Common Causes of Sleeplessness (What Is Really Keeping You Up At Night?)

Headaches, irritability, fatigue and mood swings can all be symptoms of a sleepless night. You already have too much to do during the day already, so added ailments from lack of sleep can turn any morning person into a grouch. So how can you get more sleep without disrupting your busy day?

To make things simple for you, we have complied a list of common causes of sleeplessness and have also given you some ideas to help you deal with the causes that are affecting you. Learn how you can get a full night’s sleep without losing sleep to find the causes and solutions.

1. My Thyroid Won’t Sleep

According to HelpGuide.org, an overactive thyroid can stimulate the nervous system, making it hard to fall asleep and even causing night sweats. The thyroid gland can affect every other organ in the body, so regulation is important to overall health and well-being.

A simple blood test can prove if you have an overactive thyroid. After seeing the test results, consult with your physician to decide the best course of action to regulate your thyroid.

2. Heartache or Heartburn

Lying down in bed causes stomach acid to back up into the esophagus, which can cause or worsen heartburn symptoms. This uncomfortable and even painful sensation can keep you up at night and maybe even cause permanent damage to your esophagus if left untreated.

Prevent nightly heartburn by avoiding heavy meals and foods that give you heartburn before bedtime, such as spicy or sugary foods. Caffeine and alcohol should also be avoided before bed.

3. Watching a Little TV to Help Stay Awake

Although you may want to stay up and watch your favourite late-night sitcom in bed before you go to sleep, the bright screen may be keeping you awake longer than you want it to. Stimulation from screens, video games or even exercise can trick your body into thinking that it should still be awake and processing new information.

Although the fix is simple, it is not as easy to do for many of us. Turn off all screens at least an hour before you go to bed and switch your exercise time to the morning or mid-day. Instead, pick up an old book and read for an hour before getting some shut eye.

4. Stress, Stress, Stress

Most of us know that stress is the reason that we toss and turn, but many of us don’t know or are unable to deal with this cause of sleeplessness. Stress is also an underlying cause of many other ailments, so controlling stress in your life will give you better health overall.

5. Timing and Hydration

One common but relatively easy to fix sleep interrupter is a full bladder. Waking up in the middle of the night to go can disrupt your sleep routine and make it difficult to return to bed. The best cure for this is to time your last drink at least one hour or more before bed. Also, make a habit of visiting the restroom right before you hop under the sheets.

6. I’m Too Tired to Go to Bed

A strange but common problem is over exhaustion. There is actually a difference between exhaustion and feeling sleepy. When you have had a busy and stressful week, you may be mentally tired but not physically ready for sleep. A person’s body may still be on high alert even making it impossible to sleep.

In this predicament, there are two steps to take. Begin with a little bit of exercise. Moving your body will help your physical body to match up with your mental exhaustion, preparing you for rest. Then, slowly wind down with a calm and quiet process to help come down off of the high of stress and activity. This will help you be completely ready to hit the pillow.

7. Holy Hormones, Batman!

Finally, changing hormones may be the underlying culprit when it comes to sleep trouble. For women especially, “fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone before or during your period or throughout peri-menopause can sabotage sleep,” explains Prevention.com.

Some helpful cures include:

• A hot bath two hours before bed
• Establishing a consistent sleep schedule
• Exercise for 20 minutes per day
• Avoiding caffeine and alcohol after dinner
• Running cool air to help prevent night-sweats and hot-flashes

Eliciting the help of a professional is often times the best solution; whether it is direct primary care or a wellness coach, find the best continuous care solution for you and your needs to give you tools regularly to deal with stress throughout your busy day.