Insomnia Cause and Effects and Treatments
Uploaded by dani3lella on Oct 11, 2006
Insomnia, ‘the inability to sleep’ (Akrtdtedt, 2003), is today one of the most widespread sleeping disorder. Disturbing approximately 10-15% of the general populace, studies have publicised insomnia to last for a median of four years (Drake et al., 2003). While there has existed much inconsistency between three foremost classifications system, the mainstream ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV’ classification defines primary insomnia as the ‘complaint of difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or nonrestrictive sleep, persisting for longer than one month’ (Drake et al.,2003, p164). The complaint ought to go together with clinically important impairment in daytime function in which there is no particular cause such an additional sleep, psychiatric or medical disorder. Commonly the likely causes of insomnia are to be associated with increasing age, female gender, stressful work and physical workload (Akertedt., 2003) which generally has a significant negative impact on an individual’s work, physical, and social performance along with the total quality of life. Moreover the economic burden aliened, especially in terms of loss of productivity, work-related accidents and absenteeism, are vast. Yet, in spite of the numerous treatments available, both pharmacological and behavioral, the severity of the syndrome has been criticized for being ‘under-recognized’ and ‘under-treated’ (Drake et al, 2003). Hamlet himself sums it up well, ‘to sleep, perchance to dream-ay there’s the rub’, put simply, the chance of sleeping or perhaps dreaming is in fact extremely of the essence.
The DSM-IV states that ‘many individuals with primary insomnia have a history of light or easily disturbed sleep’ (Drake et al, 2003, p167). Numerous studies over the years have also revealed medical conditions, hormonal fluctuations in women, genetic factors, responses to change or stress and working conditions to be the primary causes of insomnia. In one study, people on night shifts or on scheduled of two and three shifts tended to suffer more from sleep-related problems, including insomnia, than those of day shifts. The growing body of evidence suggests that shift work is associated with menstrual irregularities, reproductive disturbance, and risk of adverse pregnancy and sleep disturbance in women often leading to a prime cause in insomnia (Layback., 2002). Fluctuations in female and stress hormones play a major role in insomnia in women. Insomnia is perpetuated be psychological distress provoked by this lifestyle.
According to Rogers, Zarick and Roth (2000), stress-induced situations may be the most universal causes of the disorder (Nordin, 2005). Recent work...