Psychiatry Search
Psychiatry Psychiatry
insomnia
INSOMNIA

Insomnia can be either having difficulty in initiating sleep, maintaining sleep or experiencing early morning awakening wherein returning to sleep is not easily attained.

These disturbances can cause significant distress and impairment in daytime functioning.

It is the most prevalent sleep disorder in the general population thus accurate diagnosis and effective treatment is necessary.

Introduction

  • The subjective perception of difficulty in sleep initiation, duration, consolidation, or quality of sleep, occurring despite adequate opportunities for sleep, & resulting in daytime dysfunction
  • Insomnia is the most prevalent sleep disorder in the general population, therefore, it is an important public health problem that needs accurate diagnosis & effective treatment
  • Approximately 6-10% of adults have insomnia & it is more common in females & older adults
    • 30-50% of the population is affected by occasional, short-term insomnia
    • The prevalence of chronic insomnia disorder is estimated to be at least 5-10% in industrialized nations

Risk Factors

  • Increasing age
  • Female gender
  • Medical & psychiatric disease (eg depression, mood disorders)
  • Socioeconomic factors (eg marital separation, unemployment, lower quality of life)
Digital Edition
Asia's trusted medical magazine for healthcare professionals. Get your MIMS Psychiatry - Malaysia digital copy today!
Sign In To Download
Editor's Recommendations
Most Read Articles
Cannabis consumption among adolescents associated with depression in adulthood
Dr. Joseph Delano Fule Robles, 26 Feb 2019

A recent meta-analysis showed that cannabis consumption in adolescence is associated with an increased risk of developing major depression, suicidality, and suicidal ideation in young adulthood.
Social media may impact mental health in teenagers
Roshini Claire Anthony, 11 Feb 2019

Long hours spent on social media may increase the risk of depression in teenagers, with a particularly strong effect in girls, according to results of the UK Millennium Cohort Study.
Parameters of anxiety in children with cancer vary according to instrument used
06 Feb 2019
The severity, patterns over time and predictors of anxiety in children and adolescents undergoing chemotherapy or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) change with different instruments used, a new study has found.