While there is no one cut and dried reason why some people can't sleep, most experts agree that insomnia is brought on by stress, anxiety, medications, and/or caffeine - among other things. Transient and short-term insomnia has many causes.
A reaction to change or stress is one of the most common causes of short-term and transient insomnia. This condition is sometimes referred to as adjustment sleep disorder.
The precipitating factor could be a major or traumatic event such as the following:
?An acute illness.
?Injury or surgery.
?The loss of a loved one.
?Job loss.
Temporary insomnia could also develop after a relatively minor event, including the following:
?Extremes in weather.
?An exam at school.
?Traveling.
?Trouble at work.
In such cases, normal sleep almost always returns when the condition resolves, the individual recovers from the event, or the person becomes acclimated to the new situation. Treatment is needed if sleepiness interferes with functioning or if it continues for more than a few weeks.
Fluctuations in female hormones play a major role in insomnia in women over their lifetimes. Such insomnia is most often temporary.
The hormone progesterone promotes sleep. Levels of this hormone plunge during menstruation, causing insomnia. When they rise during ovulation, women may become sleepier than usual.
During Pregnancy, the effects of changes in progesterone levels in the first and last trimester can disrupt normal sleep patterns.
Insomnia can be a major problem in the first phases of menopause, when hormones are fluctuating intensely. Insomnia during this period may be due to different factors that occur.
In some women, hot flashes, sweating, and a sense of anxiety can awaken women suddenly and frequently at night during the first months of menopause. In such women, hormone replacement therapy may be beneficial.
Insomnia may also be perpetuated by psychological distress provoked by this life passage. In most cases, insomnia is temporary. Cases of chronic insomnia in women after 50 are more likely to be due to other causes
In one study, 20% of adults reported that light, noise, and uncomfortable temperatures caused their sleeplessness. Depending on the time of day too much or too little light can disrupt sleep. It is well known that a person's biologic circadian clock is triggered by sunlight and very bright artificial light to maintain wakefulness. One study indicated that even dim artificial light may disrupt sleep.
Insufficient exposure to light during the day, as occurs in some disabled elderly patients who rarely venture outside, may also be linked with sleep disturbances. One study suggests that when a person is exposed to bright daylight, melatonin levels increases in response to darkness at night, which aids sleep.
