Insomnia: symptoms, causes and treatment.

            Have you ever had one of those nights, when you just couldn't get to sleep? You rummage through the refrigerator, flip from channel to channel-still sleep escapes you. You could be one of the millions of Americans who have suffered from insomnia. In this paper, I will discuss the symptoms of insomnia, its causes, and its treatments.
             SYMPTOMS.
             The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research defines insomnia as an experience of inadequate or poor quality sleep characterized by difficulty falling asleep, difficulty.
             maintaining sleep, waking up too early in the morning, or having nonrefreshing sleep (NCSDR, 1998, pg. 7). Inherently, insomnia can also involve many daytime consequences. Tiredness, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, irritability-insomnia can have a strong impact on a persons quality of life. About thirty to forty percent of adults indicate that they suffer from some level of insomnia, and about ten to fifteen percent indicate that the insomnia is chronic and/or severe (NCSDR, 1998, pg. 7).
             Insomnia is not defined by the number of hours of sleep a person gets, or how long it takes them to fall asleep. Individuals vary normally in their need for, and their.
             satisfaction with, sleep (NIH, 1995. Pg 1). Every individual case is different, and symptoms can vary extensively. Some patients just have difficulty falling asleep, while.
             others wake up frequently in the middle of the night and can't return to sleep. Early rising is also a symptom for some patients, while others report a full nights rest, only to wake up un-refreshed and groggy. Insomnia can also be symptomatic in the daytime. The disorder can cause problems like tiredness, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. In 1999 The National Sleep Foundation and the Gallup Organization surveyed 1000 randomly selected Americans (age 18 years and older) in order to examine.
             the consequences and symptoms of insomnia. The problems they discovered in this study included impaired concentration, impaired memory, and decreased ability to accomplish daily tasks.