Can’t Get to Sleep? Figure Out the Symptoms and Causes of Insomnia

Like a night owl whose eyes are wide open, you can’t get to sleep and it feels as though you have tossed and turn in bed a million times. Isn’t it frustrating when all you want is a restful sleep, yet you feel restless and wide-awake during the night? And throughout the following day, you feel the punishment of the previous sleepless night—you become grumpy and exhausted. You are not alone. In fact, surveys show that many Americans get less than the ideal number of hours of sleep every night.

To be able to address your problem, it pays to fully understand first your problem. Insomnia may seem like a harmless problem, but it could prove to be fatal in the long term.
What is Insomnia?

How much sleep do you need? The ideal number of hours ranges from seven to nine hours. However, insomnia is defined not just by the number of hours you devote for dozing off and how fast you feel sleepy during bedtime. This sleep condition also refers to the quality of sleep and after-effect of sleeping.

That means you can still experience insomnia even if you get the right amount of sleep. This happens when you easily wake up a few times at midnight or when you feel sleepy and tired during the day.

Insomnia can have pervasive effects on several aspects of your life such as your mood, memory, energy, and performance of day-to-day activities. Also, insomnia can take its toll on your health. People with sleep problems are likely to develop health conditions such as hypertension, heart disorder, and diabetes.
Some cases of insomnia last for only a few days and disappear on their own. On the other hand, there are persistent cases of insomnia that have to be solved immediately. Chronic insomnia, when left untreated, can lead to undesirable changes to one’s life.

Causes

Contrary to popular belief, insomnia is not the only sleep problem that people experience. Other common sleep disorders are sleep apnea and nightmares. Insomnia can be a symptom of an underlying health condition. The causes of insomnia vary from one person to another. Inability to sleep at night could be a result of something as simple as excessive caffeine intake during the day or as complicated as a pre-existing health issue.

Identifying the root causes of your sleep problem can help you decide the best cure that can put an end to your sleepless nights.

Depression and anxiety are the two leading causes of insomnia. People who are depressed or intensely anxious usually find it hard to get come sleep. The lack of sleep, in turn, worsens the depression or anxiety disorder, making the problem a cycle that does not seem to end.

Aside from depression and anxiety, the other psychological causes of insomnia include chronic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and bipolar disorder.

If you suffer from diseases that cause insomnia, you have a great chance of having trouble with sleeping. Some of the health problems that can lead to insomnia include allergies, kidney disorder, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, and hyperthyroidism.

Insomnia is one of the side effects of medications such as pain relievers with caffeine content, antidepressants, diuretics, and corticosteroids. Medications for cold, flu, and hypertension may also make it hard for you to fall asleep.
Lastly, other sleep problems such as sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy may also cause insomnia.

Symptoms

Obviously, a telltale sign that you have insomnia is difficulty of getting enough sleep despite feeling tired. However, there are other symptoms of insomnia that you have to be aware of.

The symptoms of insomnia include the following: waking up several times during then night, difficulty getting back to sleep after being awakened, and rising too early in the morning. During daytime, people who suffer from insomnia feel tired, cranky, and drowsy. They also find it hard to concentrate on their daily tasks. Another symptom of insomnia is dependency on sleeping medications or alcohol to be able to drift to sleep.

You should overcome insomnia, and not the other way around. Before insomnia takes over your life, you must find ways to help you get adequate and quality sleep more easily. Good thing, there are a wide variety of natural remedies available to help people who can’t get to sleep.