Insomnia Causes

Insomnia often stems from other problems such as a medical condition that causes pain or the use of substances that might interfere with normal sleep.

Most common causes of insomnia include:

• Stress. This can range from being surrounded by worries about work or school, to health and family. It can keep your mind quite active at night when you should be fast asleep recuperating for the next say. Other stresses could include the death of someone close to you or divorce.
• Anxiety. This is related to stress and can range from the everyday variety to the more serious anxiety disorders.
• Depression. This state of mind can cause you to oversleep or not get enough sleep and can be attributed to chemical imbalances in the brain or other related stresses.
• Medications. Prescription drugs such as antidepressants, allergy medications, heart and blood pressure medications, corticosteroids and stimulants can also interfere with sleep.
• Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Coffee, tea and other caffeine-containing drinks are commonly used stimulants. Drinking coffee in the late afternoon can make it difficult to sleep at night.

Nicotine can also cause insomnia as it is also a stimulant. Alcohol is a may help you fall asleep initially since it is a sedative, but it prevents you from reaching deeper stages of sleep. It can often cause one to awaken in the middle of the night.

• Medical conditions. Some medical conditions that can get in the way of restful sleep include arthritis, congestive heart failure, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, stroke, Parkinson disease and Alzheimer's disease and even an overactive thyroid.

If you suffer from urinary incontinence then getting back to sleep, even if you managed to initially fall asleep, can be a challenge. Someone with incontinence can eventually develop insomnia if it goes untreated.

• Changes in your work schedule or environment. Changes from a late to an early shift can disrupt your body's internal clock making it hard to get adequate sleep when you need it.
• Poor sleeping habits. An irregular sleep schedule, too much exercise before bedtime or uncomfortable sleep environment can make it difficult to get good quality sleep.
• Overeating late in the evening. A light snack before bedtime will generally not hurt you, but eating a large meal can cause you physical discomfort when trying to get into sleeping position. You may also experience heartburn or a backflow of acid and food rise up to the esophagus after eating. This can keep you awake for some time.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when dealing with insomnia. There are natural supplements featured on this site that have been proven to help individuals relax and assist the body with hormone balance to allow for more restful sleep. Most people just have too much on their plate and if you combine this with hormone imbalances it can make sleep difficult to come by.