Insomnia Symptoms: How to
Recognize Insomnia

It is important to keep in mind that insomnia symptoms will vary by individual. There are two main reasons for this. First, there is no one definitive cause of insomnia. Instead, there are various causes, ranging from environmental, to psychological, to physical. Any given insomnia symptom can stem from one or more of these factors. Second, there are different types of insomnia: acute, intermittent, and chronic. These three types have several symptoms in common, but they also have symptoms that differ. Nevertheless, there are a few easily recognized symptoms that lend themselves to a diagnosis of insomnia.

The word "insomnia" comes from the Latin in ("no") and somnus ("sleep"), which literally means "no sleep." Therefore, any insomnia symptom will involve the inability to sleep, whether it is the inability to fall asleep or the inability to stay asleep. Other symptoms demonstrate the effects of insomnia.

A common telltale insomnia symptom is the inability to fall asleep at bedtime. Sleep experts and researchers agree that the amount of time it should take to fall asleep is 15 to 20 minutes at most. If it takes you longer than 20 minutes, they recommend that you get out of bed, go to another room, and engage in a quiet activity for a few minutes such as reading a book or listening to music. Those with insomnia will not be able to fall asleep this way. Instead, they will lie awake for at least an hour, often tossing and turning.

Another common insomnia symptom is the inability to maintain a state of sleep. In other words, some people may have no problems falling asleep, but will wake up several hours later or in the early morning hours and will not be able to fall back asleep. If they do fall back asleep, however, their sleep is generally restless and unsatisfying.

A third but somewhat less recognized insomnia symptom is waking up frequently throughout the night. Sometimes frequent wakefulness will be due to a physical condition unrelated to a sleep disorder, such as having to go to the bathroom. However, frequent awakenings can also stem from sleep disorders such as snoring and sleep apnea, as well as psychological problems such as depression or anxiety and physical problems such as chronic pain, hot flashes, and restless leg syndrome.

A generally unrecognized insomnia symptom is waking up feeling unrefreshed and unrested. Unrefreshing sleep stemming from insomnia can result in feeling fatigued, overly sleepy throughout the day, and completely drained at the end of the day. Other consequences of unrefreshing sleep include attention lapses, slower reaction times and cognitive processing, and impaired reasoning and problem solving.

Each insomnia symptom described above can lead to increased irritability, problems concentrating, and memory problems. Furthermore, insomnia is a source of other societal problems, as it is one of the leading causes of absenteeism from work, decreased productivity and accidents at work, and car crashes. This underscores the severity and scope of insomnia's impact. Therefore, anyone experiencing these insomnia symptoms three or more times a week must make an appointment with a doctor or sleep specialist to determine the best course of treatment.

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