Most adult human beings need around seven to eight hours of sleep per day. However some people suffer form an inability to get an adequate amount of sleep. This inability to get enough sleep is called insomnia. The person may face difficulty in either getting sleep or remaining asleep for an adequate length of time or both.
This results in the person not getting adequate rest. As a result after they wake up they do not feel relaxed and fresh. This can result in headaches, body aches and as a result the person may have a bad day. When this happens for many days at a stretch, it can adversely affect the health of the person as well as the person’s productivity at work.
People under stress often experience insomnia on a transient basis. After a bad day at work, or a fight with the spouse or close friends, many people report a restless night. In fact some people may feel restless for more than a few nights. However once the emotional turmoil settles this feeling of sleeplessness goes away.
Long term insomnia is more a condition which typically lasts for 20 or more days. People who have been divorced or have suffered the loss of a loved one are more likely to experience this. Also more cases are reported form people of lower socio economic profile than from the other segments.
Chronic insomnia is found in old people typically beyond 65 years of age although of late people much younger than this have also been reported. It is also more prevalent in women than in men. Long periods of restless sleep can lead to increasing incidences of daytime sleepiness. Mood swings are also very common among such people. Sudden bursts of anger at the slightest irritation are frequently reported. Chronic insomnia can also lead to depression.