Types of insomnia (according to their duration, severity and symptoms)

Sleep problems always cause discomfort and a lack of mood and energy, but that does not mean that the causes of these symptoms are the same. In fact, there are different types of insomnia that affect us in a certain way depending on the nature of what generates this alteration.

In this article we will see what are the types of insomnia that exist, how are their effects and the way in which they evolve.

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The types of insomnia

There is no single criterion to classify which are the types of insomnia, but rather different parameters are used to classify them. This means that these alterations have different dimensions and that each of them does not describe the totality of the characteristics of insomnia that a person suffers. For example, insomnia of the intrinsic type may be long-term at times, but at other times it is short-term.

That is why to understand exactly what sleep problems someone experiences are like, all of these ranking criteria can be used at once.

With that said, let's move on to see how to classify these sleep disorders depending on the criteria used.

According to the causes of insomnia

If we focus on the nature of what causes insomnia, this can be of two types.

1. Intrinsic

Those cases in which the cause of the problem to sleep adequately can be explained by a specific alteration in the functioning of the brain belong to this category. For example, if a brain injury has occurred, there may be problems falling asleep or staying asleep. The same is true for certain disorders, such as restless leg syndrome.

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2. Extrinsic

Extrinsic insomnia occurs when the problem may be explained by the dynamics of interaction with the environment. For example, job burnout and the disruption of work schedules can generate insomnia, and the same is generally the case with poor sleep hygiene or consumption of stimulants.

According to its intendity

Sleep problems can also be differentiated according to their severity. These are their types:

3. Mild insomnia

When insomnia alone affects in a very superficial and transitory way the daily routine and the degree of health, can be considered mild. For example, it takes half an hour longer than normal to fall asleep for about three days.

4. Moderate

In moderate insomnia there are routines and habits that are already affected by this problem, and in the same way health is compromised by fatigue, discomfort and concentration problems.

5. Severe

In this type of insomnia, health is greatly affected, and the same occurs with the ability to adapt to a suitable schedule. To the symptoms of the previous type we must add memory problems, vision problems (sometimes it is difficult to "focus" the gaze well for a while), bad mood and a manifest lack of energy that prevents you from carrying out important tasks.

According to its duration

The types of insomnia can also be classified by their duration. In this sense we find these categories:

6. Chronic insomnia

When problems falling or staying asleep last more than 5 to 6 months, chronic insomnia is considered to be present. This type of problem is difficult to correct, since has been "embedded" in a person's routine for a long time and the circadian rhythm has changed a lot to a difficult to alter state.

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7. Acute or transient insomnia

Certain stress events or crises can cause a person to experience insomnia for a few days. The problem is considered to be transitory if symptoms do not persist for more than 4 weeks.

8. Short-term insomnia

This category includes cases in which the duration of the problem exceeds the month but disappears before it can be considered chronic.

By the nature of your symptoms

Taking into account the qualitative differences between the symptoms of the types of insomnia, we can classify this problem into 3 categories:

9. Conciliation

In this type of insomnia, problems appear at the time of falling asleep, which is why a long time passes between the person going to bed and beginning to sleep. However, once you have truly begun to rest, no frequent awakenings.

10. Of maintenance

In this kind of insomnia, the problem is to stay asleep, so the person will wake up many times throughout the night and therefore will not rest well, since it will not go through all the phases of sleep or will do so few times throughout the days.

11. Early awakening

People who suffer from this insomnia wake up much earlier than they should (for example, 3 hours after going to bed) and can no longer go back to sleep, since from the beginning feel too active to go back to bed.

12. Mixed

This category is a "mixed bag" that encompasses the cases in which the characteristics of two or more types of insomnia are constantly present at the same time.