What causes Insomnia?

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep and hard to stay asleep. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that affects as many as 35% of adults. It is marked by problems getting to sleep, staying asleep through the night, and sleeping as long as you would like into the morning. I Insomnia can effect not only your energy level and mood but also your health, work performance and quality of life. It can have serious effects, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness and health effects from sleep deprivation. 

What Is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which you have trouble falling and/or staying asleep. The condition can be short-term (acute) or can last a long time (chronic). It may also come and go. Acute insomnia lasts from 1 night to a few weeks. Insomnia is chronic when it happens at least 3 nights a week for 3 months or more.

Insomnia may cause:

• Difficulty falling asleep and/or waking up in the middle of the night.
• Difficulty returning to sleep.
• Feeling tired/fatigued during the daytime.
• Irritability or depressed mood.
• Issues with concentration or memory.

Types of Insomnia

Insomnia is a sleep disorder which is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or both. It can be caused by a variety of factors. Experts describe insomnia in a few different ways, depending on its specific characteristics:

• Acute insomnia refers to short-term sleeping difficulties that generally last no more than a few weeks.
• Chronic insomnia refers to insomnia that affects your sleep for 3 or more days each week on a regular basis, typically for a period of 3 months or longer.
• Onset insomnia describes difficulty falling asleep. Trouble getting to sleep might happen as a result of caffeine use, mental health symptoms, or other common insomnia triggers, but it can also develop with other sleep disorders.
• Maintenance insomnia refers to trouble remaining asleep once you get to sleep, or consistently waking up too early. This type of insomnia might relate to underlying health and mental health symptoms  but lying awake and worrying you won’t get enough sleep can make it worse.
• Behavioral insomnia of childhood involves consistent trouble falling asleep, refusing to go to bed, or both. Children with this condition often benefit from learning self-soothing strategies and following a regular sleep routine.

Common causes of Insomnia

Insomnia is usually a result of stress, life events or habits that disrupt sleep. Treating the underlying cause can resolve insomnia, but if not treated the effects of insomnia can last for years. Here are some of the common causes of chronic insomnia.

Changes in sleep patterns. 

Sleep often becomes less restful as you age, so noise or other changes in your environment are more likely to wake you. With age, your internal clock often advances, so you get tired earlier in the evening and wake up earlier in the morning. But older people generally still need the same amount of sleep as younger people do. Irregular sleep times

confused body clock can keep you up when it's time for bed. Perhaps that's the result of an inconsistent bedtime, a long flight from another time zone, working overnight, or changing shifts for your job. Some people simply have a different circadian rhythm that puts them out of sync with typical activities, so it's hard for them to sleep at "normal" times.

Mental health disorders. 

Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, may disrupt your sleep. Awakening too early can be a sign of depression. Insomnia often occurs with other mental health disorders as well. A troubled mental state plays a role more than half of the time. People with depression are far more likely to have sleep problems, including insomnia. So are those with anxiety, bipolar, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The way your sleep is affected can offer clues to the type of illness. It's not uncommon to be diagnosed with a mental disorder after you seek help for insomnia.

Medications. 

Many prescription drugs can interfere with sleep, such as certain antidepressants and medications for asthma or blood pressure. Many over-the-counter medications such as some pain medications, allergy, and cold medications, and weight loss products contain caffeine and other stimulants that can disrupt sleep.

Changes in activity. 

You may be less physically or socially active. A lack of activity can interfere with a good night's sleep. Also, the less active you are, the more likely you may be to take a daily nap, which can interfere with sleep at night.

Stress. 

Concerns about work, school, health, finances or family can keep your mind active at night, making it difficult to sleep. Stressful life events or trauma such as the death or illness of a loved one, divorce, or a job loss also may lead to insomnia.

Medical conditions. 

Whether from arthritis, chronic back issues, fibromyalgia, cancer, or another condition, pain can prevent you from peacefully drifting off or interrupt your rest. And to complicate the issue, sleeplessness can make pain hurt more as well, creating a cycle. Examples of conditions linked with insomnia include chronic pain, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), overactive thyroid, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Poor sleep habits. 

Poor sleep habits include an irregular bedtime schedule, naps, stimulating activities before bed, an uncomfortable sleep environment, and using your bed for work, eating or watching TV. Computers, TVs, video games, smartphones or other screens just before bed can interfere with your sleep cycle. Eating too much late in the evening. Having a light snack before bedtime is OK, but eating too much may cause you to feel physically uncomfortable while lying down. Many people also experience heartburn, a backflow of acid and food from the stomach into the esophagus after eating, which may keep you awake.

Changes in health. 

Chronic pain from conditions such as arthritis or back problems as well as depression or anxiety can interfere with sleep. Issues that increase the need to urinate during the night such as prostate or bladder problems can disrupt sleep. Sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome become more common with age.

Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. 

Coffee, tea, cola and other caffeinated drinks are stimulants. Drinking them in the late afternoon or evening can keep you from falling asleep at night. Nicotine in tobacco products is another stimulant that can interfere with sleep. Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it prevents deeper stages of sleep and often causes awakening in the middle of the night.

Menopause & PMS

Usually in middle age, a woman's body slowly stops making progesterone and estrogen. The shifting balance of hormones, as well as other changes that typically happen in life at this time, can make you more sensitive to things like stress that affect sleep. Severe hot flashes and surges of adrenaline that raise your body temperature could be so uncomfortable that you wake up drenched in sweat, sometimes several times a night. Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and the more serious premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) often have trouble sleeping. This usually happens shortly before or during your period. Hormone changes can affect your body's temperature and its production of melatonin, a hormone important for sleep. Also, mood changes due to PMS or PMDD may make it harder to get a good night's sleep.

Insomnia Treatment 

The best way to prevent sleep deprivation is to make sure you get adequate sleep. Once you start sleeping better, you have more energy and feel better able to deal with daily issues. Follow the recommended guidelines for your age group, which is 7 to 9 hours for most adults. Creating good sleep habits can vary from person to person, so trying out different steps can help create a tailored approach to improving your sleep. Here are some tips you can use to get back on track with a healthy sleep schedule:

• Limiting daytime naps or avoiding them altogether
• Refraining from caffeine past noon or at least a few hours before bedtime
• Going to bed at the same time each night.
• Waking up at the same time every morning
• Sticking to your bedtime schedule during weekends and holidays
• Spending an hour before bed doing relaxing activities, such as reading, meditating, or taking a bath
• Avoiding heavy meals within a few hours before bedtime
• Refraining from using electronic devices right before bed
• Exercising regularly, but not in the evening hours close to bedtime
• Reducing alcohol intake

When to see a doctor

A lack of sleep can lead to a variety of problems, ranging from mild tiredness to chronic illness. The best approach can depend on the underlying cause and the type of insomnia, but some options include:

• Counseling
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• (CBT)
• Prescription medications
• Over-the-counter sleep aids, some of which are available for purchase online.
• Melatonin, which is also available for purchase online

Your doctor will do a physical exam and ask about your medical history and sleep history. If insomnia makes it hard for you to function during the day, see your doctor to identify the cause of your sleep problem and how it can be treated. If your doctor thinks you could have a sleep disorder, you might be referred to a sleep center for special testing.