Insomnia

Almost all of us will experience trouble sleeping at some stage during our life. However, if you regularly have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, you could have insomnia.

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterised by regular episodes of having difficulty falling or staying asleep. This can lead to decreased energy, concentration and focus, poor work performance, low mood, and may also impact your health long-term.

Insomnia can be acute (short-term) and last for a few days or weeks. However, if you have trouble sleeping more than three nights a week for three months or more, then it’s considered to be chronic (long-term) insomnia.

Chronic insomnia is broken into two categories:

Primary — Not related to, or caused by any other conditions or situations
Secondary — This is a symptom related to a medical condition, medication or other situation.

Statistics show that almost 60% of Australians regularly experience at least one symptom of insomnia.

Signs and symptoms of insomnia

Insomnia is characterised by three main symptoms. You can experience one, two, or all three:

Trouble getting to sleep
Not being able to sleep for as long as you’d like, or
Waking up during the night and not being able to go back to sleep

Other possible signs that you may have sleep insomnia may include:

Not feeling well-rested after sleeping
Tiredness or lethargy during the day
Daytime sleepiness
Feeling irritable, anxious or depressed
Having difficulty focusing or concentrating
Making more mistakes or having accidents
Worrying about your sleep

What causes insomnia?

Health experts still don’t fully understand what causes primary insomnia, which is why research is ongoing. However, it is thought that it may be related to changes in the brain’s chemicals.

Secondary insomnia is usually related to stress and lifestyle habits that disrupt sleep. These may include:

Stress
Excessive travel, especially across multiple time zones
Shift work
Physical inactivity
Frequent napping during the day
Poor sleep habits, including irregular bedtimes and a poor sleeping environment
Eating too much before bedtime
Stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol
Ageing

It can also be caused by health-related conditions such as:

Some medications, including some antidepressants, steroids and some ingredients in cold medications
Mental health disorders
Other sleep disorders, including sleep apnoea
Chronic pain
Pregnancy
Other medical conditions

How is insomnia treated?

If symptoms of insomnia last longer than four weeks or poor sleep is negatively impacting your life, you should speak to your doctor. Treatment for sleep insomnia will depend upon what is causing it. For secondary insomnia, treatment often starts by managing any existing conditions and focusing on developing good sleep habits.

If you or your doctor can’t identify any issues that may be causing your sleep disorder, you may require specialist treatment such as cognitive-behavioural therapy. Your doctor may also order a sleep study to check for underlying issues such as sleep apnoea.

What you can do

While it might be tempting to use sleeping tablets as a way to manage sleep insomnia, this approach is not advised as a long-term strategy. Taking sleeping tablets regularly may cause you to become used them, so they’ll be less effective. They can also be habit-forming which will mean that you may find it hard to stop taking them.

Developing good sleep habits (sleep hygiene) is one of the best ways to prevent insomnia and promote good sleep. You should try to:

Stick to a regular bedtime and wakeup time, including on the weekends
Get regular physical exercise (but not too close to bedtime as this can act as a stimulant!)
Avoid or limiting napping during the day
Avoid or limiting caffeine, alcohol and nicotine
Avoid eating large meals before bedtime or going to bed on an empty stomach
Develop a relaxing bedtime routine (e.g. reading, listening to music, or taking a warm bath)
Avoid electronic devices before bed, as they can interfere with sleep
Avoid difficult or stressful conversations before bedtime
Write a ‘to-do’ list for the next day, before you head to bed
Take steps to reduce stress and anxiety — you may need specialist help for this
Check with your doctor or pharmacist whether your medication could be contributing to your poor sleep

Any number of issues could be causing your insomnia, including health conditions or medication. At MediADVICE, we can help you manage your health conditions with a Medication Review, where one of our pharmacists will review your medication, help you identify if there are any medications contributing to sleep challenges, and discuss what may suit you best.

Book a Medication Review at your nearest MediADVICE today.

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General advice only – this information should not replace the information provided to you by your health care professional. If symptoms are severe or persist, please speak to your health care professional. Information current as of date of publishing.

1 Mayo Clinic, Insomnia, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167

2 Healthline, What is Chronic Insomnia and How Is It Treated?, https://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-insomnia

3 Healthline, What is Chronic Insomnia and How Is It Treated?, https://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-insomnia

4 Sleep Health Foundation, Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Australia, https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/news/special-reports/chronic-insomnia-disorder-in-australia.html

5 Mayo Clinic, Insomnia, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167

6 Mayo Clinic, Insomnia, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167

7 WebMD, When to seek medical care for insomnia, https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia-when-to-go-to-doctor

8 Sleep Health Foundation, Insomnia, https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/insomnia.html

9 Sleep Foundation Org, Pregnancy and Sleep https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/pregnancy-and-sleep