Insomnia

If you experience difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or enjoying a restful night's sleep, you may be suffering from insomnia. Insomnia is defined as the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of one or more of the following:

• difficulty falling asleep
• waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep
• waking up too early in the morning
• non-refreshing sleep

Insomnia is a common symptom in the US. The Institute of Medicine estimates that between 50 and 70 million Americans have chronic sleep problems.

It is classified as:

• transient (short term) - lasting from a single night to a few weeks
• intermittent (on and off) - episodes occur from time to time
• chronic (constant) - occurs on most nights and lasts a month or more