Hyper Insomnia
Facts About Hyper Insomnia
Hyper insomnia, also known as chronic insomnia, is one of three main types of insomnia. Insomnia, a difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, is a symptom of sleep disorder that results in too little quality sleep. Hyper insomnia is a chronic condition, and the sleep deprivation that results can affects the sufferer's ability to fully function and enjoy life. Insomnia is, unfortunately, a fairly common affliction that is slightly more likely to be experienced by women than men. It affects approximately 64 million Americans every year.
The three types of insomnia are defined primarily by their persistence. Transient insomnia lasts no more than a few weeks, and is often the result of outside factors affecting sleep. Common causes include changes in the timing or location of sleep, or physical or mental factors such as illness, depression, or stress. Although quite bothersome while it lasts, transient insomnia is not a long-lived condition.
Acute insomnia lasts from between three weeks to six months, and is also often the result of physical or environmental barriers to sleep. Environmental factors such as noise, light, extreme temperature, or other things that cause discomfort or distraction often play a role. It is often found in people who do not sleep on a regular schedule or who work at night. Many times is can be resolved by eliminating distractors and adapting the body's biological clock to a set sleeping schedule. Because the cause of acute insomnia is generally quite apparent, it is often fairly simple to resolve.
Hyper insomnia, or chronic insomnia, is the third and most serious type of insomnia. It is estimated to be the type of insomnia present in 45% of cases. As a chronic condition, it can last for years and is often very difficult to treat. The cause of and solution to hyper insomnia are not as easily determined as with transient or acute insomnia. In some cases, chronic insomnia is caused by another disorder. It is commonly associated with mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. It can also be caused by a variety of other conditions, including restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, arthritis, a hormonal imbalance, or hyperthyroidism. A medical practitioner can recommend tests for diagnosing these disorders. If a physical or mental disorder can be identified as the cause of your chronic insomnia, the underlying problem can be treated and hopefully diminish insomnia as a symptom.
Medications or recreational drugs can also be a cause of insomnia. Stimulants and psychoactive drugs are possible culprits. These include recreational drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, but also common stimulants like caffeine or medications prescribed by a doctor. Decongestants, antidepressants, and beta blockers all have the possibility of insomnia as a side effect. If you are taking prescribed or over the counter medications and are experiencing hyper insomnia, be sure to check whether insomnia is a possible side effect of the drug.
While sleeping pills can help in the short term, they are not a solution for chronic insomnia. In fact, they can even become a cause of the disorder if they are stopped and withdrawal symptoms occur. The only effective treatment of hyper insomnia is the identification of the underlying condition that is causing the difficulty sleeping. Learned behavioral techniques, such as relaxation therapy, and eliminating known aggravators of insomnia can also be helpful. A physician or psychiatrist can help a sufferer of hyper insomnia develop techniques and practices that will help them get more sleep. Ideally, the combination of behavioral techniques and treatment of an insomnia sufferer's underlying condition will lead to a full recovery, and cure his or her hyper insomnia.