Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder in which a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. These disorders may also be characterized by an overall poor quality of sleep. Insomnia is the most commonly reported of all sleep disorders.
Insomnia can be triggered by your behaviours and sleep patterns. Unhealthy lifestyles and sleep habits can create insomnia on their own (without any underlying psychiatric or medical problem), or they can make insomnia caused by another problem worse.
The agony of insomnia affects about 10 to 35 percent of us. Once sleep loss starts, it becomes a psychological and physical battle.
One study conducted by Dag Neckelmann, MD, PhD, of Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway and based on sleep data collected from 25,130 adults over a 10-year period found significant associations between the long-term course of chronic insomnia and the development of anxiety disorders and depression.
Sleep disorders are characterized by abnormal sleep patterns that interfere with physical, mental, and emotional functioning. Stress or anxiety, in turn, can cause sleeplessness at night and a variety of other problems, and having an anxiety disorder exacerbates the problem.
Getting the appropriate amount of sleep lets your body and mind hibernate and prepare for the next day or night depending on how you plan your day. Remember to always de-stress and give yourself a break from the hustle and bustle of life and do what makes you happy.
Sources:
Lara Schuster Effland. (2017). Depression and Sleep Problems: How to Improve Without Medication. Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Retrieved from: https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/depression-and-sleep-problems-how-improve-without
Duke Health Blog. (2013). A Vicious Cycle: Insomnia, Anxiety, and Depression.
Retrieved from: https://www.dukehealth.org/blog/vicious-cycle-insomnia-anxiety-and-depression
Tanya J. Peterson. (2018). Tips for When Depression or Anxiety Keeps You Up at Night.
Retrieved from: https://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/mental-health-newsletter/tips-for-when-depression-or-anxiety-keeps-you-up-at-night#story