Humans need sleep. There’s no doubt about it. You probably don’t need to be told at this point that having poor sleeping habits can be detrimental to both your physical and mental health. When you go through a bunch of consecutive nights without getting some good sleep, it can really take a toll on your body. And there are really so many factors that go into making sure that you get a good night’s sleep.
The quality of your sleep is just going to be tied to so many variables. The level of stress in your body can significantly affect the quality of your sleep at night. Other factors such as the comfort of your sleeping surface, noise, light, and more also need to be taken into consideration. However, it might also interest you to know that there are some very specific health issues that can vastly affect the way that you sleep at night.
There are plenty of things going on in your body that could potentially be causing insomnia that you’re experiencing. If you feel like you have been experiencing insomnia and other sleep-related problems for a prolonged period of time now, it would probably be best for you to get checked by a physician.
A lot of common illnesses and sicknesses can influence the quality of your sleep in a number of ways. Even things that don’t seem like they are connected to sleep at all might fly under the radar – but they are actually causing serious damage to your sleeping patterns. Here are a few different health issues that are probably causing your insomnia. And be sure to pay attention because a lot of these things are very subtle and you might not really pay them any extra attention.
1. Asthma
When you have asthma, the antihistamines which you take to combat the reactions of your immune system can make you drowsy. And if you don’t time your drug intake correctly, you can become drowsy at the wrong points of the day.
2. High Blood Pressure
When you have high blood pressure, you are at risk of heart disease or a stroke. However, some of the primary medication that is used to correct a person’s blood pressure can have side effects that include insomnia or abrupt nightmares that cause people to wake up in the middle of the night.
3. Chronic Pain
The National Sleep Foundation has suggested that various aspects of chronic pain conditions can really contribute to poor sleep. Of course, when one is constantly dealing with pain there is increased stress in that person’s life that can make it really difficult to sleep. Studies have shown that only 45 percent of people with chronic pain are able to experience quality sleep at night. Another factor to take into consideration is the drug intake of people who have to deal with chronic pain. Some of these drugs can have side effects which include insomnia.
4. Thyroid Issues
If you have either an overactive or an underactive thyroid, then that is going to be a problem for you when you try to sleep at night. When you are suffering from hyperthyroidism, it can cause insomnia because your body produces too much of these hormones which speed up the functioning of various bodily systems. And on the other side of the coin, when you have hypothyroidism, you are a likely candidate to suffer from sleep apnea. With sleep apnea, you can have lowered metabolism and you can feel tired and fatigued all of the time.
5. Acid Reflux
The National Sleep Foundation has found that somewhere around 5 to 8 percent of the world’s population is said to suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease – which is more popularly known as acid reflux. People who have acid reflux are often plagued with the feeling of acid in their stomach and esophagus. Acid can induce a kind of burning sensation that can make it difficult for someone to sleep at night. And what’s worse, acid reflux is often triggered when lying down.
6. Depression
Depression is a very serious mental health issue that is really starting to gain more and more traction in the public spotlight. But what a lot of people still don’t realize is that one of the biggest symptoms of depression is insomnia and/or oversleeping. Any kind of irregular sleep behavior can be attributed to depression. And that’s just another symptom on top of the fatigue that someone with depression might be experiencing.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Naturally, you don’t want to be having any sleep problems when you are forced to deal with a bunch of other health issues. But as it turns out, these things might just really be connected. You just have to make sure that you are addressing the issues on both sides so that you get peace of mind. It’s all for your own well-being anyway. You always want to be staying on top of your health.
