What Causes Insomnia  

In the modern world, insomnia or sleeplessness is a common occurrence affecting millions of people worldwide. However, many fail to understand what causes insomnia. 

The causes of insomnia can be different and vary from person to person.  There have been many myths ad fables connecting to insomnia. Insomnia is both a symptom and a malady. Hence, it becomes a bit difficult to diagnose and treat the disease. So for a proper treatment it’s very necessary to find out what causes insomnia?  

There can be many possible causes of insomnia which includes the following: 

Psychological causes: In many people insomnia can be due to stress, anxiety and depression. Depression, particularly in women and elderly is also a major cause of insomnia.  A physician, therapist, or sleep specialist can provide counseling that can be helpful for those with these conditions.  

Physical causes: Insomnia is a symptom associated hormonal changes commonly occurring in women during conditions such as pregnancy, menopause and menstruation.  Insomnia can also occur due to physical illness such as arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, and a number of other illnesses.  In these conditions, the best way to get relieved from insomnia is to get treatment for the physical ailment.  

Temporary events or factors : 

Among temporary events, few factors are provided below: 

• Use of medication : Medications like anti depressants and pain killers often cause insomnia. 
• Excess use of alcohol and caffeine : Overuse of alcohol and caffeine often disturbs sleep causing insomnia. 
• Extreme heat or cold, background noise, or even changes to the person’s environment can cause insomnia.  

Sleep is very much necessary for our psychological and physical well being. Without sleep everything in our life gets disrupted badly as our ability to think and work get adversely effected due to insomnia. 

Some effects of insomnia:  

• In insomnia the concerned individual may feel real tired and fatigued.  
• Mental actions like memory, concentration, and our learning abilities can be impacted   
• The performance level drops  
• Some can become irritated and upset for no apparent reason. 
• Constant irritability in turn puts strains on professional and private relationships.  
• For chronic cases, person suffering from insomnia lacks concentration and that results in increased risk for accidents and injuries 

The effects of insomnia are quite adverse and they can indeed do a lot of harm in our lives.  To get cured from insomnia and avoid those sleepless nights it is very necessary to know what causes insomnia. Healthy life style, proper nutritious dietary habit goes a long way in helping individuals getting relieved from the problem. If insomnia is chronic, medical help and psychological counseling may be necessary.