Idiopathic Insomnia - How to Tell If You Have it and What You Must Do About it Now

Idiopathic insomnia refers to a lifelong insomnia which usually begins early in childhood and continues throughout the rest of adult life. Unlike other forms of insomnia, this condition does not result from stress, medical, and psychiatric disorders or other sleep related disorders. In fact, it is quite difficult to determine its cause and is generally associated with imbalance in the patient's body, although nothing can be said about the actual cause.

The common symptoms of idiopathic insomnia are more or less the same as those for general insomnia, for example, difficulty in falling asleep, unexplained and frequent awakenings, not being able to get enough sleep, daytime fatigue, poor concentration and mood swings. Since this type of insomnia continues throughout life, the patient suffers from the symptoms every night. Moreover, the cause behind this disorder cannot be tracked. The patient generally has no neurological, psychological or any other medical problem which can explain the insomnia. If the insomnia cannot be accounted for due to medications, stress and other normal causes for insomnia, it is most likely to be lifelong insomnia.

As per the sleep disorder statistics, idiopathic insomnia is a very rare kind of insomnia. 1% adults and 0.7% kids and teens are known to suffer from it. The disorder might have its roots in the genetic make-up as it is known to be hereditary. It affects men and women equally and only 9% of all insomnia patients.

This sleep disorder is hard to diagnose as it is not caused by factors responsible for other types of insomnia. The key to recognizing this disorder is in the fact that it usually starts early on in childhood, sometimes even during infancy. People with this sleep disorder feel normal despite the symptoms because they have been used to it since an early age and therefore do not consider seeking medical help.

If you feel that you are suffering from lifelong insomnia and obvious causes cannot explain it then it is advisable that you consult a doctor. Diagnostic tests like overnight sleep test and thyroid blood tests can give some cues. Treatment of idiopathic insomnia generally involves correcting your sleep patterns, using cognitive behavioral therapy by using relaxation techniques, and use of medications like hypnotics, anti-depressants and sleeping pills.