Difference Between Insomnia and Apnea (With Table)

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.

Insomnia vs Apnea

The main difference between insomnia and apnea is based on the pattern of problem people faces. Insomnia is basically the inability to have a better sleep, like a problem in the initialization of sleep or stay asleep even after having the proper conditions of sleep, whereas Apnea is a situation where you cannot sleep due to lack of oxygen to the brain of an individual.

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 Between Insomnia and Apnea

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 stay 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, 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 wakes you early. Headaches, tiredness, dizziness can be the consequences of insomnia which can ruin your days. The cognitive-behavioral 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 the 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

  1. The main difference between Insomnia and Apnea is in the feature, maintain proper sleep and difficulty sleeping properly despite having opportunities are the main characters of Insomnia, whereas disruption of airflow is the main character of the Apnea.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. They differ in terms of treatment as well. Insomnia is treated by avoiding the daytime nap, heavy diet at night, and caffeine, etc., while apnea can be treated by taking a healthy diet, intaking alcohol, perform regular physical activities, etc.
  5. 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.

Conclusion

Sleep is very important for health as it performs like a charger charging the body of the person to perform several day-to-day activities. Lack of sleep can lead to obesity or sudden weight gain, along with a high risk of heart disease and stroke. People who sleep less than 8 hours tend t intake more calories than the one who sleeps properly. Good sleep can also contribute to increasing concentration. Nowadays, lack of sleep is one of the major reasons for depression, etc. Therefore it is very important to treat these conditions as they can lead to big effects on the life of the individual.

References 

  1. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/37/8/1283/2416804
  2. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/181/4102/856.abstract
  3. https://search.proquest.com/openview/9baeeb95fe597699c40fdfb498dec380/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=41084