8 Most Common Physical Causes For Insomnia

By Author: Steven Johnson
Total Articles: 494
Comment this article

In most cases sleep disorders are caused by certain health problems or substances taken that interfere with normal sleep patterns. Here are some of the most common health conditions that are known to cause various sleep disorders as well as a short description of how the sleep gets affected by them. So, you have a risk of experiencing insomnia and other sleep disturbances if you suffer from:

1. Cardiovascular diseases

The most frequent types of cardiovascular diseases that are known to have a heavy impact on the quality of sleep include congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease. These conditions are both linked to the development of sleep apnea.

Congestive heart failure is described as the decreased ability of the heart to provide the body with sufficient blood for normal functioning. As a consequence, blood tends to flood up near the kidneys and the edema occurring because of that leads to severe damage to most of internal organs.

Coronary heart disease is described as the increased concentration of fatty substances in the arteries delivering the blood to the heart, which consequently ...
... leads to atherosclerosis.

2. Endocrine problems

Sleep disorders are often caused by dysfunctions of the endocrine system including conditions like thyroid dysfunction or diabetes. People who suffer from diabetes often have metabolism problems, and if not controlled this condition often results in restless leg syndrome.

Thyroid gland produces various hormones that regulate the energy circulation in the body. Patients with thyroid disorders often suffer from interrupted sleep.

3. Neurological issues

Neurological issues also cause sleep disorders, and conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and strokes can often lead to bad sleep. Neurological conditions heavily affect the central nervous system and lead to interrupted sleep and insomnia, while strokes are often associated with sleep apnea.

4. Respiratory problems

People who have respiratory problems often deal with sleep disorders. Conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease usually lead to interrupted sleep and insomnia. That is because the troubled breathing and inflammation of the air passages affects the quality of sleep, making it hard to reach the REM stage.

5. Mental illnesses

In many cases of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and seasonal affective disorder are associated with insomnia and interrupted sleep.

6. GERD

GERD, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, is characterized by the reflux of stomach acid to the esophagus, which usually happens during the night and causes sleep disturbance and fragmentation.

7. Kidney problems

Kidneys work by filtering the content of blood for waste substances, and when their functioning is decreased, these substances may poison the body and cause conditions like insomnia or restless leg syndrome.

8. Arthritis

Arthritis is often associated with chronic pain, which may cause interrupted sleep and insomnia.

If you have problems with sleep, don't rush off to buy Ambien right away. In most cases, improving the condition at cause of the problem allows to improve the quality of sleep in general. However, drugs like Ambien still can be of a help if the problems are too severe or the condition cannot be controlled that easy. Make sure to discuss the use of Ambien CR and other sleeping aids with your doctor in order to avoid interference and interactions with the conditions at cause.