Insomania
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Insomnia on adults
Insomania is a common sleeping disorder that plagues both the young and the old. However, as people get older, the less sleep they get. Making them more susceptible to insomania. Moreover, while it is more common among women, daytime sleepiness is more frequent in older men than women.
It is characterized by trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. About one-third of the adult population in the world experiences some form of sleeping problem during the year. In fact, almost everyone suffers from short-term insomania. Waking up in the middle of the night for no reason at all is a form of this sleep disorder. It is quite common in older people. In fact, waking up when you have been disturbed from sleep by pain or noise is nothing out of the ordinary. Waking early in the morning is the least common type of sleep disturbance. However, it is common to mothers who have children.
There are instances wherein trouble sleeping is caused naturally by hormonal changes such as during aging. These affect both men and women. When you do not feel refreshed after a night’s rest and are not able to function normally during the day insomnia is the problem.
Insomnia among male adults
There are a few differences in the causes and effects of sleeplessness between men and women. Although it is more common in women than in men, its effects are worse on men than on women. In a survey made in 2001, one out of nine men self-reported as not sleeping well.
To get an over-all view of Insomnia, click this image to go to our Insomnia Overview page. It gives a clear view of the causes, effects, and treatments for insomnia.
Hormonal changes can cause sleeplessness among male adults. Low testosterone associated with andropause or male menopause can contribute to both insomania and sleep apnea. This in turn, can lead to several other problems such as fatigue, reduced insulin sensitivity, low human growth hormone levels and high cortisol levels. Constant high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, can create a hormonal pattern that further reduces testosterone production. This leads to adrenal fatigue which often manifests as both fatigue and insomania.
As a result, troubled sleep increases a man’s risk for diabetes by up to 400%. The chance to get diabetes is three times higher for men who get no more than 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. The risk of diabetes is five times for men with sleeping difficulties.
According to researchers from the Penn State University lack of sleep can be fatal for men. Women were not significantly affected. Researchers studied for more than a decade 2,000 men and women. Men and women who were initially examined in a sleep laboratory. They found out that men who slept for only 5-6 hours a night had five times higher risk of dying from medical complications. In comparison to those who slept 6 hours or more.
Adult women and insomnia
Insomania affects women more than men. Although women are less likely to acknowledge symptoms of insomnia and seek medical advice. Women on the other hand, respond differently to sleeping problems than men. Women will keep going no matter how tired they get. Whereas men are more likely to sleep longer if they are feeling tired.
Men go through chemical change during andropause only once in their lifetimes. Women on the other hand, experience hormonal changes at various times in adulthood. Changes as a result of pregnancy, menopause and menstruation. Lack of testosterone in women has a similar effect as men. It is linked with insomania, snoring and sleep apnea. Estrogen, a sleep-maintaining hormone, is usually at a low level during both perimenopause (period before menopause) and menopause. Low estrogen levels can prevent women from getting a good night’s rest.
To get an over-all view of Insomnia, click this image to go to our Insomnia Overview page. It gives a clear view of the causes, effects, and treatments for insomnia.
Motherhood can also be a factor in interrupted sleep among women. Motherhood leads most women to develop a high sensitivity to the sounds of their children. This causes them to wake easily. Women who have had children sleep less efficiently than those who haven’t had children. Some researchers believe that many women never unlearn this sensitivity. They continue to wake easily long after the children have grown.
The elderly and insomnia
Older people, even healthy ones, often complain of decreased sleep quality. Deep sleep, as a fraction of total sleep, decreases as people age. Studies show that REM sleep (deep sleep) declines approximately 10 minutes per decade in a person’s life. This results in “shallower sleep” among older adults. Does sleeplessness contribute to other physical problems or do illnesses cause the sleeplessness among the aging? This is a dilemma.
To get an over-all view of Insomnia, click this image to go to our Insomnia Overview page. It gives a clear view of the causes, effects, and treatments for insomnia.
Seniors tend to take more medication for health reasons than younger ones. Anti-depressants and beta-blockers for high blood pressure are examples of medication that may cause sleeplessness. Some medical conditions that the elderly might have may also contribute to their interrupted sleep. Medical conditions such as arthritis, lung, heart and prostate problems. In turn, insomania in older people could also be contributing to other physical problems. The fact remains that the elderly get low quality sleep.
In nursing homes all over the country, elderly people’s insomania often goes untreated in the archaic belief that sleeping pills increase the risk of falls and injuries. A more recent study by the University of Michigan Health System, however, shows otherwise. Residents with untreated or partially treated insomania have a much higher risk of falls than those who take medication for it. Treatment leads to a better quality of life for the elderly.
Insomnia overlooked
Insomania is often considered a relatively harmless condition. However, long-term sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on a person’s physical, social and mental health. Trouble sleeping is often brought on by natural causes like hormonal changes and aging. Patients and doctors often believe that sleeping problems will resolve spontaneously with time. This may not always be the case. Like in the case of the elderly, treating insomania, on a closer look might just lead to a better quality of life.
Here are some sleep related sites that will be of interest to you. Thanks for visiting our Insomnia website.
ohfaithful on HuffingtonPost
Phone withdrawal has physical impact: expert - CBS News
Family battles fatal insomnia - Dateline NBC - msnbc.com
Insomnia - University of Maryland Medical Center
Insomnia - Dictionary.com - Reference.com
depression: Definition Synonyms from Answers.com
