Sleep disorders are of many types; chronic insomnia is also one of them. To know what chronic insomnia is, its symptoms, how its diagnosed and what are the different insomnia treatments, keep on reading.
What Is Chronic Insomnia?
Insomnia is of two types. One is acute insomnia, in which the symptoms may drag on for about months and years until you get an official diagnosis from the clinic or the doctor. Another type of insomnia is chronic insomnia. This can be hard to diagnose and identify because you will feel like the symptoms occur only for some days and up to a week before they diminish.
You might conclude that your inability to sleep may be due to stress, overworking or change in routine. But that is usually not the case. Chronic insomnia has very volatile symptoms and they can last for only a few days before they suppress and come back again later after a few months. This cycle can be repeated for about nine months and up to a year before you think about contacting your sleep doctor and having yourself checked. This may sound very manageable but chronic insomnia can be a lifelong disorder unless you start to treat it right away.
You need to check in with your sleep doctor so that tests can be done and an official diagnosis can be made. It’s better to have it diagnosed and treated before things get out of hand and the effects start showing in your daily life and mood.
Symptoms Of Chronic Insomnia
Now that you know what chronic insomnia is, let’s talk about its symptoms and signs by which you can tell you have chronic insomnia.
- You will not feel sleepy during the night, no matter how tired you are. Even if you took no naps during the day, you will find it hard to fall asleep at night.
- This cycle of inability to sleep can carry on for some weeks before you feel like it has diminished.
- You will feel wide awake and alert at night.
- Because of being unable to sleep at night, you feel pangs of sleep during the day time, this could allow you to sleep anywhere when a certain and intense sleep pang hits you.
- You will feel extremely tired and fatigued because of not being able to sleep at night.
- Your mood will show your inability to sleep. You will feel angry, you won’t be able to concentrate on things and you will feel very irritated on small things.
Diagnosis Of Chronic Insomnia
The easiest way to diagnose any sort of sleep disorder, especially insomnia, is a sleep study. A sleep study is a clinical procedure which is carried out at night. You will be asked to spend a night in the hospital where you will be monitored from head to toe, from your oxygen levels to your eye movements during your sleep.
A sleep study is a very detailed process in which your body’s movement and reaction is recorded during your sleep. It is actually very easy to conduct because all you need to do is try to fall asleep in the hospital bed with sensors and monitors attached to you. Once everything is recorded and the 8 hours are up, the results are given to your doctor and they will identify and diagnose your sleeping disorder within no time at all.
Treatment For Chronic Insomnia
Here are some treatment options for chronic insomnia.
Medication
Medications can be helpful if you want instant relief and want to fall asleep.
Behavioral Therapy
The best treatment for chronic insomnia is behavioral therapy. It is a type of therapy done by talking and listening to your sleep problems and how it affects your behavior in your day-to-day life. The main goal of behavioral therapy is to develop a better relationship with your sleep and implement healthy sleeping habits to help you sleep better in the future.
Conclusion
There you have it! Now you know everything there is to know about chronic insomnia and how it can be treated and diagnosed by insomnia doctors. It’s better to tackle the disorder right away than prolonging it. Once the doctor prescribes you a treatment, follow through with it and see the results.
