Top 10 causes of insomnia

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 get back to sleep. You may still feel tired when you wake up. Insomnia can sap your energy level and mood and your health, work performance, and quality of life.

How much sleep is enough varies from person to person, but most adults need seven to eight hours a night.

Many adults experience short-term (acute) insomnia, which lasts for days or weeks. It's usually the result of stress or a traumatic event. But some people have long-term (chronic) insomnia that lasts for a month or more. Insomnia may be the primary problem, or it may be associated with other medical conditions or medications.

You don't have to put up with sleepless nights. Simple changes in your daily habits can often help.

• Stress. Concerns about work, school, health, finances, or family can keep your mind active at night, making it difficult to sleep. 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.
• Travel or work schedule. Your circadian rhythms act as an internal clock, guiding such things as your sleep-wake cycle, metabolism, and body temperature. Disrupting your body's circadian rhythms can lead to insomnia. Causes include jet lag from traveling across multiple time zones, working late or early, or frequently changing shifts.
• Poor sleep habits. 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.
• Eating too much late in the evening. Having a light snack before bedtime is OK, but eating too much may cause you to feel physically uncomfortable while lying down. Many people also experience heartburn, a backflow of acid and food from the stomach into the esophagus after eating, which may keep you awake.
• Changes in sleep patterns. Sleep often becomes less restful as you age, so noise or other changes in your environment are more likely to wake you. Your internal clock often advances with age, so you get tired earlier in the evening and wake up earlier in the morning. But older people generally still need the same amount of sleep as younger people do.
• Changes inactivity. You may be less physically or socially active. A lack of activity can interfere with a good night's sleep. Also, the less active you are, the more likely you may be to take a daily nap, which can interfere with sleep at night.
• Changes in health. Chronic pain from conditions such as arthritis or back problems and 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. Sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome become more common with age.
• More medications. Older people typically use more prescription drugs than younger people do, which increases the chance of insomnia associated with medications.

• Media technology in the bedroom

  ResearchTrusted Source suggests that using devices with screens before bed can cause a loss of sleep in young people.

  These devices can also harm sleep patterns in adults. Recreational use after lights-out appears to increase the risk of trusted Source of insomnia, for example.

  Symptoms of insomnia

  Apart from disrupted sleep, insomnia can lead to other issues, such as:

  • daytime fatigue or sleepiness
  • irritability, depression, or anxiety
  • gastrointestinal symptoms
  • low motivation or energy
  • poor concentration and focus
  • a lack of coordination, leading to errors or accidents
  • worry or anxiety about sleeping
  • using medication or alcohol to fall asleep
  • tension headachesTrusted Source
  • difficulty socializing, working, or studying