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Anxiety insomnia7/14/2023 ![]() Nicotine is removed from the body rapidly - within a few hours - which is why people tend to smoke several times a day. Nicotine withdrawal also leads to insomnia. Smoking, vaping, or chewing tobacco before bed leads to hyperarousal, making it difficult to sleep. Nicotine, the main active ingredient in tobacco, is a stimulant. Insomnia is also very common in people who are heavy alcohol users, including people with alcoholism. That leads to them feeling tired the next day - so they drink alcohol again in the evening to get to sleep quicker, and the cycle repeats. This can lead to a vicious circle, when people drink alcohol because it helps them get to sleep, but they then go on to have poor, unrefreshing sleep because of the alcohol. In the second half of sleep, though, alcohol significantly disrupts sleep patterns, leading to disrupted and unrefreshing sleep. So, drinking just before going to bed helps people to get to sleep quicker, and they also fall into a deeper sleep sooner. It's generally best to try and leave around 3 to 4 hours between eating and going to bed.Īlcohol has various different effects on sleep - and the overall effect is bad.Īlcohol has a short-term sedative effect. Eating close to bedtimeĮating food, especially heavy meals, close to bedtime can disrupt sleep. Using devices often makes us more stressed and alert in other ways, too - for example, answering work emails, or doom-scrolling. Blue light mimics daylight, and can confuse our brains into thinking it's daytime. Screens on phones, tablets, computers, and laptops emit blue-tinted light. A bedroom that is too warm or too cold.Having a young baby - as new parents know, babies usually wake up several times a night.Problems in the sleep environmentĬhanges in the sleep environment can lead to insomnia. These can make it hard to develop healthy sleep habits. Two common reasons are jet lag (quickly moving between time zones, before our body has had time to re-adjust) and shift work (working at times our body expects to be asleep). Sometimes, our internal clock gets out of sync with the world around us. The circadian rhythm is our internal body clock. After traumatic events, it usually settles over days to months as we process the emotions. Insomnia due to stress usually gets better if the stress is removed. The body and mind's natural response to stress and trauma can lead to hyperarousal, preventing people from getting to sleep. This includes things such as work deadlines and exams, as well as major emotional traumas, such as a bereavement. The following causes often lead to this state of hyperarousal.Īny stressful or distressing event can cause insomnia. Hyperarousal is when the parts of the brain that keep us awake are over-active - including when we need them to switch off so we can sleep. We think that insomnia is probably caused by a state called hyperarousal. However, other things happen in people with chronic insomnia that can cause their sleep problems to continue for a long time. It's thought that long-term exposure to these triggers can also cause chronic insomnia. Lots of different things can cause insomnia, at least in the short term. The rest of this feature will take an in-depth look at the causes of insomnia, as at Patient, we know our readers sometimes want to have a deep dive into certain topics. ![]() In this series of articles centred around insomnia, you can read about insomnia symptoms, insomnia causes, and insomnia treatments - all written by one of our expert GPs. If you think you have insomnia, find out what to do here. Behaviours that make sleep quality worse, such as sleeping during the day, using sedatives, or spending more time in bed.Unhelpful feelings, thoughts or preoccupations with sleep, which make it harder to sleep.Psychological links between the bedroom environment and being awake.Some things which can lead to insomnia persisting include: The reasons for this are complicated and differ from person to person. Some people develop long-lasting sleep problems like chronic insomnia. For most people, this only lasts a short time. Physical health conditions, such as COPD and heart failure.Īlmost everyone has trouble sleeping occasionally.Mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety.Recreational drugs, such as cocaine and ecstasy.Caffeine - for example in coffee, tea, and energy drinks.Changes in the sleeping environment, such as having a young baby, or a sleeping environment that is noisy, bright, or too warm or cold.Things that disrupt the circadian rhythms - our internal body clocks - such as shift work or jet lag.Distressing events, such as a bereavement, a breakup, or exams.
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