Insomnia is a symptom of a sleep disorder in recurrent difficulty to sleep or maintaining sleep, although there is a chance for it. The symptoms are typically followed by functional impairment while awake.
Insomnia is often caused by the presence of a disease or as a result of psychological problems. In this case, medical or psychological assistance will be required. One of the psychological therapies that effectively deal with insomnia is cognitive therapy. In the therapy, a patient is taught to improve sleep habits and eliminate counter-productive assumptions about sleep.
Many people with insomnia depending on sleeping pills and other sedative substances to be rested. All sedative drugs have the potential to cause psychological dependence such as the notion that they can not sleep without the drug.
Causes of Insomnia
Insomnia is not a disease, but a symptom that has a variety of causes, such as emotional disorders, physical disorders and drug use.
Difficulty sleeping often occurs, both the young and the elderly; and often occur in conjunction with emotional disorders, such as anxiety, restlessness, depression or fear.
Sometimes a person have trouble sleeping simply because the body and brain are not tired.
With increasing age, sleep tends to decrease. Stage of sleep also changes, where stage 4 becomes shorter and eventually disappear, and at all stages more awake. These changes, although normal, often make parents think that they are not getting enough sleep.
The pattern of waking at dawn more often found in the elderly. Some people fall asleep normally but wake up several hours later and it's hard to fall asleep again.
Sometimes they sleep in a state of restless sleep and feeling unsatisfied. Woke up at dawn, at any age, is a sign of depression.
People who are able to experience disrupted sleep patterns are reversed sleep rhythm, they are not asleep at the time to sleep and wake up in time to sleep.
This often occurs as a result of:
- Jet lag (especially if traveling from east to west).
- Working at night.
- Frequently changing work hours.
- Excessive alcohol use.
- Drug side effects (sometimes).
- Damage to the brain (as encephalitis, stroke, Alzheimer's disease).
Symptoms of Insomnia
Patients find it difficult to fall asleep or stay awake at night and feel tired all day. Beginning the process of sleep in patients with insomnia refers to a prolonged latency from bedtime to sleep. In the psycho-physiological insomnia, patients may complain of feeling anxious, tense, worried, or considering the continuous problems in the past or in the future as they lay in bed too long without sleep. In acute insomnia, it is possible there is a triggering event, such as death or disease affecting a loved one. This can be attributed to the onset of insomnia. This pattern may be fixed from time to time, and the patient may experience insomnia, repeated constantly. The greater the effort expended in trying to sleep, sleep becomes more difficult to obtain. Watching the clock when every minute and hour passed only increase feelings of urgency and effort to fall asleep. The bed can eventually be viewed as a battlefield, and sleep more easily achieved in a foreign environment.
Treatment of Insomnia
Treatment of insomnia depends on the cause and severity of insomnia.
Parents who experience sleep changes as we age, usually do not require treatment, because these changes are normal.
Insomniacs should remain calm and relaxing couple of hours before bedtime and create a comfortable atmosphere in the bedroom; dim light and not noisy.
If the cause is emotional stress, given drugs to reduce stress. If the cause is depression, given anti-depressants.
If the sleep disturbance associated with normal activities the patient and the patient felt well, sleeping pills can be given for the time being. Another alternative to treat insomnia without drugs by therapeutic hypnosis is or hypnotherapy.
Nanda for Insomnia
- Disturbed Sleep Pattern
- Anxiety
- Ineffective individual coping
- Impaired gas exchange
- Risk for Injury
- Self-concept disturbance
