What are the Main Causes of Insomnia?

Basically, insomnia is the inability to sleep, and it can take many forms. You might get into bed tired and exhausted at the end of a long day, thinking that you’d fall asleep in a moment, only to find yourself awake hours later. Or you might wake up several times through the night, despite being able to fall asleep as soon as you get into bed. It might also be that you wake up early, say at 4 or 5 a.m., and can’t go back to sleep again, although you’re fully aware that you don’t have to wake up till 7 a.m. The fact is all these symptoms point to different forms of insomnia.

There’s no need to despair, because you’re not the only one. 50% of all Americans suffer from insomnia at some point in their lives, and a good percentage experience it regularly.

Insomnia broadly refers to trouble going to sleep, staying asleep or staying asleep for the duration required to make you feel refreshed. Insomnia, being a secondary sleep disorder is actually a symptom of some other physical, emotional, behavioral or environmental problem that affects your sleep. It is usually characterized by frequency and the duration of time for which it occurs. Some of the causes of insomnia are given below:

• Transient or temporary insomnia is usually caused by stress or emotion. It may last for one day or a few days.
• Intermittent insomnia is caused by stress or anxiety and may occur on and off for a long period of time.
• Chronic insomnia is caused by one or several medical conditions. It occurs frequently (every night) and can last for two weeks (at least).

Causes of secondary insomnia

Secondary insomnia is usually caused by emotional, neurological or medical disorder. It could also be a result of another sleep disorder.

Depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder are some of the emotional disorders leading to insomnia, while neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease may be responsible for secondary insomnia too.

Some of the causes of insomnia are the following diseases:

• Arthritis or headache disorders which result in chronic pain
• Asthma or heart failure which results in difficult breathing.
• Overactive thyroid
• Gastrointestinal disorders. E.g. , heartburn
• Stroke

Secondary insomnia could also be the result of a sleep disorder such as restless legs syndrome. It could also occur as a side effect for certain medicines or frequently used substances such as:

• Stimulants such as caffeine
• Products containing nicotine, such as tobacco
• Sedatives, such as alcohol
• Some medication taken for allergy and cold, or for asthma (theophylline).
• Medicines used to treat heart conditions (Beta blockers)

Causes of primary insomnia

Primary insomnia isn’t dependent on medical or emotional conditions, and usually occurs for a period of at least a month. It is still unclear if some people are born with a greater chance of having insomnia. Some causes of insomnia which are triggered by lifestyle changes are:

• Major or long-lasting stress or emotional upset
• Factors which disrupt your sleep routine, such as travel or work schedule.

The insomnia may linger even after these factors go away. This happens because of the habits that people form while trying to deal with insomnia. These typically include taking naps, going to sleep early or worrying about sleep.