What Causes Insomnia?
Insomnia is the most common type of sleep disorder. Healthy sleep should take 7-8 hours a day, and its ordinary course occurs at night and is replaced by wakefulness in the daytime. You can find out everything about healthy sleep from Dr. Catherine Rodgers. Chronic insomnia is the most dangerous type of disease. It harms the human body and its reactions. Irritability, nervousness, discomfort, weak immunity, and memory impairment are just a small list of insomnia’s possible effects.
Symptoms and signs
The main point of the disease is the absence of a recovery stage of sleep. Sleep disturbance symptoms vary:
- difficult falling asleep;
- the long search for a comfortable position, shifting the blanket, and so on;
- waking up in the middle of the night and subsequent lack of sleep;
- daytime sleepiness, irritability, and anxiety;
- waking up more than half an hour earlier than the set time and the inability to return to rest, while sleep duration is an essential condition, by the time of awakening, it does not exceed 6.5 hours.
Insomnia reasons
The causes of insomnia are numerous. These include mental and physical illnesses, emotional ups and downs, drugs, bad habits, and overeating before bed. Among the diseases that provoke insomnia are parkinsonism, hyperthyroidism, depressive disorders, neurosis, kidney disease, and arthritis. Frequent human experiences associated with every day, work, and global problems also negatively affect healthy sleep. Let’s highlight the most common causes of insomnia in humans:
- mental disorders and increased emotional experiences
- endocrine system pathologies
- somatic diseases
- apnea
- bad habits (alcohol, tobacco, drugs)
- neurology
- side effects of drugs
- pain
- external irritants
- night work and change of time zones
The reasons for insomnia can be the individual characteristics of the patient. These include the patient’s age, temperament, current health status, and lifestyle.
Causes may vary depending on the hour at which you experience insomnia. For example, if you cannot sleep between 9 pm and 11 pm, your body may lack vitamins. Eat plenty of fruit, drink juices, and you’ll restore your sleep. The next factors that complicate sleep at this time are problems with the adrenal glands and thyroid gland. If you know that your body is exposed to the above diseases, see your doctor and undergo a preventive examination.
The causes of insomnia can also include the typical manifestations of the nervous system’s disorders: anxiety, obsession with oneself, and work. Put down negative situations and go to bed in your favorite bed.
The consequences of insomnia
During sleep, the level of anabolic processes in the human body increases, and by the late afternoon, the sleep hormone melatonin begins to be produced. With sleep disorders, it is difficult for a person to fall asleep quickly. In the morning, such people rarely feel rested. Chronic insomnia can be a consequence of such violations. In the future, this condition can cause complications in the form of mental disorders, shortness of breath, leg cramps at night. Sleep problems in insomnia can raise blood sugar levels and trigger arrhythmias, not to mention chronic fatigue and loss of attention. Restless sleep causes depression and worsens a person’s quality of life.
Insomnia prevention measures:
- creating sleep stability – a stable time for falling asleep and waking up;
- lack of vigorous movements and the use of caffeine a couple of hours before bedtime;
- morning workout;
- comfort in the sleeping room – coolness and darkness;
- observance of sleep hygiene – the principles of proper and healthy sleep: a positive environment for sleep, minimizing rest during the daytime, the regularity and effectiveness of episodes, minimizing the effect of harmful substances, reducing the effect of drugs, etc.
As you have seen, the causes of insomnia can lie in the body’s emotional state and physiological characteristics. If your insomnia takes on a cyclical nature, consult a doctor. If your health is not in danger, and insomnia continues to interrupt sleep, make sure that your sleeping place is comfortable. Maybe it’s time to replace your mattress or pillow.
