One of the best things about Penn State or any college town, is the late night food that is available to students. Wings, Pokey Sticks, Fries, Sandwiches, and my personal favorite, Insomnia Cookies. Ever wonder why they call it insomnia cookies? Mainly because their store hours are 12PM-3AM.

A plethora of people are unaware of the fact that Insomnia is actually a life threatening illness, and not just a brand to buy mouthwatering cookies for late night munchies. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that troubles the lives of human beings. Insomnia has multiple classifications. Acute or chronic are two of the most common types of Insomnia. Acute insomnia is short-lived, and may be brought about by stress at work, and traumatic or life threatening events. In contrary, Chronic insomnia lasts for months or longer, and can cause daytime sleepiness, lack of energy, anxiety and depression.

The one thing that all humans need to survive, is sleep. The worst part is, people with this sleep disorder can’t do so. However, the signs and symptoms of this disorder are easily recognizable. Symptoms include fatigue or lack of energy, attention, concentration or memory problems, lack of motivation, and lastly, mood swings. Symptoms need to be present for at least a month in order to be diagnosed.

Insomnia has many causes. Women are more likely to experience insomnia than men. Environmental factors like high altitude, noise, light, and uncomfortably warm or cold temperature in the room can increase vulnerability to Insomnia. Also, the risk of insomnia increases with age. Studies show that insomnia is directly related to an increase in age because of the increase in stress over the years. Those who lead an inactive lifestyle, travel a lot and are affected by the time difference changes, and those who work late night shifts or have long shifts  are also at high risk for developing Insomnia.

How good do insomnia cookies sound right now…they sure sound better than writing this at 2:24 in the morning (which is what I am doing). What I am trying to say is, college students are one of the most recognized group of people who struggle from Insomnia. Studies show that the bedtimes and sleep times studied effect the GPA’s of first year college student. Between the stress of meeting deadlines, maintaining a social life, and doing well on exams, college students with sleep disorders do not achieve their desired academic performance, and up to 27% of students may be at risk for developing at least one sleep disorder because of these stresses. So like myself, and many of my classmates, we need to work on the sleeping part of college, if we ever find time in our busy schedules.

Another common illness that is associated with Insomnia is anxiety. Studies also show that, more than one-half of insomnia cases are related to depression, anxiety or psychological stress. In particular, Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Many people who suffer from Insomnia become extremely anxious before they attempt to fall asleep because of the tossing and turning they know will occur throughout the night. There are many challenging self-defeating thoughts that fuel Insomnia. These thoughts include, unrealistic expectations, exaggeration, and fortune telling. Studies show that by telling yourself that things such as potentially doing bad on a test as a result of no sleep, and the fact that you will not be able to sleep because it is out of your control will not occur is a way of helping insomniac thoughts. Patients may find it helpful to jot down their own thoughts and negative experiences regarding insomnia so that they can resort back to and dispute thoughts, in the case that they reoccur. By doing so, patients may be able to reduce stress levels, anxiety levels, and hopefully be able to sleep throughout the night.

So, how can someone who suffers from the stresses of Insomnia everyday get help? Insomnia can be very hard to treat considering it is one of the most frustrating illness’. For starters, DO NOT force sleep. It is recommended that if you cannot sleep do not stay in bed for more than 20 minutes because it will make matters worse, find another relaxing activity that will keep you occupied before returning to bed. Other helpful tips are to refrain from taking naps and spending daylight hours in bed, exercise daily, and maintain a healthy sleep schedule (if possible). Although there are many more suggestions regarding things to do to decrease the risk and the seriousness of insomnia, by taking small measures everyday to improve sleeping patterns, you will lead a healthy life!

Sources:

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/inso

http://eqip.psychology.org.au/topics/276/249

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/inso/atrisk

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4075951/

https://www.google.com/#q=what+is+anxiety

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/cant-sleep-insomnia-treatment.htm

http://www2.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=145368