Insomnia is a sleep disorder that can make falling asleep hard, hard to stay asleep or cause you to wake up early and then not be able to get back to sleep. Insomnia is a common disorder. It makes you still feel tired when you wake up as though you have not slept. Insomnia can not only drain your energy levels and your mood but it can also affect your quality of life, work life and health. Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night although how much sleep is enough varies from each person.
Many adults can experience short term insomnia, this can last from days to weeks. It is usually caused as a result of stress or from a traumatic event. Some people suffer from long term insomnia that can last for months or longer. It may be that insomnia is the primary problem. Although it could be that it’s associated with medical conditions or medications.
Symptoms of insomnia
Insomnia symptoms can include,
- Difficulty getting to sleep at night
- Waking during the middle of the night
- Not feeling as though your well rested after a night’s sleep
- Tiredness or sleepiness during the day
- Anxiety, irritability or depression
- Finding it difficult to pay attention, focusing or remembering
- Making more errors or having more accidents
- Worrying about sleep
- Waking up too early
How it affects your social life
Those who suffer from insomnia are often sleep deprived. Being sleep deprived can lead to feeling lonelier and less likely to engage with others. Without proper sleep you won’t have the energy to go out and socialise with friends and family. It can make you so tired that you just want to stay at home and rest, even if you can’t actually fall asleep. The vibe that sleep deprived people give off may make you socially unattractive to others. If you’re tired and not really engaging with the people you’re around, this can make them not want to be around you. It can give off the feeling that you’re bored or don’t want to talk or socialise with them. Even though this may not be the case, it’s just that you are tired and cannot help it.
Insomnia can leave you so tired that you don’t have the energy to get up and go out and do the things with friends you normally would. Your friends are all going out for food and you’re so tired you can’t bring yourself to go. If this goes on for a period of time it can affect your relationships with friends. Overall, it has a negative effect on your social life.
How it affects your work
Having insomnia and working can be hard. It’s important that you let your employer know about your insomnia. Insomnia can affect your concentration and your focus at work. So, it is worth telling your employer as you may struggle with work whilst you’re lacking sleep.
Lack of sleep can cause you to be clumsier and accident prone whilst at work. If your job requires work that can cause harm if not careful then you may need to take some time off. Just until you feel your insomnia is getting better. Sleep is important for work as it improves your productivity. With lack of sleep you will find it hard to concentrate at work. Insomnia can make it hard for you to complete tasks you wouldn’t normally struggle with. Also as insomnia can cause problems with memory this can affect your work performance. You may find your more forgetful, forgetting where you have put things. It can make you not be able to remember how to do the task you’ve been given. Memory issues can be difficult and even dangerous within the workplace. It can lead to not being able to recall vital information.
How it affects mental health
Sleep and mental health have a close relationship, poor sleep can have a negative affect on your mental health. having problems with your sleep and getting lack of it can lead to feeling anxious, depressed and suicidal. This is because sleep is very important for keeping your mind healthy. You may also be more likely to suffer from psychotic episodes as poor sleep can trigger psychosis, mania or paranoia.
Although it can be a vicious cycle as mental health problems can bring on insomnia and insomnia and cause mental health problems. Insomnia is a risk factor of depression and major depressive disorder. Those with insomnia are twice as likely to be at risk of developing depression then those who don’t have insomnia.
Insomnia can make you feel lonely at times and can affect your mood. Sleep has effects on your mood, you’re more likely to be in a good mood after you’ve had a well-rested long sleep. Whereas if you don’t get a good quality sleep or not enough sleep it’s hard for you to be in a good mood.
How it affects your immune system
When you are asleep your body releases proteins. These proteins help to protect you from illnesses and inflammation. Chronic insomnia may affect this process, it may also decrease the antibodies and cells that are there to help your body fight infections. People who don’t get enough sleep or have poor sleep are more at risk of getting sick. Especially if they are around someone who has a virus like the flu or a cold.
How it can cause heart disease
Chronic insomnia can also cause problems for your heart. Very little sleep can lead to high blood pressure even in healthy adults. If this happens regularly high blood pressure can harm your arteries. It can lead to your heart working too hard to pump blood to your body. This can increase your chances of heart failure or heart attacks. Also, insomnia can lead to things that can affect your heart like high stress levels, no motivation to be physically active and unhealthy food choices. Over time these can affect your heart and how it functions.
