Insomnia Causes

Insomnia causes

        Insomnia can be caused by different reasons. These insomnia causes can be divide into situational factors, medical or psychiatric factors, or primary sleep troubles. Insomnia can also be classified by the duration of insomnia symptoms in transitory, short-term and chronic.

Transitory and short-term insomnia causes

        The transitory insomnia in general lasts less than one week, the short-term insomnia usually lasts for about one or three weeks, and the chronic insomnia lasts for more than three weeks. Many transitory and short-term insomnia causes are the same, and they include: changes in the shift work, unpleasant or excessive noise, awkward room temperature, too hot or too cold, all kinds of stressful problems in life ( such as an exam , the loss of a loved person, unemployment, divorce or separation), medical problems or surgical procedures or even hospitalization, giving up for drugs, alcohol, sedative or stimulant medications, high altitude.

Chronic or long-term insomnia causes

        The majority of the causes of chronic insomnia are usually related to an underlying medical condition (psychiatric or physiologic).

Psychological problems related to insomnia

        The most common psychological problems that ends with insomnia are: anxiety, stress, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. The truth is that insomnia can be an indicator of a depression. Lots of persons will experience insomnia during the chronic phases of a mental disease.

Physiological insomnia causes

        The most common physiological insomnia causes are: the disturbance of the biological clock, the imbalance of the sleep-wake, and a variety of medical problems. The most common medical problems that are related to insomnia are: chronic pain syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, congestive heart failure, chest pain in the night ( breathing symptoms), Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease (in these cases often the insomnia needs home nursing), obstructive sleep apmea, brain tumors, strokes, or a brain trauma.

High risk groups in developing insomnia

        Despite all the medical insomnia causes, some groups may have a higher risk in developing insomnia such as: travelers, the persons who work in shift with frequent changing of shifts, seniors, adolescents or young students, pregnant women and menopausal women.

Treatments related to insomnia

        Some treatments have also been associated with insomnia such as: certain treatments for high blood pressure, can be a cause for not sleeping well or even not sleeping at all, certain medications which are used to treat depression, anxiety and even schizophrenia, certain asthma medications.

The primary sleep disorders

        These conditions are called the primary sleep disorders because the sleep disorder is the main cause of insomnia. Idiopathic insomnia, starts early on life and leads to lifelong sleep disorder. Central sleep apneea, can be the first cause of the insomnia or can be caused by other diseases like brain injury, heart attack, high altitude. Sleep state misperception, which causes the patient a feeling that he/she does not sleep adequately. Insufficient sleep syndrome. The patient's sleep is not enough because of the lifestyle like sleeping in a bright or noisy room. Restless leg syndrome, which is a creeping sensation in the leg during the sleep and a leg movement. Periodic limb movements disorder, which is an involuntary leg movements during sleep.