What You Should Know About Chronic Insomnia

Approximately 10% of people who suffer from insomnia have chronic insomnia. This is a very complex condition with no simple explanation for its cause. It is usually a symptom of some underlying physical or mental disease. Once the root cause is discovered, it is prudent to refer these people to specialists who can help them manage their chronic insomnia.

Some of the physical ailments that cause chronic insomnia include:

Arthritis

Asthma

Parkinson’s disease

Hyperthyroidism

Prostate problems

Some types of neurological disorders

Kidney problem

Heart failure

Various types of sleep apnea

Of course, there are also mental health disorders that cause this type of insomnia, too. These include:

Stress

Anxiety

Grief

Depression

Schizophrenia

Panic disorder

Mania

These are just some of the many causes of this form of insomnia. There are also some behavior patterns that can lead a person to have insomnia, including:

Smoking

Alcohol

Caffeine

Shift work

Certain medications

Once you know what is causing your insomnia, you are going to need holistic management instead of just a simple treatment plan. While health professionals can help and guide you to these practices, the patient themselves must be in charge of managing the condition. The health professional’s role is to simply treat the underlying physical or mental disorder so that the patient can then work on getting over their insomnia.

Some of the treatments that are available to help a patient overcome their insomnia are:

Modifying life style habits

Creating the proper environment for sleeping

Mild aerobics exercises

Snacking on milk, figs, bananas, dates or tuna before bedtime

Relaxation therapy

Yoga

Meditation

Music

Aromatherapy

Teaching the person who suffers from insomnia to only use their bed for sleep

If you are a person who suffers from this form of insomnia and you are not managing it properly, then you should know that this can lead to a lot of very serious consequences. First of all, you should know that it is dangerous to drive or handle machinery, especially if you are feeling sluggish or dizzy. This will also cause you to have poor performance on your job because of your low energy level and lack of concentration. You will also have problems with your family and friends because you are irritable.