Just when do you regard an insomnia symptom as serious?
Many people reluctantly seek medical advice only after much coaxing from family and friends.
Yet when the problem affects a family member or friend, the same individual may be the very one coaxing them to seek medical advice. That’s human nature it seems!
How can you get a balance and know when to seek or recommend medical attention or just give the problem time and see if it rectifies itself?
Webster’s Dictionary defines insomnia as: “prolonged and usually abnormal inability to obtain adequate sleep.”
The U.S. National Institute Of Health categorizes insomnia this way:
A temporary sleep problem is known as transient insomnia. It may not persist longer than a few days or a couple of weeks on the outside.
If the temporary sleep problem, lasting just a few days or at the most a couple of weeks, comes back at fairly regular intervals, it is known as intermittent insomnia.
Chronic insomnia refers to the condition where a person cannot sleep the majority of nights and this condition persists for a month or more.
So with those categories in mind, you can now see where your disturbed sleep pattern fits in.
If it falls into categories 1 and 2 it is unlikely to be serious.
Sleeping tablets and medications or natural remedies can improve sleep duration and quality and make the insomnia symptom disappear.
Natural sleep remedies can include such things as: good bedtime routine, exercise before bed, breathing exercises, warm baths, music, stress relievers, diet, herbs, chamomile, lavender, valerian, vitamins, and chromotherapy.
These options may be sufficient for the minor insomnia symptom or symptoms you are concerned about.
Any medication can have side effects, especially if a user already uses other medications as it is, so it is important to check with your local medical practitioner as to how the mediation might affect you, given your medical history.
Chronic Insomnia
Chronic insomnia is another matter altogether. Going without proper sleep for weeks on end can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life. It can affect social relationships and one’s level of performance in the workplace.
Anyone suffering with chronic insomnia is well advised to seek professional medical help. A doctor can probe and possibly identify a main physical or psychological reason for the insomnia symptom and prescribe a course of treatment tailored to the individual.
You may be prescribed medicine, or the doctor may recommend other therapies such as reconditioning, relaxation, or sleep restriction.
In conclusion, if you are concerned about an insomnia symptom, either for yourself or a loved one, make an appraisal of which category it falls into. If it is category 1 or 2, transient or intermittent, it can probably be ignored or overcome with short term sleeping pills or natural remedies.
If your insomnia symptom is category 3 however, chronic insomnia, see a professional and deal with it immediately!
