Emma Hein is lucky to get a day's worth of sleep in one week.
It's mainly because of stress
said Hein, an Ohio University freshman studying general arts. If I'm stressed out I won't be able to get to sleep.
Insomnia, or the inability to attain or maintain sleep, is a growing concern across the nation and is often related to depression and stress.
(Insomniacs) will lay and look at the ceiling wander all around the house
and when they are so exhausted they can't stand it anymore they fall asleep
said Flint Adkins, manager of the sleep medicine program at the Holzer Clinic Sleep Lab.
Hein said it usually takes her about an hour and a half to get to sleep, and she often wakes up in 45-minute intervals throughout the night.
The insomnia thing starts to take a hold of you
in a way
she said. But I think ... a lot of people know how to manage their time or manage stress and that really helps in the sleeping category.
Hein is not the only one who loses sleep over stress. About one third of Americans have reported cases of insomnia because of personal financial concerns, the U.S. economy and/or employment concerns, according to a recent poll released by the National Sleep Foundation.
The more money you have invested in the stock market right now
the more sleep you're losing
Adkins said.
The survey was taken in the fall, when the presidential campaigns and newspapers were writing more stories about the low economy, and the lack of sleep trend is expected to continue.
As people continue to lose jobs and we go through these economic hardships ... I would expect sleep problems to increase
said Darrel Drobnich, chief program officer at the National Sleep Foundation. That's why people ... should exercise
eat right and get enough sleep to deal with anxiety
