Medical Advice Guru

Whilee there are three major types of insomnia there are also three patterns for insomnia.  The three types are Transient, Acute and Chronic, but those only describe the condition they do not show when or for how long each night it can affect a persons sleep.

The thres patternsof insomnia are often incredibly useful in helping find out the root cause of the sleep disorder, making the three patterns of insomnia vital in diagnosis and treatment of insomnia.

The pattern of insomnia often is related to a specific type of sleeping disorder.

1. Initial insomnia - You may have trouble falling asleep at the start of the sleeping period, this is often associated with anxiety and minor stress disorders.
2. Middle insomnia - You may find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, you may find it difficult to maintain your sleep, regulalry waking. Often associated with physical pain or medical illness.
3. Terminal/Late insomnia - Waking up very early in the morning, this is often associated with clinical depression.

Of course as with a lot of the things to do with insomnia nothing is 100% certain, just because you find yourself waking early does not instantly make you clinically depressed, but it is a classic cause.

written by Oli \\ tags: Insomnia, Patterns

While most treatment for insomnia is psychological, dealing with insomnia as a symptom of some other root cause, disease of medical condition there is treatment available in the form of medication. A lot of these do tend to be sedatives or sleeping tablets, however there is a danger of users becoming addicted to these, sometimes exaggerating the insomnia by suggesting to the person that they cannot sleep without drugs. There are several classes of medication that insomnia sufferers may find useful, these are,

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazpines, included in drugs such as temazepam, flunitrazepam, triazolam, flurazepam, midazolam and nitrazepam are commonly used hypnotics prescribed by doctors for insomnia. Regular use of these can develop both a tolerance and a dependence, particularly if they are used consistently for a long period.

Non-benzodiazepines

Non-benzodiazepine medication such as zolpidem and zopiclone are much more selective drugs and tend to have less side effects on a user. Their is however controversy as to how effective they are compared to Banzodiazepine based drugs. Nonbenzodiazpine medication can cause physical and mental dependence, so their use does have top be monitored.

Antidepressants

Some antidepressants have a sedative effect such as doxepin and trazodone, these are occasionally prescribed to treat insomnia however they do have some major drawbacks.on-top of several minor side effects. These do tend to be specific to each drug so please do read the label.

Melatonin

Melatonin has been proven effective in many cases by regulating the sleep/wake cycle in its users. There is however little in the way of data supporting its case and is still being trialled by several institutes. Chemicals and drugs that affect Melatonin such as Rozerem do not have much potential for abuse or dependence. They also have very little in the way of side effects making them an ideal starting point for treatment of insomniacs.

Antihistamines

Antihistamines are used regularly as non prescription sleeping drugs. While it is readily available its begins to lose its effectiveness very quickly and users may find themselves feeling very groggy the next day.

Herbal Remedies.

Several herbal solutions to insomnia have been proven to be effective, such as Valerian, Chamomile, Lavender and Cannabis. Valerian has undergone multiple studies and does seem to be fairly effective. Cannabis has been proven to be a very effective treatment of insomnia, though it is illegal in many countries and can carry several minor side effects.

Alcohol is often used to help sleep, it does however prevent a person from having a restful nights sleep and large quantities may result in a hangover, leaving the sufferer unable to function effectively the next day.

Magnesium tablets can also sometimes help alleviate insomnia, magnesium deficiency is a common cause of low level insomnia.

Complementary and Alternative Remedies for Insomnia

There are a lot of traditional ‘old wives tales’ that contain remedies for sleeping problems, and do tend to be fairly effective. These included half an hours exercise every afternoon, warm milk before bed, a warm bath or having a large lunch and a light dinner. There are also several other suggestions such as avoiding mentally stimulating activity before bed times, going to bed and waking up early and avoiding bright light for an hour or two before bed time.

Relaxation techniques such as aromatherapy, mediation and yoga have been proven to help people sleep, along with other relaxation techniques such as self hypnosis.

written by Oli \\ tags: Antidepressants, Antihistamines, Benzodiazepines, Complimentary, Drugs, Herbal, Insomnia, Medication, Treatment

Two separate studies, one in the USA and one In Holland have confirmed a fairly worrying trend. Alzheimer’s is upto 2.5 times more likely in people who have a history of suffering from depression. The worst parts of this are twofold, first depression is on the increase in the western world, helped along by the recession. Secondly depression is incredibly difficult to treat effectively, and in many cases people may not realise they are infact depressed. Depression is however a serious problem, and can lead to many other problems, not to mention dietary and metabolic problems, as well as insomnia as mentioned int he previous article.

