12 Reasons You May Be Losing Your Good Night’s Sleep
There are numerous reasons that can cause sleep disturbances. Here are 12 of them along with scientific references:
1. Stress and Anxiety: High levels of stress and anxiety can significantly disrupt sleep. Cortisol, the stress hormone, increases the state of alertness, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep (1).
2. Poor sleep hygiene: Poor sleep hygiene includes irregular sleep schedules, uncomfortable sleeping conditions, and consuming caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol before bedtime (2).
3. Medical conditions: Medical conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea, chronic pain, and restless leg syndrome can cause sleep disturbances (3).
4. Medications: Certain medications such as antidepressants, steroids, and beta-blockers can interfere with sleep (4).
5. Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause can cause sleep disturbances (5).
6. Environmental factors: Environmental factors such as noise, light, and temperature can affect sleep quality (6).
7. Mental health disorders: Mental health disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder can interfere with sleep (7).
8. Insomnia: Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep (8).
9. Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks (9).
10. Circadian rhythm disorders: Circadian rhythm disorders occur when the body's natural sleep-wake cycle is disrupted, such as in jet lag or shift work (10).
11. Sleep-related movement disorders: Sleep-related movement disorders such as restless leg syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder can disrupt sleep (11).
12. Sleep-related eating disorder: Sleep-related eating disorder is a sleep disorder characterized by consuming food during sleep (12).
References:
1. Kalmbach, D. A., Cuamatzi-Castelan, A. S., Tonnu, C. V., Tran, K. M., Anderson, J. R., Roth, T., ... & Drake, C. L. (2018). Hyperarousal and sleep reactivity in insomnia: current insights. Nature and science of sleep, 10, 193-201.
2. National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). Sleep hygiene.
3. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2021). Brain basics: Understanding sleep.
4. Stahl, S. M. (2017). Essential psychopharmacology of depression and bipolar disorder. Cambridge University Press.
5. National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). Hormones and sleep.
6. National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). Environmental factors that affect sleep.
7. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub.
8. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2014). International Classification of Sleep Disorders: Diagnostic and Coding Manual.
9. American Sleep Association. (n.d.). Narcolepsy.
10. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2014). International Classification of Sleep Disorders: Diagnostic and Coding Manual.
11. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2021). Brain basics: Understanding sleep.
12. American Sleep Association. (n.d.). Sleep-related eating disorder.
Ready to overcome your sleep problems?