Psychological Factors

• Vulnerability to insomnia
  In my case, different from others, feels more headaches or upset stomachs. That means I am very careful about details. Some people seem more likely than others to experience insomnia.
  This shows that stress and shocking events can cause insomnia. Simply knowing that you may experience insomnia and that it will not last too long can be helpful in dealing with it when it occurs.
• Persistent stress
  Usually stress is considered as the cause of all the illnesses. Insomnia is no exception to this. Exposure to stress may contribute to the development or worsening of insomnia. If you are troubled by and suffer from these types of stresses, you should be advised by counseler to gain some ways to handle your troubles for your better your life.
• Learned insomnia (psychophysiological insomnia)
  If you cannot sleep at night even though you continuously sleep poorly, you may worry about being awake every nights. That means you come to miss the basic cause of insomnia and cling to the idea itself that cannot sleep. We finally come to set off a new round of worried thoughts, and cause more sleep loss.
  And some people have trouble sleeping in their own beds yet may fall asleep quickly when they don't intend to. For example, while reading the newspaper, sleeping away from home, or watching TV. We can say that these kind of people learned insomnia. They need to improve sleep habits and reduce unnecessary worry.

Lifestyle Factors

• Use of stimulants
  It is not that only mental fatigue causes Insomnia. Some external factors may change your sleep pattern.
  In case of caffeine, even when it doesn't interfere with you falling asleep, it can trigger awakenings later in the night. Nicotine is also a stimulant. It is said that smokers may take longer to fall asleep than non-smokers. Also, many common drugs, including nonprescription drugs for weight loss, asthma, and colds, can disrupt your sleep.
• Use of alcohol
  People have the way of talking like that alohol helps them sleep. It is true that alcohol make us fall a sleep quickly, but, finally it comes to produce interrupted sleep.
• Erratic hours
  Everyone knows that regular life is the best for us. But because of the additional work load or non-traditional working hours, not a few people suffer from health problem. If this situation lasts for a long time, insomnia can occur. Maintaining regular hours can make your body sleep at certain times and stay awake at others.
• Inactive behavior
  It is important to live actively. Through the proper physical excercise or mental activity, people feel tired and easily sleep at night for restoring stemina. So, people whose lifestyles are very quiet or inactive may experience difficulty sleeping at night.

Environmental Factors

• Noise
  Traffic, airplanes, television, and other noises can disturb your sleep even when they don't cause you to wake up.
• Light
  Bedroom environment is also important. If it is too bright, the hormon 'melatonin' (Melatonin is a hormone which is produced by the pineal gland. It plays an important part in the regulation of day/night cyclic cycles and seasonal rhythms.) secretion becomes in utter disorder.
  If you want to know more about 'melatonin', click HERE.
  You need to control the light.
  
  =>These factors should be considered if you find yourself feeling tired, even when you think you slept soundly all night.

Psychiatric/Physical Illness

There are other sleep disorders and physical illnesses that can easily be mistaken for insomnia. They may occur during sleep, disrupt sleep.

• Secondary Insomnia
  Secondary Insomnia has another main illness. That means when we suffer from insomnia, we have a psychiatric disorder (most often depression) or a medical disorder (most often chronic pain).
  Secondary insomnia may be relieved by using treatment of the primary psychiatric/medical disorder. Or, behavioral methods may quite beneficial.
• Psychiatric problems
  If you suffer from a psychiatric disorder, you may sleep poorly. Insomnia is associated with depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, dementia (such as Alzheimer's disease), and other conditions.
• Medical problems
  We also cannot sleep well when we have arthritis, headache disorders, benign prostatic hypertrophy, and other conditions. in this situation, we need to be treated by a physician. After the careful treatment for the cause of insomnia, we may sleep tight.
• Sleep-related breathing disorders
  Certain disorders can cause repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. Because of this, we can awake dozens or even hundreds of times during the night.
  If this condition grows worse, we come to experience 'sleep apnea'. Breathing-related sleep problems are most common in men, snorers, overweight people, and older adults.
• Sleep-related periodic leg movements
  Leg jerks can be caused by brief muscle contractions. We do not aware of our movement during sleeping. But we come to sleep without enough rest, these movements can finally cause hundreds of brief interruptions of sleep each night. Treatment can include medication, discontinuing medication, evening exercise, a warm bath, elimination of caffeine, or a combination of these.
• Waking brain activity
  Waking brain activity can persist during sleep. People with persistent pain may experience this non-restorative type of sleep.
• Gastroesophageal reflux
  Back-up of stomach contents into the esophagus can awaken a person several times a night. This reflux is commonly known as heartburn because of the pain or tightness it produces in the mid-chest area. When reflux occurs during the day, a few swallows and an upright position will usually clear the irritating materials from the esophagus. During sleep, less-frequent swallowing and a lying-down position causes more reflux, making the sleeper wake up coughing and choking. If you experience this problem, try elevating your head, or raise the head of the bed (headboard) onto 6- to 8-inch blocks. Medications can also provide relief.
  More information about 'Gastroesophageal Reflux'

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