Symptoms of Insomnia

Symptoms

Insomnia is difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and is often considered chronic if it happens at least three nights per week for three months or longer.

Most of us have experienced brief periods of insomnia (also called acute insomnia). Almost everyone knows what it feels like to still be awake staring at the ceiling and wishing for sleep—this can happen when you travel and experience jet lag, or when you're anxious and overwhelmed by life circumstances.

So how do you distinguish a normal, passing sleep problem from a more serious form of insomnia that requires treatment?

Symptoms of Insomnia

According to guidelines from a physician group, people with insomnia have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Difficulty staying asleep (waking up during the night and having trouble returning to sleep)
• Waking up too early in the morning
• Unrefreshing sleep (also called "non-restorative sleep")
• Fatigue or low energy
• Cognitive impairment, such as difficulty concentrating
• Mood disturbance, such as irritability
• Behavior problems, such as feeling impulsive or aggression
• Difficulty at work or school
• Difficulty in personal relationships, including family, friends and caregivers

You may also want to consider whether and to what degree insomnia is affecting your life. If you feel fatigued or have low energy during the day and it gets in the way of your productivity and enjoyment of friends, family, or hobbies, that probably means you could benefit from talking to your doctor. If you've tried on your own to make adjustments to your sleep routines and it hasn't worked, you may want to enlist the help of a sleep specialist.