Insomnia is a sleep disorder that causes difficulty falling asleep at night, frequent awakenings at night, or waking up early in the morning and not being able to fall asleep. Acute insomnia, which is often caused by an important upcoming event, traveling to another time zone, a painful accident, or, conversely, an abundance of positive emotions, has been experienced by everyone at least once in their life. One should be concerned when insomnia becomes chronic, i.e. when a person experiences severe fatigue during the day due to poor-quality sleep or its lack, when it becomes difficult to concentrate and perform daily tasks, increased irritability, mood swings are felt, and a person's motivation to work, communicate, or live in general is significantly weakened. Insomnia harms not only mental but also physical health of a person, therefore it is a common risk factor for the development of other disorders. If the above symptoms persist for more than a month, it is important to address sleep problems together with a specialist - a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist. Of course, we must not forget that in order to feel fresh and energetic during the day, it is worth following sleep hygiene: go to bed and wake up at similar times, do not consume alcohol, caffeine, sugar, or fatty foods before bed. It is advisable not to use mobile devices, and create a sleep ritual (slow walks, a relaxing bath, soothing music, light reading, meditation).
