INSOMNIA
Insomnia is the disturbance of a normal sleep pattern. For example, when you cannot get to sleep or wake up after only a few hours sleep.

Sleep is a state of consciousnesses, which gives your body time to rest and build up your strength. While you are asleep, your body goes through different stages at approximately 90 minute cycles. These include light sleep, deep sleep and dreaming, also known as rapid eye movement.

Difficulties with sleep can appear in a variety of ways:

Difficulty getting to sleep.
Waking in the night (frequent nocturnal awakening).
Waking early in the morning - the least common type of sleep disturbance.
Not feeling refreshed after sleep. You may have trouble functioning normally during the day, feel irritable, tired, and find it difficult to concentrate.
Waking when you have been disturbed from sleep by pain or noise.

Insomnia can last for days, months or even years and can be split into three categories:

Transient insomnia lasts for 2-3 days.
Short-term insomnia lasts for more than a few days but less than 3 weeks.
Chronic insomnia can be defined as insomnia most nights for 3 weeks or longer.

Chronic insomnia can lead to mental health problems such as depression, or misuse of alcohol or other medicines in order to gain sleep.

Every individual is different so, it is hard to define what normal sleep is for you. Other factors include your age, lifestyle, diet and environment.

It is important to know that nearly everyone has problems sleeping at some time or other and it is thought that a third of people in the UK have bouts of insomnia.

SYMPTOMS

Depending on the type of sleeping problem, symptoms can include:

Lying awake for a long time at night before getting to sleep.
Waking up several times in the middle of the night.
Waking up early in the morning (and not being able to get back to sleep).
Feeling tired and not refreshed by sleep.
Inability to function properly during the day, especially having difficulty concentrating.
Irritability due to lack of sleep.

CAUSES

The common underlying causes of insomnia can be split into a number of categories. PHYSICAL Insomnia can be caused by an underlying physical condition causing involuntary movement, pain or discomfort. Examples include:

Restless leg syndrome.
Coughing,
Arthritis, headaches and back pain.
Hot flushes (due to the menopause).
Head injury.
Gastrointestinal disorders, e.g. GORD and ulcers.
Pruritus (excessive itching).
Parkinson's disease.

PHYSIOLOGICAL Disruptions within the sleeping environment or to bedtime routines can cause insomnia. Factors include:

Noise.
Light.
Snoring.
Partner moving about.
Jet lag.
Activities before bedtime, like reading or exercise.

PSYCHOLOGICAL Loss or worry can make sleeping difficult, caused by events such as:

Bereavement.
Relationship problems.
Exam stress.
Work worries.
Anxieties about being unable to sleep.

PSYCHIATRIC Underlying mental health problems can affect your sleeping patterns, such as:

Depression.
Dementia.
Anxiety.

PHARMACOLOGICAL Sleeping problems can result from the effects of medicines. Withdrawal from certain medicines such as hypnotics (prescribed for short-term insomnia) may cause re-bound insomnia, which means if you stop taking them, the sleeping problems can come back. Taking other medicines can produce side effects reduce the quality of sleep, for example:

Alcohol
Antidepressants
Appetite suppressants
Decongestants
Thyroid Hormones
Beta-Blockers
Corticosteroids

Sleep disorders can also affect you getting a good night's sleep including:

Narcolepsy this condition causes extreme tiredness and you can fall asleep at any time of the day without being able to control it.
Sleepwalking getting out of bed and moving around in your sleep, for example, walking, opening doors and climbing up and down stairs.
Sleep apnoea - a disorder in which you have irregular breathing at night and are extremely sleepy during the day.
Sleep starts muscle jerks or a sensation of falling when you are just going off to sleep.