Causes of Insomnia

Insomnia is a disorder characterized by not being able to get to sleep on going to bed, or by waking up during the night and not being able to get back to sleep, or by sleeping lightly, so that you feel tired throughout the next day. It is extremely important to find out the cause of your insomnia, because any treatment will depend on the particular cause of your problem ? what should be treated is the cause, not the symptoms. However, it is sometimes quite difficult to get at the real cause, because there are so many possibilities, and in some cases there may be more than just one cause. Maybe there are psychological factors, maybe it?s stress, or perhaps even what is known as ?learned insomnia?.

Many Different Causes

Some people suffer from insomnia caused by psychological reasons. It may simply be that they are more prone to insomnia ? just as some of us are more prone to digestive problems or even to catching colds. Some people have more problems getting to sleep simply because they cannot ?switch off? their brains ? they are mentally hyper-active and don?t allow their brains to relax and follow its own path to sleep.

Probably the most common cause of insomnia, however, is stress. We?ve all gone through periods where we?ve had problems in our professional or personal lives and we?ve found that we just can?t get to sleep. In this case it?s probably our brain that is subconsciously going over our problems once again and just won?t take the rest it needs.

Finally, some people who suffer from mild insomnia can actually make it much worse through a phenomenon that is known as ?learned insomnia?. This occurs when a person can?t get to sleep, and feels a little tired the next day. Instead of relaxing the next night, they perhaps begin to worry about what will happen if they don?t get a good night?s sleep again ? and the worry just makes things worse. This can go on for a period of time and things just get worse and worse.

First Step to Treatment

It can be seen that there is not just one cause of insomnia, but many, and of many different kinds. It may be a psychological cause, or a result of stress, or a disorder known as ?learned insomnia?. However, whatever the cause of your insomnia, it is imperative to discover exactly what it is. This is the first, and most important, step to finding a treatment.