Could You Be Suffering From Chronic Insomnia?

Each years, thousands of insomniacs spend countless hours watching late night television, in the hopes of drifting off to sleep. Sadly, most cases of insomnia go unreported to physicians, and many who are unable to sleep never learn that they are suffering from chronic insomnia.

Chronic insomnia has a great number of disastrous effects on both the mind and the body, including contributing to both anxiety disorders, as well as to obesity in many people. You heard right, getting a good night's sleep can actually help keep you skinny!

If you believe that you may be suffering from chronic insomnia, it is vital that you make an appointment to talk to your doctor immediately. There are many medications on the market today that can help you sleep without unpleasant side effects, or the risk of dependency. There are also a number of herbal remedies on the market for insomnia; but if you are pregnant or nursing, you should not take any of these without first consulting your physician.

How To Tell If It's Chronic

Many people who have trouble sleeping, never realize that they may be suffering from chronic insomnia. Understand that just having trouble falling asleep is not the only indication of chronic insomnia. There are a number of signs that you should be on the lookout for, if you think that your trouble sleeping may be chronic.

Although constant trouble falling asleep is a good indicator of chronic insomnia, there are still other symptoms of this debilitating condition. For instance, if you regularly wake up after only a few hours of sleep, or if you are continuously unable to sleep for more than an hour or two at one time - you may be suffering from chronic insomnia.

Regularly having difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or having troubles with chronic fatigue can all be signs of chronic insomnia. Also, an unexplained weight gain over a short period of time can be indicative of a chronic condition. Until recently, doctors and scientists believed that sudden weight gain was simply attributed to over-eating, or a drastic change in eating habits. But recent studies have shown that a sharp increase in weight, when coupled with difficulty sleeping, is a prime indicator of chronic insomnia.

Other indicators of chronic insomnia are sudden increases in anxiety levels that do not decrease, as well as a general sense of depression. Often, depression is misdiagnosed, and anti-depressants are prescribed. When, in reality, the root is stemmed in the fact that the patient has trouble sleeping.

If you think you may be suffering from chronic insomnia, it is important that you talk to your doctor immediately. The long term effects of chronic insomnia, if allowed to go untreated, can be devastating.