Sleeping, it’s that state where the body goes in relaxation and renovation. Although we maybe don’t know why almost every creature has to spend some time sleeping during the day, including human beings, we detect what could happen if we didn’t get enough sleep for whatever reason, between which Insomnia.
Typically, a human would need between 7 to 9 hours daily sleeping, almost a third of our day more or less, and this amount could vary between people according to many factors, including age and health state. Then, symptoms come to disturb this stage of mind, where we literally shut down our systems for a while.
Insomnia symptoms are threatening adults on a broad scale compared to teenagers. Some statistics have claimed that almost one every three adults suffered from symptoms or still doing.
On an older scale, the elderly are also subjected to such cases due to the geriatric phase and diseases; people over 60 tend to have many chronic diseases and health conditions, which could be one of the insomnia causes.
Insomnia causes are variable, yet the same outcome; no doubt that overthinking is a main player here, worrying about work, financial issues, future, relationships, and whatsoever that affects our daily lives could cause anxiety. Which’s a different case though, but it could finally lead to insomnia.
On their side, symptoms may provoke many complications and problems concerning focus, productivity, and reflexes, which could be fatal in some cases.
That’s why we dedicated this article to spread out this article to discuss the insomnia causes, symptoms, complications, and treatment.
What is Insomnia? Insomnia Symptoms
Insomnia symptoms are different for everyone, but in general, it rolls around sleeping disturbance and difficulties while going into a deep sleep.
Insomnia symptoms could be mentioned as follows:
– Difficulties while trying to sleep.
– Waking up several times during the night or interrupted sleep.
– Early waking up for no reason and couldn’t make it back to sleep.
– Waking up tired and exhausted.
– Anxiety, depression, and constant stress.
– Memory and focus problems.
– Committing many mistakes during work or study, and subjected to many accidents daily.
– Always feel sleepy.
– Late reflexes all over the day.
symptoms affect the patient’s life gravely, taking all his activities levels down the curve, productivity is on its most minor level, and he would be less into social gatherings and events.
Insomnia symptoms are logical consequences to causes directly connected to the patient’s lifestyle and being subjected to bad experiences, shocks, or trauma.
Therefore, let’s spread out insomnia causes in detail.
Insomnia Causes
Insomnia symptoms could only last for a few days or weeks due to instant experiences or events. However, some people are subjected to chronic insomnia symptoms that they have to deal with every night trying to control.
Out of this point, we have to learn more about insomnia causes, trying to figure out the right path to overcome such cases.
Therefore, let’s recite the most common insomnia causes:
– Being subjected to stress for a long time, whether it’s due to work, study, family, relationships, or worrying about how to provide needs while planning for something. Moreover, losing someone or breaking up could also have the same impact and be considered causes.
– Jet lag mood, due to traveling between long distanced destinations, which influences the human’s biological clock and would lead to having issues regarding the sleep process. On the other side, working for endless hours, putting all efforts into realizing a particular success would be damaging more than improving.
– What we do before going to bed affects our sleep process and could lead to insomnia. For instance, our smartphones, tablets, and laptops are diffusing lights that could stimulate focus and prevent us from going to sleep correctly.
– Having hearty meals just before going to bed would always make someone uncomfortable and cause GERD. It’s always recommended to have a light and healthy dinner, to have a sweet night, and prevent many other chronic diseases as well, such as diabetes, cholesterol, and obesity.
– Mental disorders are insomnia causes, illnesses like depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic disorder. These conditions would affect our thoughts and mind, which could prevent us from having good nights of sleep with a good amount of sleep daily.
– Some medicines and drugs could have a side effect concerning sleeping, and that’s why it’s one of the insomnia causes. Antidepressants, blood pressure medicines, and many other medicines are involved. Also, pain killers, weight loss drugs, and allergic treatments’ irresponsible use might have an impact on the patient’s sleeping process for the caffeine amount included.
– Health condition has a role to play in having sleepless nights, as many chronic diseases could cause excessive pain that would encounter them from having a good sleep at night.
– Different sleeping disorders, such as breath interruption during sleep, which lead to interrupted sleep all over the night.
– Drinking many cups of coffee or tea daily, these drinks contain a high amount of caffeine, which keeps the mind always focusing and makes it hard to sleep at night. Moreover, soda drinks share the same problem, adding another one which is the amount of sugar included, leading to even more chronic diseases and health problems.
Insomnia Causes for Elderly
The elderly are maybe more subjected to insomnia symptoms due to many reasons:
– Variable sleep patterns: they could have a different sleep stages sequence and are unstable compared to younger people.
– Low activity level: People tend to rarely move around through the geriatric phase, which affects their sleeping regularity.
– Elderly’s health condition: many health issues that occur during the geriatric phase would probably cause many sleeping disorders, such as chronic diseases and joint infections. Due to pain and the feeling of uncomfortable, the elderly could face troubles during their sleeping process.
However, home nursing would be helpful through such conditions to maintain the elderly care and support their medical needs. From its side, 7keema provides a whole home nursing service for elderly care at home.
You can check out how to pick a home nursing service through this article.
Risk Factors
Developing symptoms increases if someone has one or more of the following risk factors:
– Age: being over 60 increases the risk of sleeping troubles in general.
– Being subjected to constant stress: it’s the leading cause of many diseases and health issues, including insomnia.
– Irregular menstrual cycle for women: hormonal disturbance accompanying the menstrual cycle would be a reason for sleepless nights to many women. Also, during menopause or before, it could lead to sleeping problems.
– Long working hours would increase stress in general, and instead of relaxing afterward, it could be hard to realize.
Insomnia Complications
Symptoms never stop if not appropriately faced; insteadthe, it leads to some more severe complications, such as:
– Low productivity level, whether in work or study.
– Slow reflexes, which have a critical impact concerning driving.
– Depression, it could be both a reason and a complication.
– Drugs and alcohol addiction.
– Developing symptoms for many other chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and heart diseases.
Treatment
To maintain insomnia, there’re two ways to be followed in general.
– Behavior therapy
– Drug therapy
Behavior Therapy
It would be done by analyzing the patient’s personality, challenges, dealing with different life events, and figuring out his sleeping habits. Moreover, the therapist tries to reach the main problem to fix it from its core if it concerns a mental illness.
Drug Therapy
A specialist doctor would describe some medicines to the patient according to his health condition, but caution! Doses should be well controlled.
These drugs aren’t qualified for long-term use, and they would lead to some dangerous side effects or even addiction.
Prevention
– Set your sleeping timing, and stick to it.
– Be active, practice any kind of sport, go to the gym, or work out.
– Do not take any pills or medicines without a doctor’s prescription.
– Avoid naps in the middle of the day.
– Limit your caffeine intake during the day.
– Quit smoking immediately.
– Avoid fatty and unhealthy meals before going to bed.
