Everyone has experienced insomnia at some point. Most of the time insomnia is caused by stress or some other psychological problem that will have you up all night. If you are suffering from chronic insomnia then you might be suffering from a medical condition that needs attention. Chronic insomnia causes can range from genetic to mental health problems.
Depending on your age, the ageing process can also play a factor and you might be able to determine that chronic insomnia causes have a lot to do with changing hormone levels in the body. Looking at these chronic insomnia causes might help you o diagnose your problem and seek help or find a solution.
Hormone Levels
Hormones affect so much of our body that it’s no wonder changing hormone levels are one of the chronic insomnia causes. Melatonin is an important hormone that the body needs when it comes to sleep. Melatonin controls sleeping, a decrease in melatonin will lead to disrupted sleeping patterns.
An unfortunate side effect of ageing is that you end up sleeping less, at a time when you can afford to sleep more. Melatonin decreases the older we get, by the time you are 60 you have very low levels of melatonin in the body. Thus the older you get the less likely you are to sleep for long stretches of time.
Depression
Depression is often the underlying cause of insomnia. In fact sleep disorders such as insomnia are a characteristic of depression and depressive disorders. If you have been feeling extremely stressed or undergone a major trauma, whether physical or emotional you might be experiencing depression and insomnia is a symptom.
Other chronic insomnia causes that have a psychiatric basis are bipolar disorder, and anxiety. An undiagnosed mental health problem can be dangerous when untreated and if you suspect that you might be suffering from any of these disorders then you should seek psychiatric help as soon as you can.
It’s All in Your Head
Common causes of insomnia can be put down to psychosomatic problems. When you experience one episode or several episodes of insomnia you begin to associate your bed and your bedroom with staying awake all night. This prevents you from getting any sleep.
To break the cycle you might try changing your sheet or the furniture a little to try and trick your mind. Sometimes worrying about insomnia will lead to further episodes of insomnia. If you think that either of these causes might be your problem then the only thing you can do is try to relax and make your bedroom as inviting as you can.
Many things can cause you to stay up all night. There are physical factors that include the time you wake up and go to sleep and even factors like what you eat before you go to sleep. If you think carefully about the mood you are in before you go to sleep and what you were doing right before bed you are sure to be able to find what causes insomnia, more specifically your insomnia. It is important to understand the root cause of your insomnia. Sometimes the reason behind what causes insomnia is a medical condition.
Physical Causes of Insomnia
Is your bedroom an inviting place? Or is it cluttered and filled with things from work? If the answer is yes on both counts then what causes insomnia could lie in your environment. Your bedroom should be a haven from the world.
If there are things in your bedroom that stop it from being inviting then you need to straighten things out. Making your bedroom cosier could go a long way towards solving your insomnia problems. The amount of light in your room could also be the answer to what causes insomnia, invest in blinds or curtains to help you sleep.
Think about how many cups of coffee you have in a day. A cup of coffee or two might be your way of relaxing but more than that in the day is not good for you as well as contributing to your insomnia. Overuse of caffeine and alcohol is one of the chronic insomnia causes.
Medical Conditions
What causes insomnia might be more sinister than too many cups of coffee. You might have a medical condition that is keeping you awake. If you have recently been diagnosed with a medical condition then this could be the answer to why you are staying up all night.
The diagnosis as well as the knowledge of the disease could have you up all night worrying about it. Some of the medical conditions that are behind the questions what causes insomnia are high blood pressure, heart disease and Parkinson’s.
If you suspect that you have any of these medical conditions then you might need to see a doctor to confirm your suspicions. Insomnia often seems like something trivial but it often hides a more serious medical condition that has gone undiagnosed. You should see a doctor if your insomnia persists and relaxing before bed doesn’t seem to do the trick.
It is really uncomfortable to experience insomnia. There seems to be no apparent reason for you to be up and as every hour goes by you anticipate how tired you are going to be at work the next day. The insomnia cause that has you tossing and turning could be just one thing or it could be a variety of factors.
Understanding what causes insomnia will help you get to sleep faster and find a solution to this problem full time. It means a better night of sleep for your sleeping partner who might be driven to insomnia by yours!
Psychological Causes
Have you ever heard someone say that your insomnia cause is all in your head? Well it can be true. Psychological causes are a big factor in people’s insomnia. Many time people don’t learn to turn off and stop thinking about the day’s events when they go home.
Anxiety can be a major insomnia cause. Thinking about daily activities can keep you up all night. So can being anxious about paying bills, making ends meet and a variety of other things that you have to deal with daily.
Inconvenient situation can also be an insomnia cause. Many people have sleep problems because they are worrying about things that they can’t change. You may be difficult to sleep at night if you have both stress combined with anxiety.
Physical Changes
Although a lot of insomnia is caused by psychological causes there are instances when physical factors come into play. Insomnia, particularly in women, can be caused by hormonal changes. Insomnia in women can be happened anytime, even in their pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause. The premenstrual syndrome can also be an insomnia cause for women.
Sleep problem is one of physical changes experience by older people. Sleep is controlled by hormone calles Melatonin. This hormonr is secreted into the body less if you get older. Your melatonin levels will have decreased significantly by the time you reach age 60 and you might find yourself not being able to sleep very much.
Breathing problems and allergies can cause sleep problems. If you can not sleep when you experience asthma or allergies is common and understandable as you are experiencing discomfort no matter how tired you may be. Check to see if any of these factors might be your insomnia cause and then see what you should do about it.