Insomnia Symptoms
December 18th, 2007 by admin
If you are not sleeping well, it might seem obvious what the symptoms of a lack of good sleep are. But, some people who have suffered from insomnia for years or who may have intermittent sleeplessness don’t connect the problems that they have during the day could be related to the lack of sufficient sleep.
People have different needs for sleep. What is normal for one person is not necessarily the same for someone else. Some people have the kind of nervous system that allows them to do quite well on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night. Others, feel they need 9 hours or they cannot function. So the criteria for sleep problems is how you feel during the day. It is normal for older adults to sleep less and to sleep less deeply. And certainly, life events, health issues and some medication usages can cause disturbed sleep.
There may be some confusion about whether you have a problem with your sleep. But, the quality of your day determines whether your sleep is adequate. So, even if you sleep for only a certain number of hours at night or you have restless sleep, if you wake up refreshed and ready to meet your day you are probably getting enough sleep.
You may want to take action about your sleep problems if you notice these insomnia symptoms:
You frequently feel sleepy during the day
You don’t have enough energy to do the things you want to do
You notice that you feel tired during the day
You find yourself worrying about not sleeping or if you have insomnia
You find it difficult to focus on tasks
You have difficulty with or poor concentration
You are having trouble with your memory
You do not wake up feeling like you have had a good night’s sleep
If you are concerned about your sleep problems or think you may have insomnia, you can certainly check with your health care professional. If you have a sleep partner, you may want to ask them what they notice about your sleep patterns. Things like snoring, inconsistent breathing, fitfulness, difficulty going to sleep or frequent waking can point to insomnia or other health issues that you might want to check out.