Difficulty Falling, Staying Asleep? Here's Why You May Be Experiencing Insomnia

Insomnia generally refers to difficulties with falling and staying asleep.

This sleep condition is the most prevalent one among all sleep disorders.

Sleep Is of Utmost Importance

Stephanie Dixon, MSN, FNP-C, a health care provider based in North Carolina, noted that poor sleep affects physical/mental health, chronic disease risk, and weight loss efforts tend to be overlooked.

A person's required amount of sleep would largely depend on their age. Most sleep is required during the first 12 months of life, wherein infants sleep for 12 to 16 hours. The number goes down to at least seven hours per night by the time a person reaches 18 years of age.

However, a huge part of the population still spends less than seven hours a night sleeping.

In fact, 35.5% of adults in America have reported sleeping under seven hours within a 24-hour period.

Adults should target to sleep for seven to nine hours each night. This would enable the body to recover and restfully, boosting performance and health.

However, sleep quality is just as important as sleep quantity. Better sleep is not automatically implied by longer sleep durations.

Signs of poor sleep quality include feeling sleepy and tired even after sleeping for at least seven hours or waking up frequently during the night. Gasping for air or snoring during sleep could also indicate poor quality.

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The Struggle of Insomnia

Lacking sleep has been associated with poor quality of life and an elevated risk of developing obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

Insomnia could also result in death due to decreased judgment and accidents. In fact, according to experts, insufficient sleep is key to motor vehicle accidents.

As many as nearly 70 million Americans are faced with a kind of sleep disorder. Among these disorders, insomnia is the most common one. Despite how benign insomnia may seem, it could gravely affect daily life.

Every year, roughly 25% of people in the US experience the sleep condition.

Why Do People Experience Insomnia?

With regards to sleep deprivation, which refers to the state of lacking sleep, one in five adults is estimated to experience feeling sleep deprived. This could be attributed to personal duties and obligations, voluntary behavior, medical issues, or work hours.

A person's quality and quantity of sleep are affected by an interplay of different factors, such as jet lag, room temperature, mattress quality, medications, and medical conditions, among other factors.

Moreover, at least one out of four women reportedly experience insomnia symptoms. This is slightly higher compared to the rate for men (one out of five). This could be explained by menopause, hormonal changes due to the menstrual cycle, and pregnancy.

Other individuals could also struggle with other sleep disorders aside from insomnia. These conditions are restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and hypersomnolence.