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Insomnia (cont.)

Insomnia Symptoms

Doctors associate a variety of signs and symptoms with insomnia. Often, the symptoms intertwine with those of other medical or mental conditions.

  • Some people with insomnia may complain of difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently during the night. The problem may begin with stress. Then, as you begin to associate the bed with your inability to sleep, the problem may become chronic.

  • Most often daytime symptoms will bring people to seek medical attention. Daytime problems caused by insomnia include the following:

    • Poor concentration and focus

    • Difficulty with memory

    • Impaired motor coordination (being uncoordinated)

    • Irritability and impaired social interaction

    • Motor vehicle accidents because of fatigued, sleep-deprived drivers

  • People may worsen these daytime symptoms by their own attempts to treat the symptoms.

    • Alcohol and antihistamines may compound the problems with sleep deprivation.

    • Others have tried nonprescription sleep aids.


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Insomnia »

Insomnia is defined as repeated difficulty with the initiation, duration, maintenance, or quality of sleep that occurs despite adequate time and opportunity for sleep that results in some form of daytime impairment.

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