. The recommended amount of sleep is seven to nine hours for the average adult. When having a difficult time sleeping it is usually psychological however, it can also be caused by a physiological event. Insomnia has psychological causes such as anxiety or depression, physical causes such as illness or pain, and other causes such as work shift rotations or jet lag. If this condition is primarily a psychological disorder, then the physiological symptoms decrease as mental health is improved. Understanding the difference between the psychological and physiological events that lead to insomnia will determine the cure. Insomnia is defined as "a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep, by
References: www.sleepfoundation.org www.psychcentral.com Samuel E. Wood, Ellen Green Wood, and Denise Boyd. Mastering the World of Psychology. 3rd ed. United States, Pearson Education, Inc., 2008.