Of the 70 million Americans that suffer from a sleep disorder, 50 percent of them suffer from occasional bouts of insomnia. Approximately one in 10 have chronic insomnia.
If you have difficulty falling or staying asleep, you could be dealing with some type of insomnia. This sleep issue can affect your daytime energy and abilities, cause you to wake up too early, or simply have unrefreshing sleep. But how do you get insomnia? We take a look at some common causes of the popular sleep disorder.
Causes of Acute Insomnia
Short-term insomnia might come or go - lasting one night to a few weeks. Typically, this kind of insomnia, known as acute insomnia, can be caused by the following:
- Stress, such as divorce, moving, death of a loved one, or even a positive source of stress like a new baby
- Any type of emotional or physical discomfort, such as environmental factors for the latter like light, noise, and extreme temperatures
- Prescription drugs like antidepressants, allergy medications, stimulants, and heart and blood pressure medications
- Some over-the-counter medications can cause sleepiness by way of caffeine (decongestants, weight loss products, pain medications) or due to urinary problems (antihistamines)
- Changes in sleep schedule, such as from jet lag/traveling or due to a switch from the day to the night shift
There are other things that can cause you to have insomnia from time to time, such as a late-night meal or the consumption of caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol. Some of these causes can have a marked effect on your sleep schedule, lending to periodic bouts of acute insomnia.
It is important to note that acute insomnia can turn into chronic insomnia. Some of the aforementioned causes, when left untreated in some form, can prolong and get worse (such as adding bad sleeping habits to the mix).
Causes of Chronic Insomnia
When a person has insomnia for three nights a week over the course of a month or more, it is deemed to be chronic insomnia.
Some of the most common causes of chronic insomnia are found on the previous list. Depression and/or anxiety along with chronic stress are quite common, as these items can certainly affect sleepers over a longer period of time. Other cases from above that simply extend over a month - such as prescription medications - can result in chronic insomnia.
A range of medical conditions can lead to chronic insomnia as well. These can include asthma, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and a number of other conditions. Other sleep disorders can certainly cause chronic insomnia - such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.
Looking at the Next Steps
You can learn more about the sleep disorder insomnia now, including the steps you can take to ease symptoms and what kind of treatment options you can expect. But if you have insomnia, it's a wise move to talk to your doctor.
Like other sleep disorders, things can get worse pretty easily. Having a bout of insomnia once in a while is one thing - if things don't get better quickly, start the dialogue with your doctor to see what you can do. It might be related to another condition, and it might be something that you can improve without too much trouble.
There are many causes of acute and chronic insomnia. Stay aware of them so that you can spot the signs, and make sure that you are taking your sleep seriously. Insomnia of any kind is not a pleasant thing to deal with - day or night.
With five years of professional experience working in the mattress industry, Sleep Outfitters' Karrie Knopf has a tremendous understanding of bedding, mattresses, and the latest in mattress technology. As part of Innovative Mattress Solutions, Sleep Outfitters includes over 80 mattress stores throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee! Sleep Outfitters offers great prices on all the best mattresses for sale including Sealy, Tempur-Pedic, Octaspring, Stearns and Foster, and the company's own UDream mattresses.
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