What is Insomnia (Symptoms)
Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by having trouble sleeping and/or staying asleep [1]. People with insomnia may spend hours rolling around in bed before falling asleep, or wake up in the middle of night wide awake.
Insomnia comes in two forms:
- Chronic insomnia: long term, such as from a few weeks or longer
- Acute insomnia: short-term, such as from one night to a few weeks
It’s important not to confuse natural sleep cycles with insomnia – some people naturally go to bed earlier, some people naturally go to bed later. Insomnia is characterized by the following symptoms that interfere with natural function:
- Very hard time falling asleep
- Waking up and having a hard time falling back asleep
- Waking up very early in the morning (when you would rather be sleeping)
- Waking up completely exhausted
The best way to determine the severity of insomnia and begin the process of recovery from insomnia are to get a sleep study. Untreated long term insomnia can have physical, mental, and or mood effects that range from minor to life-interfering.