How common is Insomnia and who is most likely to have sleep disorders? As much as 50% of the general population experiences insomnia at least a few nights in any given year. But only 15% of the population has enough impaired sleep to lead to some type of daily symptom such as fatigue, irritability, loss of concentration or motivation, and many others. Those most at risk for developing insomnia include older age, female gender, depressive disorder, substance abuse, shift worker, and unemployment. Interestingly enough, the most common cause of insomnia is due to or associated with depression. It is difficult to say which comes first, but 80% of patients with depression or chronic pain disorders have insomnia. A good question for us to evaluate is, does lack of good restorative sleep cause depression or pain disorders like fibromyalgia, or do the conditions that cause sleep disturbance, lead to an increase in exacerbation of all symptoms? I don’t know that it really matters to know for sure which one came first, since alternative medicine can provide natural therapies to relieve every symptom. This synergistic approach to treatment of insomnia will produce much faster results than any singular therapy targeting just pain or sleep or even depression. Sleep disorders are serious health concerns, which increase the likelihood of developing a major depressive disorder, within a 1-year period, by a factor of four. Whether you have had a sleep study or not, natural medicine can view the totality of symptoms and provide relief without prescribing dangerous and potentially addictive medications.
