If you're worried about insomnia, you're probably also worried about insomnia side effects. Insomnia is a really unpleasant problem itself, since it's a terrible feeling to never be able to relax, and to never feel restored after a night of good sleep.
Side effects of insomnia can be short term or long term depending on insomnia type. The lack of sleep can be harmful to living a healthy life. Sleep disorders can bring about a number of issues besides leading you to feel unhealthy.Short Term Effects
Things such as feeling fatigued and lethargic without use of stimulants like caffeine, irritability and drowsiness. That's just the short term.
Performances: Those who are suffering from insomnia find it difficult to meet even the simplest challenges of everyday life. Decisions that used to be easy to make could be much more difficult if your judgment is clouded. Insomniacs lack concentration and become sluggish as their mental ability starts to fade. They may feel bad about their performances but just cannot control it. Actions become worse along with the severity of insomnia.
Safety: Driving and operating machines become also affected by insomnia, making you more prone to cause or be in an accident due to slowed reaction time or poor judgment.
Long Term Effects
The long terms effects are much worse. From a medical standpoint, you risk serious depression if you have untreated insomnia for a long period of time. Not just that but there is a large number of evidence that suggests that insomnia can lead to permanent damage to body and affect various aspects of health.
Psychological: One of the more serious side effects of insomnia is the danger of falling into depression or suffering from an anxiety disorder. These psychiatric changes can lead to further complications in life in addition to sleep deprivation. Insomniacs often feel hopeless, dissatisfied and so depressed that sometimes it can lead to suicide in severe cases.
Health: Health of a person is really affected by insomnia. Insomniacs are prone to illness and infection as pour sleep weakens immune system. They often feel tired, fatigued, energy levels reduced and reflexes slowed. The rate of metabolism is slowed down due to lack of sleep. A growing number of people who suffer from insomnia also suffer from heart disease. A lack of sleep can also be accompanied by frequent and very painful headaches. This is one of the most widespread insomnia side effects and results for many to reach for pain relievers as a solution.
One of the side effects of insomnia which can make a person question their mental stability is experiencing hallucinations. A hallucination seems like a real experience and can make a person feel as though they are losing their mind. It can be a real and serious consequence of insomnia, and it happens more often that you would imagine.
Social Effects
The effects aren't just medical either. Relationships and marriages have broken down due to sleep habits. Appointments are cancelled and friendships never seem to be the way they were.
Personality: The most noticeable side effect of insomnia is in personality. Those who are suffering from insomnia become more irritable and quicker to snap. They are also more likely to experience mood swings. This change in personality due to insomnia depends on the person and length of sleep that has been disrupted. When these changes are severe enough personal relationships and jobs can all be impacted.
Relationship: Sometimes side effects of insomnia destroy personal relationships. Because of the insomnia you will probably not be able to control your moods. You will find that maintaining relationships is either too complicated or not as important as it used to be. The best way to fight this particular effect of insomnia is to make sure the people in your life know that you are having trouble sleeping and seek treatment for insomnia.
There is no doubt that insomnia can cause many damages to the human body and mind. Temporary lack of sleep can happen to any one of us and the consequence is usually tiredness. However, if insomnia gets out of control, then this can lead to serious health damages.
