Stress and More Causes of Insomnia
by Ryan Hough
zone3
This article discusses some of the causes of insomnia.
Causes of insomnia can be cataloged into two
categories: genuine health issues and the modern world syndrome. Health
causes of insomnia include depression, anxiety and illness. Whether a
mental illness or a physical illness, these causes of insomnia have to be
treated individually and simultaneously with the insomnia itself. Although
linked with ideas of not being able to fall asleep, insomnia actually has
four types of symptoms. The first is sleeplessness and others include
frequent awakenings in the night, restless leg syndrome and waking too
early in the morning.
Physicians try to convince patients to practice good sleep hygiene as a
way of reducing causes of insomnia. These practices are often best applied
to those suffering from modern world syndrome. During times of tragedy and
high stress such as world altering events like hurricanes, terrorist
attacks or a death of a loved one, insomnia may very well occur. High
levels of stress can trigger fight or flight in the body's nervous system.
This very primal reaction is a biological defense mechanism that kept
people alive when, for example, a saber tooth tiger attacked them.
In the modern world, this same defense mechanism is actually a
contributor to stress. Fight or flight floods the body with hormones,
suppresses digestion, purges wastes and kicks up adrenalin so people can
run further, fight harder and have the best opportunity to survive. The
problem in the modern world is that there are no dragons or tigers to
slay. Yet the build up of this response everyday is one of the causes of
insomnia in a number of people.
While the occasional sleepless night is to be expected (just ask any
parent) and over the counter sleep aids can help, a persistent problem can
actually continue to contribute to the causes of insomnia. When the
circadian rhythm is broken, it needs to be repaired before the body begins
to collapse from an inability to perform its own functions. So if stress
causes of insomnia are keeping people awake, it's time to make some
healthier choices for both the sake of their health and their sleeping
problems.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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