

Nevertheless, it can also be related to poor sleep hygiene, irregular sleeping patterns, mental health conditions, underlying physical or neurological problems, certain sleep disorders, some medications, or a loud bed partner.Ĭhronic insomnia can be a debilitating sleep disorder and signals that you need to change your lifestyle and get the necessary support to improve your sleep quantity and quality. Like acute insomnia, chronic insomnia can be associated with stress and life changes. But if the stressor remains unaddressed, short-term insomnia may develop into a chronic condition that will require more intervention.Ĭhronic insomnia, on the other hand, persists for much longer – at least three nights a week for three months or more – and often interferes with daily functioning and overall wellbeing. Once the stressor in question eases, sleep generally improves. It’s usually connected to environmental changes or significant life events. Short-term insomnia – also known as acute insomnia – typically lasts a few days and often subsides naturally. To determine if you have short-term or chronic insomnia, you need to reference your calendar and calculate how many nights you’ve had trouble sleeping. What’s the difference between short-term and chronic insomnia? Here, we aim to differentiate between the two. Sometimes, however, it can be hard to identify whether sleep issues are chronic insomnia or just a temporary condition. Living with insomnia can be isolating and debilitating, especially since it almost always has bidirectional relationships with mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression.

Insomnia is an extremely pervasive sleep disorder, affecting one in three adults in the UK 2. It’s a chronic condition characterised by difficulty falling or staying asleep, prolonged periods of wakefulness, or rising too early and struggling to fall back to sleep 1. You may also want to go to bed earlier to try to get more sleep at night, and eliminate alcohol and caffeine.‘Insomnia’ derives from the Latin ‘in’ (no) and ‘somnus’ (sleep). If you are taking a medication that causes drowsiness, ask your doctor about changing to one that is less likely to make you sleepy. The pressure from air flowing into the nostrils helps keep the airways open. A machine that delivers a continuous flow of air into the nostrils is hooked up to the mask. With CPAP, you wear a mask over your nose while you are sleeping. If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, your doctor may prescribe a treatment known as continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP. If you are diagnosed with hypersomnia, your doctor can prescribe various drugs to treat it, including stimulants, antidepressants, as well as several newer medications (for example, Provigil, Wakix, Xyrem, and Xywav). In some cases, an additional electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the electrical activity of the brain, is needed. Your doctor may also order some tests, including blood tests, computed tomography (CT) scans, and a sleep test called polysomnography. Your doctor will also want to know if you are having any emotional problems or are taking any drugs that may be interfering with your sleep. In making a diagnosis of hypersomnia, your doctor will ask you about your sleeping habits, how much sleep you get at night, if you wake up at night, and whether you fall asleep during the day. If you consistently feel drowsy during the day, talk to your doctor. Genetics (having a relative with hypersomnia).

Prescription drugs, such as tranquilizers or antihistamines.

A head injury or a neurological disease, such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease.Not getting enough sleep at night ( sleep deprivation).The sleep disorders narcolepsy (daytime sleepiness) and sleep apnea (interruptions of breathing during sleep).There are several potential causes of hypersomnia, including: They may also have other sleep-related problems, including a lack of energy and trouble thinking clearly.Īccording to the National Sleep Foundation, up to 40% of people have some symptoms of hypersomnia from time to time. People who have hypersomnia can fall asleep at any time - for instance, at work or while they are driving. Hypersomnia, which refers to either excessive daytime sleepiness or excessive time spent sleeping, is a condition in which a person has trouble staying awake during the day.
