What's The Cause Of Insomnia?
There is a wide a range of causes of insomnia. Some specific conditions appear to make individuals more likely to suffer from some variant of insomnia. These include:
- Old age. Insomnia is more frequent in the over 60s.
- Being female
- Ongoing depression
- Stress and anxiety or other general health problems, when combined with the above factors can increase the chances of insomnia
Causes of Transient & Intermittent Insomnia
Occurrences of transient (short term) or intermittent insomnia are usually due to people temporarily experiencing the following:
- stress
- environmental noise
- extreme temperature
- changes in surrounding environment
- altered sleeping schedules (such as jet lag, changing work shifts etc)
- side effects of medication
Causes of Chronic Insomnia
Chronic insomnia is a more complex disorder which can be caused by a combination of underlying physical and mental problems.
Depression is a frequent cause of chronic insomnia. The condition can also be brought on as a side effect of physical conditions such as arthritis, asthma, heart failure, kidney disease, sleep apnea and narcolepsy.
Behavioral factors include overuse of alcohol, caffeine or other stimulants. Disrupted or uneven sleep cycles, such as changing work hours, napping during the day. Sometimes merely altering these behavior patterns can cure prolonged periods of insomnia. The inverse is also true - chronic insomnia can be brought on by said behaviors.
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