However, persistent difficulties with sleep or a persistent feeling of tiredness may be a sign that it is time to seek help. The immediate effects of sleep deprivation are low creativity, poor mental concentration and memory loss. Irritability and short tempers often are a result. If you have trouble sleeping at night, you are not alone. More than 100 million Americans of all ages regularly fail to get a good night's sleep.
Insomnia is defined as trouble falling asleep or staying asleep and affects one in three adults.
If you have insomnia, it disturbs your waking hours as well as your sleeping hours, since you are likely to feel sleepy during the day and have trouble concentrating on tasks after a poor night's sleep. Typically, insomnia occurs for a night or two, but sometimes it can go on for weeks, months or even years. This type of insomnia is usually brought on by excitement or stress. For example, adults often sleep poorly before a key meeting at work or after a spat with their spouse. People are more likely to have trouble sleeping when they are away from home, especially if they have traveled across several time zones.