Disturbed sleep. Insomnia and its risk factors

Difficulty falling asleep, poor quality of nighttime sleep, frequent awakenings, getting back to sleep after waking during the night are the most prevalent sleep disorders that are symptoms of insomnia.

Sleep-wake cycle is formed for many years and it depends on different internal and external risk factors. Under the influence of risk factors:

  • The quality and duration of nighttime sleep may decrease;
  • The number of nighttime awakenings may increase.

Universal definition of «a good sleep» and «insomnia» does not exist. Some people feel discomfort if the duration of their night sleep is less than 8 hours. Other people sleep more than 8 hours, but experience excessive daytime sleepiness because of frequent nighttime awakenings.

To diagnose sleep problems, special tests that help to identify insomnia symptoms, the causes of poor sleep quality and severity of the sleep disorder, were developed.

It is noteworthy that in some cases, the test results (quiz) demonstrate the presence of sleep problems in men and women, who state they do not need help to deal with insomnia.

In irregular sleep restriction, the human body is able to adapt to the insufficient duration of nighttime sleep. However, chronic sleep restriction may cause a change in mental status, severe insomnia and serious diseases of physiological systems and internal organs.

Therefore, loss of sleep should be regarded as a problem in which insomnia is not the serious risk to the overall health like others.

The alternation of healthy sleep and insomnia significantly reduces the potential health risks. Therefore, even if a person fails to quickly cure insomnia, he should continue to restore a normal sleep-wake cycle.

To combat the lack of sleep, insomnia, frequent awakenings at night, prescription or non-prescription sleeping pills can be used. It is very difficult to quickly cure insomnia without medications.

It is not surprising that in the deterioration of the quality of sleep, insomnia, difficulty falling asleep or repeated nighttime awakenings, the vast majority of people are looking for an effective and safe sleeping medication at pharmacies.

Some people try to cure insomnia without sleeping pills, only by means of home remedies. To improve the quality and to increase the duration of sleep, different home remedies for insomnia prevention can be used:

  • Quitting smoking, consumption of coffee and (or) excessive amounts of alcohol before going to bed.
  • Restricting the use of multimedia devices in the evening and just before bedtime.
  • Creation of appropriate conditions for normal, healthy sleep (comfortable bedding, quietness, darkness, good temperature control).

If the reduction in quality of sleep (insomnia) is a side effect of any medications, discuss with your doctor the opportunity to change the dosing regimen of these meds.

Home remedies for the insomnia treatment actually help to improve sleep quality and to reduce the frequency of insomnia episodes. However, in severe and moderate insomnia, home remedies are ineffective.

Therefore, the use of drugs is the only reliable way to combat insomnia, ensuring a rapid recovery of normal sleep-wake cycle.

If a person does not try to improve his sleep in case of sleep disorder, insomnia will progress. In timely prevention of insomnia, a normal sleep can be maintained, thereby reducing potential health risks.

For insomnia treatment, doctors can write prescriptions for different types of sedative-hypnotic drug products. Most slimming drugs available at the US market were developed several decades ago (for example, Doral, Ambien, Restoril).

Moreover, new sleeping pills first approved by the FDA in 2014 (Belsomra included) can be found at the US pharmacies.