Understanding insomnia- a condition of sleeplessness

Camelia Bhattacharyya, Amity University Kolkata

Charlotte Brontë, the famous British novelist of the 19^th century once said, “A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.” Reading this today tells us how ahead of time a novelist’s thought process can be. This line clearly explains the causes and effects of insomnia. It is caused mostly due to anxiety, stress, depression, frustration, overthinking, and other negative feelings which causes sleeplessness which again causes similar negative feelings the next day leading to problems with learning and concentration; and the cycle continues. This disorder is so common that 10 million or more people are known to acquire it each year. This makes the understanding of this disorder important. So, let us understand insomnia.  

How does science explain insomnia? 

Insomnia can be described as a condition where an individual is unable to sleep or maintain the sleep due to certain hormonal, psychological, psychosocial, and demographic factors and maladaptive behaviors; and might affect individuals from all age groups, sometimes even persisting and making situations worse. It is related directly to an imbalance in the central nervous system (CNS) and the autonomous nervous system (ANS). It might give rise to oxidative stress which in turn might lead to cognitive deficits, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration due to the accumulation of the misfolded proteins in the synaptic region. Sleeplessness might at times give rise to cardiovascular problems since sleep deprivation interferes with the functioning of the coronary artery, thus creating improper blood circulation leading to heart diseases.  Also, the wound-healing part of the body works the best when we sleep (when 70% of sleep is fulfilled and 30% is left) and thus tissues don’t get repaired if the body is sleep-deprived. Nonetheless, an increase in the sleepless hours leads to an insufficient amount of energy in the body which is then fulfilled with cravings for more unhealthy food which then interferes with a healthy lifestyle and proper maintenance of the body, leading to other issues like obesity and diabetes caused by unhealthy or junk food. Thus, the tiniest symptoms of insomnia should be taken into consideration for earlier treatment and better results. 

Types of insomnia:

1. Acute insomnia: When insomnia lasts from a single night to a few weeks and this is something not to be worried about.
2. Transient insomnia: When insomnia doesn’t last even a week and also doesn’t recur.
3. Chronic insomnia: When insomnia persists for more than three months and over 3 days per week.  

Who is most likely to develop insomnia?

The geriatric population is the one most affected by insomnia. This might be due to a reduction in the hormonal levels with age or even due to improper habits practiced during youth which resulted in a slow change of cellular functions in the body. Alcohol and drugs are important examples to support the previous sentence.

Also, the female population suffers from this disorder 1.5 times more than the males. This is because of the continuous hormonal changes due to the menstrual cycle. The female body undergoes more hormonal changes than the men throughout their lives. Also, after menopause, most females are likely to become insomniac. 

Though children are less likely to develop insomnia, a study of the sleep history has proven that ignored sleeplessness at a younger age might lead to an insomniac condition at a later stage in life (sleep-onset association disorder and limit-setting disorder arise in children very often). Health conditions, as well as medicines, might also lead to sleeplessness in a huge population.

How can insomnia be treated?

1. Pharmacological: Medications include Benzodiazepines, Benzodiazepine receptor agonist drugs, Non-benzodiazepines, electrical brain stimulation etc. 
2. Non-pharmacological: Behavioural treatments (like cognitive behavioral therapy), hypnotic medications, meditation, proper nutrition in children, Sleep hygiene maintenance, etc.

Proper treatment of insomnia includes a better understanding of the patient’s medical history, circadian rhythm, and other causes because the cause is what directs the treatment.

Take home message:

Based on the discussed information from above, it is safe to infer that insomnia is a symptom that is quite curable with effective treatment. But first and foremost we must come forward and understand the importance of mental health, try to investigate the reasons behind such conditions for individual cases. Public awareness on this is much needed about not going to bed with anxiety, depression, frustration, or extreme stress; In raising awareness by helping them deal with the reasons behind the symptoms, they’ll eventually successfully overcome them, resulting in an overall increase in happiness and harmony, which in turn would positively influence brain development and working abilities. This might further help in preventing other neurological disorders since the circadian rhythm is perfectly maintained if 1/3^rd of a day is spent sleeping which helps in the proper functioning of the body in the remaining 2/3^rd part of the day. Also, proper sleep helps in maintaining the proper release of immunological cells like cytokines and interleukins, and several key protein and cascade mechanisms are maintained in a proper state by giving the brain a period of calmness and rest. So, let’s not go to bed with anxiety, depression, frustration, or stress; let’s solve the reasons behind the symptoms and fight and overcome them while we are awake. Let’s sleep and give our minds the time to rest after a hectic day, and for that, let’s prioritize the knowledge behind sleeplessness and take treatments against it.

Also read: The Story of Herd Immunity during the early COVID-19!

Reference:

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