To many individuals, the term “insomnia” represents a condition where individuals are unable to sleep for several days at a time. This, however, is only part of the truth. Though in extreme cases individuals can encounter many days of sleeplessness, the majority of individuals affected by insomnia have much milder symptoms. According to Dr. Mark Mahowald, professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical school, “insomnia represents the inability to get the amount of sleep you as an individual need to wake up feeling rested,” so even individuals who do sleep at night may be experiencing insomnia.

Insomnia: America’s most common sleep disorder

Women impacted more often

It may not shock you that women are victims of insomnia more often than men are. A recent statistical report by the National Sleep Foundation shows that “more women than men experience signs of insomnia at least a few nights a week (63% vs. 54%).” Interestingly, this sleeplessness is not always just insomnia. It is often a byproduct of some other underlying cause. In fact, the Sleep Foundation found that “half of all whoever has experienced insomnia blame the problem on stress and worry.”

How to fall asleep

If stress and worry are part of the cause of your insomnia, you should make an effort to get to the route of this anxiety. Once you have treated the underlying trigger, you may find your quality of sleep improves right away. If it doesn’t, you can try implementing a few positive sleep habits-like setting up a consistent bed time and rising routine, abstaining from caffeine, exercising, and establishing a peaceful, soothing sleep environment.

Sources
National Sleep Foundation - Women and Sleep
National Sleep Foundation - Insomnia and Sleep