Insomnia is characterized by trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, even when it is time to sleep. Insomnia is not a disease by itself, it is the name we give to the consequence of ?not sleeping when we try?. Almost everybody will suffer one day or another from lack of sleep, but at different degrees.



It is not easy to divide insomnia in specific categories, but it is generally divided in four :

Types of insomnia

Primary insomnia is defined as having sleep problems that are not related to another health issue. This is a very common situation and this type of insomnia will happen to most of us, if not all of us. It usually resolves by itself since we are more tired the next night and will sleep easier and faster.

Transient insomnia is when difficulty sleeping occurs only a few nights to a few week. Occasional changes like sleeping in a hotel or a stressful event in our personal life can disrupt our sleep. The causes could include also being sick or being in physical pain.

But we all know that it only takes one bad night of sleep deprivation to suffer the consequences of inosmnia : We feel tired, irritated, physically weak. Even transient insomnia is very difficult to cope with.

Acute insomnia is when you can't sleep for more then 3-4 weeks. It is usually occasional like transient insomnia, but but do not let it escalate into a chronic problem

Chronic insomnia is when you cannot sleep a few nights a week for more then a few months. Some people can suffer for years. It is usually related to some other factors like depression or an illness. It is imperative to consult a doctor to treat the causes of you sleep disorder to reestablish your sleep patterns.

Side effects from this type of insomnia can be very difficult to live with and will effects your health in general. Side effects of insomnia are very similar to being drunk : your vision is impaired(can cause double vision), your sens of reality is blurred and you cannot be alert.