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Primary
Insomnia
Category
Sleep
Disorders
Etiology
Primary
insomnia occurs in up to 10% of adults and up to 25% of elderly adults and
appears slightly more common among women. The cause of primary
insomnia can be different for each individual but often involves a
preoccupation with the inability to sleep or excessive worry about sleep,
which in turns causes the individual to not sleep. Many report that
they sleep better away from home, suggesting that conditioning related to
the bedroom has occurred, and resulting in bouts of sleep while watching
TV, being a passenger in a car, or other area not associated with the
bedroom.
Symptoms
The
criteria for a diagnosis of primary insomnia include a difficulty falling
asleep, remaining asleep, or receiving restorative sleep for a period no
less than one month. This disturbance in sleep must cause
significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other
important functions and does not appear exclusively during the course of
another mental or medical disorder or during the use of alcohol,
medication, or other substances.
Treatment
Treatment
often involves relaxation and adhering to a predetermined sleep
cycle. The individual sets a schedule of when he or she will sleep
and does not allow sleep to occur at any other time. For instance,
she may get into bed at 11pm each night and get out of bed at 6am every
morning regardless of the amount of sleep that occurs. No sleeping
would be allowed during the day and the individual would engage in exercise,
healthy eating, and would then use relaxation techniques prior to the
scheduled sleep time.
Prognosis
Prognosis
is good as the body has a need for sleep and will often adjust to make up
for the lack of sleep. When associated with stressors, sleep will
often return to normal once the stressors is no longer a significant concern.
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