Many prescription drugs can interfere with sleep, such as certain antidepressants and medications for asthma or blood pressure. Insomnia often occurs with other mental health disorders as well. Awakening too early can be a sign of depression. Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, may disrupt your sleep. Treating the medical condition may help improve sleep, but the insomnia may persist after the medical condition improves.Īdditional common causes of insomnia include: Many people also experience heartburn, a backflow of acid and food from the stomach into the esophagus after eating, which may keep you awake.Ĭhronic insomnia may also be associated with medical conditions or the use of certain drugs. Having a light snack before bedtime is OK, but eating too much may cause you to feel physically uncomfortable while lying down. Computers, TVs, video games, smartphones or other screens just before bed can interfere with your sleep cycle. 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. Causes include jet lag from traveling across multiple time zones, working a late or early shift, or frequently changing shifts. Disrupting your body's circadian rhythms can lead to insomnia.

Your circadian rhythms act as an internal clock, guiding such things as your sleep-wake cycle, metabolism and body temperature. 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. Concerns about work, school, health, finances or family can keep your mind active at night, making it difficult to sleep. Treating the underlying cause can resolve the insomnia, but sometimes it can last for years.Ĭommon causes of chronic insomnia include: It is a viscous cycle, and unfortunately, one of the ways to solve it is to reduce tension and stress the exact things that result from the problems sleeping then cause additional sleep problems.Insomnia may be the primary problem, or it may be associated with other conditions.Ĭhronic insomnia is usually a result of stress, life events or habits that disrupt sleep. Then when they go to bed, they are anticipating having sleep problems, they become anxious, and sure enough, they are unable to relax and fall asleep. What often happens with sleep difficulties and insomnia is that a person has some problems falling asleep, they then begin to worry that the sleep problems will continue. One of the big problems with sleep is that the more anxious you are, the less likely you will be to sleep. True insomnia occurs for extended periods of time and causes devastating effects on those who suffer from it. When you are having sleep problems toward the end of the semester for a week, this is not really insomnia. Insomnia is not as common as people often like to think.

Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder in which the person has trouble in one of the following areas of sleep: falling asleep, staying asleep throughout the night, or not being able to fall back asleep after a disturbance/awakening.

Define insomnia