In a recent study, scientists from University of Pennsylvania find that 1 in 4 Americans develop insomnia every year.
But the good news is that about 75% of these people can recover and don’t suffer chronic insomnia or long-term poor sleep.
Acute insomnia is a sleep disorder in which people cannot fall asleep or stay asleep for the whole night.
If you experience the conditions three times a week or more, and the problem has lasted more than 2 weeks but less than 3 months, you may be suffering from this disease.
Insomnia becomes chronic when it occurs at least three nights a week for more than 3 months.
Although previous studies have examined insomnia symptoms in large populations, this is the first study focusing on transitions of good sleepers.
Who are good sleepers?
Experts say people who need fewer than 15 minutes to fall asleep, or who spend fewer than 15 minutes awake during the night on five or more nights per week are good sleepers.
In the current study, the researchers examined how good sleepers experience acute insomnia and then chronic insomnia, and how they recovered from the diseases.
A total of 1,435 adults took part in the study. They were tracked for one year during 2015-2017.
They were verified as good sleepers over the first three months of the study and assessed on a daily, weekly and monthly basis for one full year.
All the people kept a daily sleep diary for the duration of their study. This allows a uniquely detailed level of insight into how sleep varies from day to day.
In addition, regular sleep assessments were made to check these people’s daytime function, stress, life events, and physical as well as mental health.
The researchers find that about 25% of people experiencing acute insomnia, and that 75% of them recovered good sleep within 12 months.
Additionally, 21% remained poor sleepers, and about 6% developed chronic insomnia.
The researchers explain that whether caused by stress, illness, medications, or other factors, poor sleep is very common.
These findings reveal new insights about the paths that acute insomnia takes and can help interventions that treat poor sleep and help people recover sufficient sleep at night.
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