Insomnia Symptoms and Signs

How To Recognize Insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is misunderstood by millions. While some people think that by staying awake they will get sleep disorder, others have various myths about this problem.

Insomnia symptoms in some people may not be so obvious and vary by individual. Some may not have a hard time falling asleep, but they display insomnia in a different way. Some may wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty going back to sleep. Most of the time, insomniacs have very unsatisfying and poor quality sleep.

There is various causes, ranking from environmental, to psychological, to physical. Any given insomnia symptom can stem from one or more of these factors. However, there are a few easily recognized symptoms and signs that lend themselves to a diagnosis of insomnia.

5 Symptoms of Insomnia you should be looking for:

Symptom #1: Difficulty falling asleep. Insomniacs lie in bed for hours in frustration, tossing and turning. Because of the poor quality of sleep they are tired for most of the day.

Symptom #2: Frequent wake ups. Insomniacs tend to wake up in the middle of the night and they are not able to go back to sleep. If they do manage to go back to sleep, it is often unsatisfying.

Symptom #3: Wake up too early. It is called terminal insomnia. Many people with terminal insomnia have no trouble getting to sleep when they go to bed. They have little trouble staying asleep either. They just wake up too early in the morning.

Symptom #4: Reverse sleeping pattern. Insomniacs have a hard time staying away during the day. They tend to take naps, but they still end up with little or poor quality sleep during the night.

Symptom #5: Feeling Anxious And Depressed. Anxiety and depression is another of the main symptoms of insomnia with nine out of every ten sufferers suffering with one or the other.

5 Signs of Insomnia you should be looking for:

Sign #1: Tiredness. This isn't your normal kind of tired. This is a true feeling of exhaustion and not wanting to do anything but sit on your couch and relax. If this feeling is always present, there is a good chance you have insomnia.

Sign #2: Irritability. You may become irritable because of your insomnia. It's not that some particular person is annoying you; it's just that everyone and everything around is an annoyance.

Sign #3: Poor Memory. You can recall what have happened, but you can't get into any ditails about it. It's as though there are pieces missing from your memory. It's more of a "I remember, but I don't really remember" kind of feeling. This is definitely one of the most annoying signs of insomnia.

Sign #4: Lack of Concentration. You can do necessary tasks and have short conversations with people, but you're only half way "there". In other words, you're not at all focused on the task at hand, whether that be working on your project or having a conversation with a friend. To summarize: the lights are on, but no one is home.

Sign #5: Impaired Reaction Time. Everything you do will be as you are in slow motion. This is probably one of the most severe signs of insomnia, as it not only impairs your physical reaction time, but it also deteriorates your mental reaction as well.

When It May Be Not Insomnia

As we age, our sleep tends to become lighter and last shorter. This is why elderly people often find themselves tossing and turning in bed in the middle of the night or in the early morning hours. As we grow older, our body tend to have a lower physical need for sleep, but most elderly people believe that they must sleep a certain amount of time. Thus, their sleeplessness is not really insomnia, but their body actually telling them it does not need more sleep and rest than it already had.