Homo Nocturnos: Understanding Insomnia

Homo Nocturnos: Understanding Insomnia

Have you met a homo nocturnos?

We have met those types during our college days – guys and girls who burned the midnight oil literally, not because they are the diligently studying, but because they just couldn't sleep.

They would flip over in bed from edge to edge, making annoying noises and disturbing our sleep, then they would get out of bed and turn the lights on, and create more annoying noises and an even greater disturbance.

The next day, these people get raccoon eyes and take pills with long and difficult to spell names. Who can claim that he has a life when he's losing sleep for no apparent reason? Even nocturnal animals like the night owl would certainly look unglamorous with raccoon eyes.

Most people get catatonic over the littlest things. Some do after ingesting mushrooms, chocolates, breads and pasta, beer, and other so-called poisons. It is probably the mold. To avoid insomnia, you can try avoiding such foods and answering crossword puzzles and the like.

Let us take the example of Linda, a young accountant. Her main problem is that she has preconditioned herself about insomnia. She says it has been that way since she was still in school, driven by her desire to be at the top of her class. She just had to study all night through. Eventually, the habit caught up with her and even though she has long left school, the sleeplessness remained.

Those who do the graveyard shift understandably look at insomnia as an advantage – they are paid for it. Other folks, likewise, would rather stay awake. Linda took advantage of it to graduate cum laude. Some people even go as far as justifying insomnia, calling sleep a waste of time because they do not really accomplish anything.

There is no exact pathophysiology for insomnia because it has a variety of causes. Extrinsic insomnia results from transient situation insomnia or inadequate sleep hygiene. Emotional stress triggers such type of insomnia. Then there is drug or alcohol dependent insomnia, altitude insomnia, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, insomnia associated with mental disorders, and the list goes on.

There are no definite answers even from those who prescribe Valium, Dormicum, and Lexotan themselves, perhaps its time for extreme measures?

Hey, if you are really desperate, maybe breeding tse-tse flies could be the answer? You know, tse-tse flies… sleeping disease… Good luck!