Insomnia is a condition in which you have difficulties falling or staying asleep, even though you want to. This can increase your risk of serious health problems both physical and mental. Insomnia makes you more prone to depression, an anxiety disorder, substance abuse, heart disease, asthma, and obesity. For this reason, it is important to find the root cause of this condition and get it treated.
Keep reading to discover 7 medical conditions that can cause insomnia.
1. Alzheimer's disease
While Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia cause memory loss, they can also cause sleep problems. This is known as “sundown syndrome”. In this syndrome, the person becomes anxious, aggressive, confused, or restless closer to bedtime. Sometimes this issue becomes less pronounced, while another day it can make you stay awake all night.
Many options can help you improve night’s sleep. To relieve sundown syndrome your doctor may prescribe you bright light therapy, melatonin, or behavioral modifications.
2. Stress
Certain life situations can increase your stress levels and cause some sleepless nights. This condition is called acute insomnia. Acute insomnia can disappear on its own within a few days. Exposure to long term stress like panic attacks, PTSD, or an anxiety disorder can lead to chronic sleeping problems. This is more serious than acute insomnia. You may be required to take medications to fall asleep or relieve stress levels by treating the underlying conditions.
3. Pain
Many chronic health conditions can cause severe pain. Pain can cause difficulties falling or staying asleep. The most common conditions that interfere with night’s sleep include arthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer, and chronic back issues. While pain can interfere with sleep, sleeplessness can make the pain hurt more as well. To improve your night’s sleep your doctor may prescribe pain medications to relieve pain.
4. Breathing issues
Sleep apnea is a common breathing problem that occurs during a night’s sleep. In this condition, you suddenly stop breathing until your brain wakes you up. Another symptom of this disease includes heavy snoring. This condition can cause serious health problems like hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and abnormal heartbeat. For this reason, it is important to treat sleep apnea to ensure better overall health.
The most common cause of this condition is obesity, but nasal allergies and asthma can also contribute to sleep apnea. Your doctor can test you for these conditions and help manage or treat them.
5. Itching
Conditions like eczema or psoriasis can cause your skin to burn and itch so badly, that it’s the only thing you can think aboutt. It is challenging to fall asleep in a situation like this. Even if you do fall asleep, you may scratch so hard that it wakes you up again. You need to ask your doctor how you can soothe your skin and relieve itching. If you don’t know what causes skin itching, it is recommended to visit a dermatologist.
6. Mental disorders
There is a link between insomnia and mental disorders. Sleep problems like insomnia are a common symptom of mental issues like depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The link between mental diseases and insomnia is bidirectional because people with insomnia are more likely to develop mental illnesses. This happens because insomnia decreases your ability to process negative emotions.
7. Confused body clock
A confused body clock (aka circadian rhythms) can make it hard for you to fall or stay asleep. The main causes of this problem include traveling to another time zone, working overnight, having an inconsistent bedtime, or changing work schedule.
Using a phone or other electronic devices can also disrupt circadian rhythms. The blue light that emits from the screen of your phone interferes with the production of melatonin in your body. This hormone regulates your internal body clock and helps to fall or stay asleep.
