This essay is about the differences between a scientific source and a popular source about insomnia and its causes. In order to discuss this topic, we first need to know what insomnia is. Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which people’s mental health and ability to function are compromised by their inability to sleep (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, & Halpern, 2016). People suffering from insomnia are mostly women rather than men and older adults rather than young adults. Insomnia can have many causes, like anxiety, stress, worrying about sleep, and it’s even associated with feelings of depression (Bootzin & Epstein, 2011). Many research is done when it comes to insomnia. You can read all about it on the internet, in your local newspaper and in scientific articles. But what are the differences between the causes and explanation of insomnia of a scientific source and of a popular source like the internet or your newspaper?
According to Bootzin & Epstein (2011) is it possible that hyperarousal plays a role in the tendency to develop insomnia. This is because people who suffer from hyperarousal are not as sleepy as normal people before they are going to bed (Robertson et al. 2007). Another cause of insomnia can be stressful situations in your environment (Bastien et al. 2004). When people start worrying about these situations before going to bed, it’s more difficult to fall asleep. The disturb of your biological rhythm can also be a cause of insomnia. This biological rhythm regulates sleep and wakefulness in your body (Zee & Manthena, 2007). The biological rhythm is influenced by signs from the environment. If these signs are given at other moments than usual, your biological rhythm can be interrupted and find difficulty with regulating sleep and wakefulness. The information in this article is partly based on the results of experiments of other psychologists and partly based on the authors’ own research. The authors referred to all the articles they used, so it’s clear where the information comes from. Therefore, I think this is a reliable source.
10 causes of insomnia are discussed in an article written by Esther Crain on Cosmopolitan.com (2012). The first cause she mentioned is ‘Total silence’. When it’s really quiet in your bedroom, you’re more easily awakened by a soft noise. The second cause is ‘The wrong blinds or curtains’. The blinds or curtains can be too short or they can let light through. The third cause mentioned is a pet. If they move at night, they probably will awake you. Moreover, their hairs can cause your nose to be irritated which can also awake you. The fourth cause is ‘Your alarm clock’. If you wake up in the middle of the night and check your alarm clock, you may become anxious because you can’t sleep for much longer. The fifth cause mentioned is a TV-show. If you watch an exciting TV-show in bed and go to sleep right after watching, your brain is still too active to sleep. The sixth cause is the temperature. It shouldn’t be too hot or cold in your room because your body will wake you up when it is. The seventh cause mentioned is the color of your walls. Your walls shouldn’t be too bold. The eighth cause is the light of your laptop/tablet. This light will keep you alert. The ninth cause mentioned is your telephone. Incoming calls or messages may keep you awake. The last cause is clutter. If your room is too messy, your heart rate can increase and this will also keep you awake. This article is based on statements of people. The article doesn’t refer to scientific articles, only to the people making these statements.
So what are the differences between these two articles? First of all, there are differences in the causes of insomnia between the two articles. The scientific article mentions mostly biological causes, while the popular source mentions mostly environmental causes which influence your body and sleep. Furthermore, the scientific article used scientific sources and referred to these sources, while the popular article only used statements of people who are specialized in things associated with insomnia. So the sources of the popular source are much vaguer than the sources of the scientific article.