The primary cause of insomnia is poor sleep habit. For instance, if one stays awake watching TV and does not sleep at the usual time, he or she is likely to have difficulty falling asleep after 2-3 months. Medical disorders like asthma, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease or any painful disease like arthritis can lead to insomnia. Disorders of the heart, lungs (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), kidneys, liver, pancreas, and digestive system (peptic ulcer), and conditions like heart burn, prostatism, menopause, hyperthyroidism and hypoglycaemia can result in lack of sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea, where a person has an obstructive in the air passage during sleep due to snoring or obesity, can develop insomnia. Brain diseases affecting the hypothalamus and pituitary gland too can cause insomnia.
Stressful events, like loosing a job, marital problems and examination fears, can lead to insomnia. Depression, anxiety and schizophrenia cause sleeplessness. Psycho-physiological insomnia is a severe difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep. Many people go to bed worrying about insomnia because of previous episodes, and this thinking produces an adverse association between the bedroom and sleep.
Lifestyle factors that disturb sleep include excessive caffeine consumption, alcohol and drug abuse and poor sleeping habits. The change and misuse of certain medications like anticholinergics, antidepressants, antihypetensives, antineoplastic agents, corticostereoids, diuretics, histamine blockers and respiratory stimulants result in insomnia. Environmental factors that disturb sleep patterns include noise, light and stale air.
How to cope up with insomnia
If you are flooded with negative thoughts, distract yourself using different techniques. Counting backwards is the easiest, and the most common technique. You can visualize and count sheep or other neutral things such as pot, till the negative thoughts die out. If the thoughts are about to work or long term problems, go to the living room and add them to the list for the next day. If sleep still evades you, go out of the bedroom. Do some routine, stress free work.
It is important to structure the day to be able to sleep at night. Make a routine of getting up earlier than your usual time for a week. If you get up at 7:30 am, force yourself up at 7. Not even 5 minutes more in the bed. Do not snooze in the back seat of your car or a couch in front of the television. Do not use too many stimulants like coffee, tea or colas. Be strict with yourself, exercise in the morning and take a stroll in the evening. A month of this, and no late nights on weekends, will make you the master of your sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea, where a person has an obstructive in the air passage during sleep due to snoring or obesity, can develop insomnia. Brain diseases affecting the hypothalamus and pituitary gland too can cause insomnia.
Stressful events, like loosing a job, marital problems and examination fears, can lead to insomnia. Depression, anxiety and schizophrenia cause sleeplessness. Psycho-physiological insomnia is a severe difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep. Many people go to bed worrying about insomnia because of previous episodes, and this thinking produces an adverse association between the bedroom and sleep.
Lifestyle factors that disturb sleep include excessive caffeine consumption, alcohol and drug abuse and poor sleeping habits. The change and misuse of certain medications like anticholinergics, antidepressants, antihypetensives, antineoplastic agents, corticostereoids, diuretics, histamine blockers and respiratory stimulants result in insomnia. Environmental factors that disturb sleep patterns include noise, light and stale air.
How to cope up with insomnia
If you are flooded with negative thoughts, distract yourself using different techniques. Counting backwards is the easiest, and the most common technique. You can visualize and count sheep or other neutral things such as pot, till the negative thoughts die out. If the thoughts are about to work or long term problems, go to the living room and add them to the list for the next day. If sleep still evades you, go out of the bedroom. Do some routine, stress free work.
It is important to structure the day to be able to sleep at night. Make a routine of getting up earlier than your usual time for a week. If you get up at 7:30 am, force yourself up at 7. Not even 5 minutes more in the bed. Do not snooze in the back seat of your car or a couch in front of the television. Do not use too many stimulants like coffee, tea or colas. Be strict with yourself, exercise in the morning and take a stroll in the evening. A month of this, and no late nights on weekends, will make you the master of your sleep.
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