Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep. Insomnia can sap not only your energy level and mood but also your health, work performance and quality of life. Lack of sleep may also cause you to have frequent headaches or trouble concentrating. You may also experience low energy during the day or have noticeably dark circles under your eyes.
So Here are four causes of Insomnia;
1. Stress: Having extreme concerns about work, school, health, finances or family can keep your mind active at night, making it difficult to sleep. Even stressful life events or trauma such as the death or illness of a loved one, divorce, or a job loss also may lead to insomnia.
2. Changes In health: According to an article by Mayo Clinic published on the 15th of October, 2016, chronic pain from conditions such as arthritis or back problems as well as depression or anxiety can interfere with sleep. Issues that increase the need to urinate during the night such as prostate or bladder problems can disrupt sleep.
3. Poor sleep habits/ Change in sleep patterns: Poor sleep habits include an irregular bedtime schedule, naps, stimulating activities before bed, an uncomfortable sleep environment, and using your bed for work, eating or watching TV. Computers, TVs, video games, smartphones or other screens just before bed can interfere with your sleep cycle. Also, sleep often becomes less restful as you age, so noise or other changes in your environment are more likely to wake you. Then With age, your internal clock often advances, so you get tired earlier in the evening and wake up earlier in the morning.
4. Late night snacks, caffeinated and alcoholic drinks: Having a light snack before bedtime is OK, the world here is light snack, but eating too much may cause you to feel physically uncomfortable while lying down. And then there some people that just eat solid foods like eba in the middle of the night and still expect sleep, come on, who are we kidding. Many people also experience heartburn, a back flow of acid and food from the stomach into the esophagus after eating, which may keep you awake. Then Coffee, tea, cola and other caffeinated drinks in the late afternoon or evening can keep you from falling asleep at night, they just interfere with sleep. Although, according to an article by Mayo Clinic published on the 15th of October, 2016, alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it prevents deeper stages of sleep and often causes awakening in the middle of the night.
If insomnia makes it hard for you to function during the day, see your doctor to identify the cause of your sleep problem and how it can be treated.
