Different Causes of Insomnia

• Insomnia is one of many sleep problems that has many different causes
• One of the other sleeping disorders: sleep apnea can cause insomnia. Drinking coffee, being stressed and having significant light and sound while trying to sleep are also factors

The causes of insomnia can be wide and varied, depending on your specific condition and the reasons behind why you cannot get to sleep and stay that way. Almost everyone has experienced a sleepless night, but if you start experiencing trouble while trying to get to sleep, or problems with waking after you fall asleep, then you may be suffering from insomnia. Some people are more disposed to suffer from this condition than others, and the specific causes for this are not yet fully discovered. It may be genetic, or it may simply be a learned behavior. Stress can play a big part in insomnia. It is reported that stressful conditions are major causes of insomnia among business executives and others having jobs that include a high level of stress. However, stress does not have to always be a result of your job, many other daily factors can cause stress as well. If you are under a lot of stress from family situations or not getting along with friends, for example, it is not an unusual occurance that you may end up laying in bed at night worrying about things. Unfortunately, this can stimulate you instead of relaxing you and allowing you to fall asleep quickly.

Some factors that result from your lifestyle habits can also promote insomnia. If you use stimulants of any kind, you may experience a difficult time dozing off or staying asleep. Many perscription medicines have side affects that warn you of insomnia. Drinking coffee, tea, or other drinks containing caffeine, too close to your bedtime, you may have a hard time falling asleep and even find yourself waking up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to a good solid level of sleep. Alcohol is another drink that is a factor in insomnia. Many people reason that a beer or glass of wine will help relax them and therefore they will get to sleep faster and easier. This is not a true. Alcohol will interfere with the natural sleep patterns of your body, and can often cause insomnia to occur during the middle of the night.

If you work at odd hours, or your designated sleep times are interrupted and/or not used for sleep activity, problems arise because your body is not on a schedule and your biorhythms may become out of synchronization. Your body can end up confused and not sure when to sleep and when to wake. In order to avoid insomnia, even if you work night shifts, try to keep your body on a regular schedule of sleep and wakefulness. This will make it easier for your body to establish when it is time to go to bed, and eliminate most insomnia.

Insomnia can also be caused by disturbances in the environmental factors around your sleeping area. Noise from road traffic outside your window, an airport nearby creating significant noise, leaving the television or radio on when you sleep, all of these things may disturb your sleeping even if you do not realize it, or you wake up from these sounds. Lights shining on you while sleeping can also induce insomnia and other sleep problems. When bright lights are detected, your body may be tricked into thinking it is daytime, preventing you from reaching the restorative deep sleep needed to wake feeling energetic and refreshed.

Insomnia may be caused by underlying medical conditions including depression, anxiety disorders, breathing disorders like sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome, where your legs are restless and jerky and even painful all night long while you sleep. All of these can prevent you from getting a full and healthy sleep.

Persistent or chronic pain can also instigate insomnia. Pain may prevent you from going to sleep, or from staying asleep once you get there. If the pain becomes too severe, it may disrupt your sleep patterns and wake you during the night. As a result, that lack of sleep can actually worsen the pain because you body is weakened and disoriented and pain is felt more during this state. With more pain, sleep is postponed and a viscious cycle may be set in motion.

Your body needs to have proper sleep levels to remain in optimal health both physically and mentally. This consists of going from being fully awake to the level of sleep where rapid eye movement or REM can occur and also where dreams are experienced. Without dreams, experts state that a level of mental incapacity can occur and manifest itself in many ways even reaching as far as insanity. You also must be able to reach a deep unconscious level of sleep for the body to repair itself every night.

No matter what the causes of persistant insomnia are, if you are starting to experience any of these symptoms or conditions, and are losing quality sleep, seek out the advice of your doctor or a sleep specialist to recieve the information and help needed to get back on a regular sleep cycle that will bring you back the sleep of your dreams.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.