Sleep is one of the most important human needs. If your sleep is disrupted, your performance will undoubtedly be affected. Insomnia is one of the problems that can disrupt the order of life. If you have a disorder in your sleep, you cannot start a good day and go to sleep with satisfaction at the end of the day. But why do we suffer from sleep disorders? What is the cause of this problem? It is a symptom of what diseases? What should we do to cure this problem? Which doctor should we see? What should we do if we see signs of insomnia?

What is insomnia?
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, which can include problems such as difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or waking up too early and not being able to get back to sleep. In insomnia, you may still feel tired after waking up. Sleep disorder not only affects your energy and mood but also affects your health, work performance, and quality of life.

Although each person’s sleep needs are different, on average, adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Insomnia can be acute (short – term) and chronic (long – term). In explaining the most common causes of insomnia, it is necessary to know that: acute insomnia is usually the result of stress or a traumatic event and lasts for several days or weeks. But chronic insomnia is usually the result of stress, life events, or habits that disrupt sleep and lasts for a month or more.

It can indicate various diseases. In the following, we will examine these cases.

What are the symptoms of insomnia that accompany it?

Difficulty falling asleep at night
Waking up during the night
Waking up early
Fatigue after waking up
Daily fatigue or sleepiness
Irritability, depression, or anxiety
Lack of concentration, or forgetfulness
Increase in mistakes and as a result the occurrence of accidents
Constant worry about sleep
Decreased performance at school or work
Reduction of reactions while driving
Mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety disorder, or substance abuse.

What are the types of sleep problems?

Primary insomnia: This means that the person has sleep problems that are not directly related to any other disease or problem.
Secondary insomnia: It means that a person has trouble sleeping due to something else, such as following some diseases (such as asthma, depression, arthritis, cancer, or digestive problems), pain, taking certain medications, addiction, and drinking alcohol.

Acute and chronic sleep disorders
Sleep disorder varies in how long it lasts and how often it happens. It can be short-term (acute insomnia) or long-term (chronic insomnia). Acute insomnia can develop from one night to several weeks. When a person loses sleep at least 1 night a week for 1 month or more, we say that he has chronic insomnia

What are the causes of insomnia?

Stress: Stress is one of the factors affecting the quality and duration of sleep. Worries about work, school, health, finances, or family can keep your mind busy at night and make it difficult to sleep. Stressful life events or trauma, such as the death or illness of a loved one, divorce, or job loss, may lead to sleep disorders. Therefore, stress is one of the most common causes of sleep disorders.

Traveling: The physiological system of the body is a regular set. It is interesting to know that your body’s circadian rhythm acts as an internal clock. The circadian rhythm regulates the sleep and wake cycle, metabolism, and body temperature, which is the body clock. Disturbances in your body’s circadian rhythm can lead to insomnia. Some causes include jet lag from traveling to places with different time zones, working very early or very late shifts, or frequent shift changes.

Eating a heavy meal before bed
Eating heavy food puts pressure on the stomach, which can be the reason for your insomnia. A light snack before bed is fine, but eating too much may make you feel physically uncomfortable as you lie down. Many people also experience heartburn, acid reflux, and food from the stomach into the esophagus after eating, which may cause awakening.

Lack of some vitamins can cause sleep disorders. These vitamins include the following: Vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin E, and vitamin D.

Physical and mental diseases and disorders

In general, during the illness, the patient may experience a lack of sleep in addition to other symptoms, and the disease can be considered as one of the most common causes. Diseases that are more likely to cause sleep disorders include the following:

chronic pain
cancer
diabetes
Asthma
Heart disease
hyperthyroidism
Gastro – esophageal reflux or heartburn
Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease
Sleep apnea (this disease causes breathing to stop periodically during the night and causes sleep disturbances)
Restless leg syndrome (this disease causes unpleasant sensations in the legs and difficulty in moving them, which may prevent you from falling asleep. Mental health disorders also play a significant role in sleep disorders. Anxiety disorders are one of the factors affecting sleep, these disorders are the reasons It has many. Like post – traumatic stress disorder, it is one of the anxiety disorders that can disturb your sleep. Also, waking up early can be a sign of depression. It is interesting to know that lack of sleep often occurs with other mental disorders as well.

Treatment

Good sleep habits will help you get a good night’s sleep. In this case, you should keep the following points in mind:

Regular bedtime: Try to go to sleep at a certain time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. Try not to nap during the day, as it may disturb your sleep at night.
Avoid mobile phones before going to bed
Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol at the end of the day.
Alcohol can wake you up at night and affect the quality of your sleep.
Regular exercise: Exercise regularly. Try not to exercise close to bedtime, as it may stimulate you and make it difficult to fall asleep. Experts recommend not to exercise at least 3 to 4 hours before going to bed.
Avoid heavy food
Comfortable bedroom: Make your bedroom a comfortable place. Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and not too hot or too cold.
Relaxation or relaxation before sleep: Take the help of a method to relax yourself before sleep. For example, read a book, listen to music, or take a bath.