Introduction
Sleep is a function necessary for recovering mentally and physically from the time we have spent awake. Sleep deprivation can harm a person’s mental and physical health, their performance at school or work, and their overall quality of life (Davis, 2020). Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder It is known to create difficulty with falling and staying asleep. In order to have healthy sleep, it is vital to get the amount of sleep necessary; most adults require between seven and nine hours (Pacheco et al., 2022). Globally, around one-third of people experience unsatisfying sleep (Suni, 2018). Insomnia is diagnosed when reported sleeping patterns meet a certain criteria. This essay covers the different types of insomnia, causes of the disorder, diagnosis, treatment, and examples.
Types and Causes of Insomnia
Not all insomnia cases are the same, there are many ways to describe insomnia, but overall there are two main forms: chronic insomnia and short-term insomnia also known as acute insomnia. Chronic Insomnia. Short-term insomnia can last from a few weeks up to three months maximum. The most common cause of short-term insomnia is stress; other causes include changes in the sleep environment, major life changes, problems at work or financial distress, medical causes, and use or withdrawal from stimulants (Peters, 2021).
Diagnosis and Treatment
Insomnia can be diagnosed and treated using multiple ways. Medical professionals often diagnose insomnia through a combination of a physical exam, a sleep habit review, and a sleep study. Once diagnosed, insomnia is treated by addressing the underlying causes and their symptoms, including stress (NHS, 2022). Treatment can include prescription, medication, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-I). CBT-I consists of stimuli control, relaxation techniques, sleep restrictions, passive awakeness practices, and light therapy (Lancel et al., 2021). CBT-I primarily aims to establish healthy sleeping habits and eliminate negative thoughts and behaviors that lead to insomnia, remaining the first line of treatment for patients (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2022). In other words, a part of this approach is to create an association in the brain between restful sleep and special triggers, including bed, time, levels of light, and routines. Moreover, it encourages the patients to reduce their worries about their inability to sleep to relax their bodies, as this relaxation leads to falling asleep.
Link Between Psychological State and Insomnia
As mentioned before, the lack of relaxation and anxiety can lead to insomnia. Furthermore, according to a study by Swanson et al. (2020) of patients suffering insomnia, insomnia can cause more psychological distress, locking people in the self-enforcing cycle. In other words, insomnia can predict that the patient will suffer from depression, alcohol abuse, anxiety, and psychosis in one year following the condition. On the other hand, patients who have these mental issues are predicted to have or develop insomnia. This conclusion can further be explained by the fact that both of these disorders are caused by similar factors mentioned above, including stress, major life changes, medical reasons, and others. As the patients experience distress from the reduction of their quality of life, mental issues arise. These mental issues cause thoughts that prevent patients from sleeping restfully or engaging in behavior that interferes with sleep. The lack of sleep leads to more distress and worsening of mental illness, as the body suffers from the lack of sleep, beginning the new cycle.
Effectiveness of CBT-I Treatment in Insomnia Cases
CBT-I can be very effective in treating insomnia patients, as this condition is linked to a psychological state, as mentioned previously. Lancel et al. (2021) found that CBT-I improved the sleep of 66 percent of patients and daytime functioning of 30 percent of that number. These results mean that CBT-I helps to break the link between mental issues and insomnia. One of the reasons for these high levels of effectiveness is the fact that CBT-I treats the psychological foundations of insomnia rather than physical symptoms. In other words, as the patient learns to lead a healthy lifestyle and apply anxiety reduction measures, both insomnia and mental illnesses disappear. The body starts to receive sufficient sleep, reducing mental distress and imporving mental condition. Similarly, this improvement leads to a decrease in negative thoughts and behaviors, which allows for more sleep.
Conclusion
In conclusion, insomnia is a complex medical condition that is primarily linked to the psychological state of the individual. It can be divided into short-term and long-term subtypes with different levels of severity. This link between mental state and insomnia means that insomnia can be treated by both medication and CBT-I. While medication can yield short-term relief, CBT-I facilitates the breakage of the repetitive cycle of distress and insomnia. As the patient heals psychologically and learns about healthy habits, insomnia is also treated. Thus, the cycle of insomnia and mental health issues re-enforcing each other breaks.
Reference List
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Suni, E. (2018). Insomnia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments | Sleep Foundation. Sleep Foundation. Web.
Peters, B. (2021). Causes of Short-Term Insomnia. Verywell Health. Web.
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Lancel, M., Boersma, G. J., & Kamphuis, J. (2021). Insomnia disorder and its reciprocal relation with psychopathology. Current Opinion in Psychology, 41, 34-39. Web.
NHS. (2022). Insomnia. Web.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2022). What is Insomnia. Web.
Swanson, L. M., Kalmbach, D. A., Raglan, G. B., & O’Brien, L. M. (2020). Perinatal insomnia and mental health: a review of recent literature. Current Psychiatry Reports, 22(12), 1-9. Web.