Insomnia Causes, Symptoms, About Aging, Causes of Insomnia in the Elderly, Causes of Insomnia During Pregnancy, Risk Factors, Complications, & Prevention

• Difficulty falling asleep at night.
• Waking up during the night.
• Waking up too early.
• Not feeling well-rested after a night’s sleep.
• Daytime tiredness or sleepiness.
• Irritability, depression, or anxiety.
• Difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks, or remembering.
• Increased errors or accidents.
• Ongoing worries about sleep.

Is all Insomnia the Same?

Individuals may have various experiences with the disease; not all insomnia is the same. [2]. Short-term insomnia happens only briefly, while chronic insomnia lasts three months or more. For some people, the main issue is getting to sleep (sleep onset), but for others, the issue is maintaining sleep (sleep maintenance).Based on its root cause, degree, and underlying medical issues, insomnia can have a wide range of effects on a person.

Causes

The main issue can be insomnia, or it might be a symptom of other diseases. Chronic insomnia is frequently brought on by stress, traumatic experiences, or sleep-disturbing habits. Insomnia can be cured by attending to the underlying cause, but it occasionally persists for years.

Common causes of chronic insomnia include:

• Stress: Your mind may remain active at night due to worries about your job, health, finances, or family, making it difficult to fall asleep. Insomnia can also be brought on by traumatic or stressful life events like divorce, losing your job, losing a loved one to death or disease.
• Travel or work schedule: Your circadian rhythms serve as an internal clock, controlling your body’s temperature, metabolism, and sleep-wake cycle. Insomnia can result from a disruption of your body’s circadian rhythms. Jet lag from crossing time zones, working a late or early job, or often switching shifts are some of the causes.
• Poor sleep habits: An erratic bedtime schedule, naps, stimulating activities right before bed, an uncomfortable sleeping environment, and using your bed for work, eating, or watching TV are all examples of poor sleep habits. Your sleep cycle might be disrupted by using computers, TVs, video games, smartphones, or other devices right before bed.
• Overeating late in the evening: It’s ok to have a small snack before bed, but eating too much could make it uncomfortable for you to lay down. Heartburn, or the reflux of acid and food into the esophagus after eating, is another common condition that might keep you awake.

Chronic sleeplessness may also be linked to specific diseases or medications. Sleep quality may be improved by treating the underlying medical issue, although insomnia may still exist.

Additional common causes of insomnia include:

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• Mental health disorders: Your sleep may be disturbed by anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. An early awakening could indicate depression. Along with other mental health conditions, insomnia is frequently present.
• Medications: Numerous prescription drugs, including some antidepressants and treatments for asthma or high blood pressure, can disrupt sleep. Numerous over-the-counter drugs, including those for pain, allergies, colds, and weight reduction, contain stimulants like caffeine that can keep you awake.
• Medical conditions: Chronic pain, cancer, diabetes, heart illness, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), an overactive thyroid, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease are a few disorders that have been linked to sleeplessness.

• Sleep-related disorders[3]: Your breathing stops periodically during the course of the night if you have sleep apnea, which disrupts your sleep. Your legs may experience uncomfortable sensations and an almost insatiable want to move as a result of restless legs syndrome, which may keep you from falling asleep.
• Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol: Stimulants include caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, cola, and others. If you consume them in the late afternoon or evening, you can have trouble going to sleep at night. Another stimulant that might disrupt sleep is nicotine, which is present in tobacco products. Alcohol may aid in your ability to fall asleep, but it prevents deeper sleep and frequently results in nighttime awakenings.

30%

Chronic insomnia is highly prevalent and affects approximately 30% of the general population.

Source: NCBI

50%

Insomnia symptoms occur in 33% to 50% of the adult population, while Chronic Insomnia disorder associated with distress or impairment is estimated at 10% to 15%.

Source: CDC

• Changes in sleep patterns: As you become older, sleep often becomes less restful, making it more likely that noise or other environmental changes will wake you up. Your internal clock often advances with age, causing you to fall asleep earlier and wake up earlier. However, in general, elderly individuals still require the same amount of sleep as younger people.
• Changes in activity: You might engage in less exercise or socializing. Lack of activity can make it difficult to get a good night’s rest. Additionally, taking daily naps is more likely if you are less active, which can disrupt your ability to sleep at night.

• Changes in health: Sleep disturbances can result from chronic pain brought on by illnesses like arthritis or back discomfort, as well as from melancholy or worry. Sleep can be disturbed by conditions like prostate or bladder problems that make it more need to urinate during the night. As people get older, they are more familiar with sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.
• More medications: Older adults tend to use prescription pharmaceuticals more frequently than younger ones, which raises the risk of sleeplessness brought on by prescriptions.

Insomnia and Mental Health Disorders

Anxiety, sadness, and bipolar disorder are among the mental health diseases that frequently result in severe sleeping issues. It is estimated that 40% of insomnia[4] have a mental health disorder. These illnesses might cause mental hyperarousal and pervasive unpleasant thoughts that keep you awake at night. In addition, research show that sleeplessness can intensify the symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders, raising the risk of suicide in those who are depressed.

• Discomfort: Positioning and comfort in bed can be impacted by weight gain and alterations in body composition.
• Disrupted Breathing: The lungs are compressed by the uterus’ growth, which causes breathing issues while you’re trying to sleep. Hormonal fluctuations can make it more likely that you’ll snore and experience central sleep apnea, which causes momentary breathlessness.

• Reflux: Disruptive gastroesophageal reflux might be brought on by slower digestion in the evening.
• Nocturia: More frequent urination may necessitate getting out of bed to use the restroom.
• Restless Leg Syndrome: Although the precise etiology of RLS is unknown, pregnant women are more likely to develop the condition, even if they had never previously experienced any symptoms.

Complications

As important to your health as a balanced diet and regular exercise is sleep. Whatever the cause, insomnia can have a negative impact on both your emotional and physical health. In addition, people with insomnia report a lower quality of life than people sleeping well.

Complications of insomnia may include:

• Lower performance on the job.
• Accident risk and slowed reaction time while driving.

Prevention

• Illnesses of the mind, such as substance misuse, anxiety disorders, or depression.
• Increased likelihood and severity of chronic diseases or conditions, such as heart disease and high blood pressure.

• Maintain a regular bedtime and wakeup time every day, even on the weekends.
• Stay active — Regular activity helps promote a good night’s sleep.
• Check your medications to see if they may contribute to insomnia.
• Avoid or limit naps.

• Avoid or limit caffeine and alcohol, and don’t use nicotine.
• Avoid large meals and beverages before bedtime.
• Make your bedroom comfortable for sleep and only use it for sex or rest.
• Create a relaxing bedtime ritual, such as taking a warm bath, reading, or listening to soft music.