Insomnia

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the different forms of insomnia - transient, acute and chronic. It discusses the many possible causes, including: physical (muscle pain, headache, nasal congestion, diet, heat, cold), mental and emotional (depression, stress, anxiety) and the probable effects - decreased efficiency and productivity , increased absenteeism and risks of accidents. The paper also suggests cures for this condition: herbal and homeopathic remedies, yoga, conventional medication - antihistamines, sedatives. The writer claims that the ultimate approach to chronic insomnia lies within the person and his understanding of himself.

From the Paper:

"Primary insomnia is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as the difficulty of initiating or maintaining sleep or sleep of the non-restorative type for at least a month.(Espie 2002) Insomnia is transient when it lasts only for a few days to a few weeks, as when some temporary event or physical condition is responsible, such as an illness, changes in sleeping environment, work or family stress or jet lag. The cause or causes will pass or can be disposed of directly But when the disorder occurs between a month and six months, it is called acute insomnia, and beyond six months, it is chronic. This type is distinguished from the "psychophysiologic insomnia in wakefulness, the circadian rhythm disorder in time alignment, the parasomnias and secondary insomnias. Insomnia that is more than transient cannot be effectively eliminated or remedied immediately or on the surface. The underlying root cause must be discovered and dealt with directly. This is because the body's normal sleep pattern is disturbed when sleep becomes difficult or absent for more than a month, and the body adjusts to this new and irregular or poor pattern. Sedatives or some other approaches may address and calm the symptoms, but the sleeplessness will resurface only until the true cause is discovered and eliminated. Chronic insomnia is defined as "the subjective experience of an inadequate quantity or quality of sleep that has persisted for at least one month." (qtd in Rajput Oct 1 1999: 1) "

More papers on Insomnia:

• Research Paper # 23978 : "Insomnia"
• Analytical Essay # 132537 : "The Why's Behind Insomnia"
• Essay # 16257 : "Disorder of Insomnia"

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