Typical symptoms are:
- Problems falling asleep
- Problems staying asleep (so that you wake up several times each night)
- Waking up too early
- Daytime symptoms include sleepiness, anxiety, impaired concentration and memory and irritability.
Short-term insomnia, lasting for a few nights or a few weeks, generally affects people who are temporarily experiencing one or more of the following:
- Stress
- Change in environmental noise levels
- Extreme change in temperature
- A different routine, perhaps due to jet lag
- Side effects from medicines.
Chronic insomnia, lasting for a month or longer, often results from a combination of factors - which sometimes include underlying physical or mental problems. But it can also be due to behavioural factors such as too much caffeine or alcohol or a long-term disruption to your routine - as with shift work.
Written in 2003
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