I can’t sleep. Many times we do not know the reason why we have not been able to sleep a wink all night, while other times we know perfectly well the cause of our insomnia. There are many and varied enemies of sleep, but we can all fight them with the appropriate remedies. And to get the best treatment for insomnia, you must first know the causes of insomnia.
Causes of insomnia
It is true that there is a type of insomnia, called primary insomnia whose causes are unknown. It is a type of punctual insomnia that does not usually become chronic and that appears due to certain life circumstances. But in general terms, discovering the cause of our insomnia will be the basis for improving our quality of sleep.
Physical causes of insomnia
- Sometimes insomnia is caused by certain diseases, as well as the medications we take to treat them. Thyroid problems, asthma, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases are often related to sleep disturbances.
- It is an insomnia that we must treat as soon as possible so as not to reduce our quality of life and aggravate the health problem. The same happens in the case of menopause, which, although it is not a disease, comes hand in hand with many physical disorders that can be aggravated by insomnia.
Psychic causes of insomnia
- Stress is one of the main triggers for sleep problems. Sometimes daily worries do not let us sleep well, nerves, insecurity or fear. Generally these are times when we seem to have lost control of our own life and, therefore, we do not even control our sleep.
- Although we all go through seasons of increased stress, when insomnia becomes chronic, it may be necessary to look for the cause within emotional disorders. Post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety and depression are the main psychological causes of sleep disturbances.
External causes of insomnia
- Noise or acoustic pollution can favor the onset of insomnia. The circulation of cars in large cities or living next to a train station or even an airport can alter our sleep cycle. Also noisy neighbors or endless works are a reason for insomnia.
- External causes of insomnia are also considered changes in the schedule, such as working shifts, but also the environment where we sleep, such as having an uncomfortable bed or going to bed too cold or too hot. Even our partner’s snoring is considered an external cause of insomnia.
