Insomnia: Causes

Insomnia can be caused by:

• Psychoactive drugs or stimulants, including certain medications, herbs, caffeine, cocaine, ephedrine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, MDMA, methamphetamine and modafinil
• Hormone shifts such as those that precede menstruation and those during menopause
• Life problems like fear, stress, anxiety, emotional or mental tension, work problems, financial stress, unsatisfactory sex life
• Mental disorders such as clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, general anxiety disorder
• Disturbances of the circadian rhythm, such as shift work and jet lag, can cause an inability to sleep at some times of the day and excessive sleepiness at other times of the day. Jet lag is seen in people who travel through multiple time zones, as the time relative to the rising and setting of the sun no longer coincides with the body’s internal concept of it. The insomnia experienced by shift workers is also a circadian rhythm sleep disorder.
• Certain neurological disorders, brain lesions, or a history of traumatic brain injury

* Medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism and Wilson’s syndrome
* Abuse of over-the counter or prescription sleep aids can produce rebound insomnia
* Poor sleep hygiene
* Parasomnia, which includes a number of disruptive sleep events including nightmares, sleepwalking, violent behavior while sleeping, and REM behavior disorder, in which a person moves his/her physical body in response to events within his/her dreams
* A rare genetic condition can cause a prion-based, permanent and eventually fatal form of insomnia called fatal familial insomnia

A common misperception is that the amount of sleep a person requires decreases as he or she ages. The ability to sleep for long periods, rather than the need for sleep, appears to be lost as people get older. Some elderly insomniacs toss and turn in bed and occasionally fall off the bed at night, diminishing the amount of sleep they receive.[8]

An overactive mind or physical pain may also be causes. Finding the underlying cause of insomnia is usually necessary to cure it. Insomnia can be common after the loss of a loved one, even years or decades after the death, if they have not gone through the grieving process. Overall, however, symptoms and the degree of severity affects different people differently, depending on their mental health, physical condition, and attitude or personality.

Related posts

• Insomnia: Insomnia Versus Poor Sleep Quality (0)
• Major depressive disorder: Epidemiology (0)
• Major depressive disorder: Causes (0)
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• Insomnia: Patterns of Insomnia (0)

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