Chronic insomnia is the common term for a lack of sleep for long periods of time and can be caused by medical conditions, stress, or an undiagnosed mental disorder. Chronic insomnia can have a number of negative effects on the health of the person and can become worse as time goes by. Getting an adequate amount of sleep each night is very important for a person’s general health and chronic insomnia can be fatal if left untreated for a long period of time.
Effects On The Body
Chronic insomnia can have a harmful effect on different areas of the person’s health and the complications associated with the condition will increase in severity the longer the insomnia lasts. The body may experience fatigue, pale skin, nausea, tremors, weight fluctuations, and an ineffective immune system.Blurred vision, dark circles, twitching muscles and even color blindness are the problems from which one can suffer.
Chronic insomnia can also affect the brain, causing dizzy spells, fainting, headaches, irritability, and slurred speech. If the insomnia continues without treatment, the person may also begin to experience memory loss, confusion, inability to concentrate, hallucinations, and depression. If the chronic insomnia continues for a long period of time, psychotic episodes may occur and there is no guarantee that they will stop once the person returns to their normal sleeping pattern.
The inability to sleep for significant periods of time can result in difficulty thinking, lack of emotional control, delayed reaction times, and inability to handle stress effectively.The effects of chronic insomnia can be deadly for a person coping with it. Researchers have found that rats that are deprived of sleep will die within three weeks of the experiment because the bodies can not handle chronic insomnia for long time periods.
Who Is Affected By The Condition?
Naturally occurring cases of chronic insomnia often affect senior citizens during their life time. As people become older, they become more vulnerable to the disorders that can result in chronic insomnia. Experts estimate that as many as 50% of the people over the age of 64 suffer from mild to severe insomnia. In many cases, these people will require some type of insomnia medication to return to their regular sleeping patterns.
People that are younger have a much lower risk of developing a chronic case of insomnia, but are typically affected by the condition more. The effects of chronic insomnia appear as drunkenness, with reaction times that are delayed, slurred speech, imbalance, and dizziness. The condition can affect the body in many different ways and can be a very unpleasant experience.
