In this hectic schedule, what matters most is the repairing of the body for the next day. Repairing is only possible when you give time to yourself for repairing, i.e., rest.
This rest is also known as sleep and is an essential process of life. Every procedure can work fine, but sometimes, the problem occurs, just like insomnia and apnea.
Both of these problems disturb the proper sleep cycle of an individual leading to an unhealthy lifestyle. To treat them, it is very important to understand the difference.
Key Takeaways
- Insomnia involves difficulty falling or staying asleep, whereas sleep apnea is characterized by involuntary breathing pauses during sleep.
- Sleep apnea results from physical obstructions or issues with brain signals, while insomnia can stem from various factors such as stress, anxiety, and medical conditions.
- Treatment for insomnia may include relaxation techniques, therapy, and medication, while sleep apnea treatment involves continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, oral appliances, or surgery.
Insomnia vs Apnea
Insomnia is the inability to initiate sleep or stay asleep even if all the conditions are proper for sleep, and this causes poor sleep quality, which impacts health. Apnea is a situation in which a person is unable to sleep properly because the brain is unable to get sufficient oxygen, leading to complications.
The problem faced by most of the people faces in today’s generation.
Insomnia is basically the inability to have a slept-like problem in the initialization of sleep or stay asleep even after having the proper conditions of sleep. It causes poor sleep quality on average, which causes poor health.
Apnea is a condition where an individual is unable to sleep due to a proper reason. The reason for poor sleep quality is based on the fact that the brain of an individual is unable to get sufficient oxygen while sleeping.
This can lead to many bad conditions like headaches, weight issues, or tiredness for the whole day.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Insomnia | Apnea |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Insomnia is a condition where an individual is unable to sleep or cannot be in a situation of sleeping for long. | Apnea is a condition where a person is unable to sleep ineffective way due to a lack of oxygen in their brain. |
| Causes | The causes of insomnia have a broad range of reasons, including physical and psychological. | The reason for poor sleep is that the brain of an individual is unable to get sufficient oxygen while sleeping. |
| Symptoms | Insomnia causes the disability of falling asleep, being asleep, or wakes you early. | Apnea shows symptoms like depression, snoring or choking, and gasping in sleep. |
| Consequences | Headaches, tiredness, dizziness can be the consequences of insomnia which can ruin your days. | Depression and weight issues can be serious consequences due to apnea. |
| Treatment | The cognitive-behavioral theory is the solution for insomnia. | Changing lifestyle can help in burring the issues of the Apnea. |
What is Insomnia?
The problem faced by most of the people faces in today’s generation. Insomnia is the inability to have slept, like a problem in the initialization of sleep or staying asleep even after having the proper conditions of sleep.
It causes poor sleep quality on average, which causes poor health. The causes of insomnia have a broad range of reasons, including physical and psychological.
The causes can be stress, anxiety, and hormonal imbalances. Sometimes there are external factors, too, like the consumption of excess nicotine or alcohol. Consumption of caffeine can also affect the sleep cycle.
Insomnia causes the disability of falling asleep, being asleep, or waking you early. Headaches, tiredness, and dizziness can be the consequences of insomnia which can ruin your days. The cognitive-behavioural theory is the solution for insomnia.
Insomnia can also be hereditary, which means it can be passed down to the individual from their parents or ancestors. And it is not only happening in humans. It can also be found in animals and bugs more often.
What is Apnea?
Apnea is a condition where an individual is unable to sleep due to a proper reason. The reason for poor sleep quality is based on the fact that the brain of an individual is unable to get sufficient oxygen while sleeping.
This can lead to many bad conditions like headaches, weight issues, or tiredness for the whole day. The reason for poor sleep is that the brain of an individual is unable to get sufficient oxygen while sleeping.
Apnea shows symptoms like depression, snoring or choking, and gasping in sleep. Depression and weight issues can be serious consequences due to apnea. Changing lifestyle can help in burring the issues of Apnea.
Apnea is of two types’ obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. It can also be found in infants, and it is not restricted to adults. And there is a high chance it will get increase with time.
And in most cases, it cannot be diagnosed, although exceptions are there. But the situation can be improved by changing things in lifestyles.
Main Differences Between Insomnia and Apnea
- The main difference between Insomnia and Apnea is in the feature of maintaining proper sleep, and difficulty sleeping properly despite having opportunities are the main characteristics of Insomnia, whereas disruption of airflow is the main characteristic of Apnea.
- Both of them are also different in terms of signs and symptoms. Symptoms or signs of Insomnia include waking up too early, or getting uncomfortable sleep daily, whereas signs and symptoms of Apnea include choking, chronic snores, and gasping of breath.
- They are caused by different factors. Causes of insomnia include stress, anxiety, caffeine, drug abuse, menopause, chronic pain, etc., whereas causes of apnea include excessive tissue content, asthma, large uvula, etc.
- They differ in terms of treatment as well. Insomnia is treated by avoiding a daytime nap, eating a heavy diet at night, caffeine, etc., while apnea can be treated by taking a healthy diet, intaking alcohol, performing regular physical activities, etc.
- Lastly, they also differ in associated conditions; insomnia is associated with conditions such as depression, anxiety, mood swings, etc., while conditions associated with Apnea are underlying physical conditions.
- https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/37/8/1283/2416804
- https://science.sciencemag.org/content/181/4102/856.abstract
- https://search.proquest.com/openview/9baeeb95fe597699c40fdfb498dec380/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=41084
Last Updated : 21 August, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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