The important question to ask though is “Is this news useful?”

The answer I think is a resounding yes, since we have found one link to a degenerative illness that is barely understood by our scientists. Discovering the significant correlation between depression and Alzheimer’s could help us understand more about how it effects the brain, and how the may contribute to one another. There is however a chicken or the egg problem posed now. Does Depression help cause Alzheimer’s or the other way around?

written by Oli \\ tags: Alzheimer's, Depression, Insomnia, Research

The causes of Insomnia vary greatly, the more common occurrences being stress, hormonal, psychoactive drugs, lack of exercise, medical conditions or changes in sleeping patterns.  The two main categories this falls under however are Mental and Physical.

Physical insomnia can usually be solved with painkillers, exercise or certain drugs, it usually occurs after injuries, lack of exercise or changes to your metabolism.

Mental Insomnia can be caused by stress, worry or even just thinking too much.  Treatment here can involve psychotherapy drugs and, again, exercise!

With Insomnia the varying types (Transient Insomnia, Acute Insomnia, Chronic Insomnia) tend to be associated with different causes.

Transient Insomnia tends to be over short term things such as Injury or something mentally shocking.   These can cause short term effects but tend to disappear over the course of several days to a few weeks.

Intermittent Transient Insomnia is similar but can usually be found with people who suffer under continually stressful environments, such as the financial sector or jobs which require regular flight across timezones.  It is also a symptom caused by periods of hormonal change, such as the menopause.

Acute Insomnia is more often associated with a large emotion or severe injury, this can be found regularly with people who have lost a loved one or a limb.

Chronic insomnia is surprisingly caused by similar things to Acute insomnia.  Chronic insomnia is regularly found in amputees and people who have had trouble grieving over lost loved ones. It can usually indicate severe psychological trauma, and may be helped by psychiatric care and even hypnotism.

The important thing to remember though is that Insomnia can be very Non-specific.  Many sufferers are unable to find a cause, or have one that is not listed there.  If you suffer from Insomnia though it is vital that you consult a Doctor for professional medical advice.

written by Oli \\ tags: Acute Insomnia, Causes of Insomnia, Chronic Insomnia, Insomnia, Transient Insmonia

Insomnia is an illness which has the main symptom of sleep deprivation. People who suffer from insomnia can often find themselves laying in bed for hours with their eyes closed but are unable to ’switch off’ their mind. While Insomnia is not often regarded as a real problem it affects 64 million Americans alone every year, and that is only the reported cases. The majority of people with Insomnia will never actually consult a doctor for it and tend to suffer for several weeks before their sleep patterns regain normality.

Insomnia is not just characterised by the lack of sleep however. The majority of insomnia sufferers will find their ability to function while awake severely impaired and may have trouble performing simple tasks aswell as finding themselves suffering from frequent short term memory loss.

There are three main types of insomnia, though around each one there are several grey areas. These types are Transient, Acute and Chronic.

Transient Insomnia tends to last from several days to weeks, and tends to be caused by an external problem, be it stress or a change in sleeping patterns. If this re-occurs consistently it becomes known as Intermittent Transient Insomnia.  Intermittent Transient Insomnia often occurs in people who regularly travel long distances, work in alternating factory shifts or in other areas where a good sleep pattern is unable to form.

Acute Insomnia is similar to Transient Insomnia, however it lasts from 3 weeks to 6 months. Some of the side effects such as memory loss and impaired motor functions that may become apparent in lesser forms of insomnia become much more pronounced with sufferers of Acute Insomnia.

Chronic Insomnia is often characterised by the sleep deprivation lasting from several months to years. It can be a secondary or primary disorder, meaning it can be caused by an illness or could just be ‘he problem’ Sufferers of Chronic insomnia may show signs of mental and muscular fatigue, however they tend to show a high degree of alertness, something not apparent in Acute or Transient Insomnia.

written by Oli \\ tags: Acute Insomnia, Chronic Insomnia, Insomnia, Sleep Deprivation, Transient Insomnia