What causes insomnia?
When a person can’t sleep or can’t stay asleep, that person has insomnia. But what causes insomnia? There are numerous causes of insomnia. That is the reason why the condition is so common. There are natural, situational and health-related causes of insomnia.
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Almost everyone experiences moments of troubled sleep in their lives. Weird climate changes can affect a person’s sleep. There are just nights that may be too cold, too hot or with thunderstorms, too noisy. These are all related to a person’s sleep environment or the bedroom. The bedroom should be comfortable in all aspects. It shouldn’t be too bright, noisy, hot or cold. The mattress and beddings must also be comfortable. All these factors may be the reason why people can’t sleep or can’t stay asleep.
Hormonal shifts and aging are also natural causes of sleeplessness. Hormonal changes explain why older adults are more prone to getting insomnia. That and the fact that we lose 10 minutes of deep sleep every decade in our life. During male andropause and female menopause, the body decreases its production of hormones that cause trouble sleeping among other things. Constant troubled sleep increases the production of the stress hormone cortisol. Low or high levels of hormones cause insomnia. Other phases of a woman’s life also include hormonal changes. Examples of these would be menstruation, PMS, pregnancy and perimenopause. Natural aging goes hand in hand with hormonal shifts. This explains why insomnia gets more common as people age.
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Stressful events can cause insomnia. If a loved one is sick or passed away, relatives and friends may experience trouble sleeping. Grief can cause sleeplessness. A person may grieve for years after the incident actually happened. Depression and anxiety also cause insomnia. These are normal feelings during several events. A lot of people worry about their jobs, health, future, relationships and finances. Other feelings like fear, anger, and excitement over some temporary events are possible causes of mild insomnia. Many young adults who have insomnia are separated, divorced or widowed. This is according to a study conducted by Robert Stewart, MD, of King’s College London, UK.
Accidents or any other traumatic event may result to trouble sleeping.
Shift-work and jet lag requires our bodies to adjust to the change in time or schedule. Disturbances to the circadian rhythm or the body’s daily cycle like these may cause insomnia.
Health-related causes
A physical or psychological problem can be what causes insomnia. Many cases of chronic insomnia are due to these left untreated. Treating these medical conditions may eliminate insomnia. People that wake up from pain, for example, medication for the pain may help the person sleep better.
Psychological problems that may cause insomnia are the following.
- Clinical depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Panic disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Addiction or substance abuse
Addiction or substance abuse may come from recreational drugs, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and medication. Excessive gaming and texting is also considered an addiction as bad as the aforementioned ones. Rehabilitation centers catering to these cases exist all over the world. These may be what causes insomnia and addiction. Even over the counter and prescribed sleep aids will no longer help with sleep if abused. Some medication that cause insomnia are:
- Antidepressants
- Epilepsy medicine
- Beta-blockers
- Hormonal treatment
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Stimulants or psychoactive drugs
- Some medicines for asthma
- Fluoroquinolone antibiotic drugs
- Over the counter (OTC) or prescription sleep aids
A physical condition that results to troubled sleep or interrupted sleep can be what causes insomnia.
- Heart disease
- Respiratory disease
- Neurological disease
- Hormone problems
- Join or muscle problems
- Gastrointestinal disease
- Genital problems
- Chronic pain
Other sleep disorders may also cause insomnia. A bed partner’s sleeping problem may also cause the other insomnia. These may be physical or psychological in nature. Sleep disorders like restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, sleep apnea and parasomnia. Parasomnia includes different disruptive sleeping events. Events like nightmares, sleepwalking, violent behavior while sleeping and REM behavior disorder.
There are many instances wherein it is difficult to tell which is the actual cause and effect. Cases of depression are examples. Insomnia causes depression and depression also causes insomnia. Sleep apnea, a sleep disorder wherein a person stops breathing during sleep causes depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety from sleep apnea causes insomnia.
Knowing what causes insomnia is important. However, it is difficult to treat medical conditions and sleeplessness with medication that can cause it. Beta-blockers, medication for high blood pressure, can cause insomnia. The same is the case with some medication for depression, asthma, narcolepsy, ADHD, etc. But treating the underlying medical condition may still be the best thing to do.
However, when insomnia symptoms interfere with a person’s daytime functioning, it is advisable to consult a medical doctor. In some cases, a psychologist or psychiatrist might be better.
Here are some sleep related sites that will be of interest to you. Thanks for visiting our Insomnia website.
NIHSeniorHealth: Sleep and Aging - Insomnia
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Articles about Insomnia - CNN
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The Lifesaving Benefits of Sound Sleep - NYTimes.com
