Why I have trouble sleeping at night: causes and solutions
Not being able to sleep is a very common problem in our society . Many people are not able to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep and ask themselves: ‘why do I have trouble sleeping at night?
The bill for not getting good rest means that neither the mind nor the body is repaired as it should be, manifesting itself in daily life in the form of reduced performance, in addition to negative emotions such as depression and irritability.
Fortunately, sleep problems, whatever their cause, have solutions. You just have to identify what causes and maintains them, so that you can address the problem and enjoy a well-deserved rest.
Next we’ll take a closer look at the causes behind the sleep problems , as well as see what can be done.
- You may be interested in: “Fighting insomnia: 10 solutions for better sleep”
Why do I have trouble sleeping at night? Possible causes
The first thing to do in the search for a solution to insomnia problems is to find the cause of the insomnia .
They can be very varied, the top 10 being the following.
1. [Stress](/clinic/stress-types
Stress is clearly the main problem why you cannot sleep well.
Any situation in which a person’s psychological stability is altered contributes to the generation of a whole series of thoughts related to concern about the future.
When you go to bed, you can’t stop thinking about things that have been left unfinished, or about some situation where you don’t know how it will end.
Thus, the brain is activated by thinking of catastrophic scenarios or trying to find solutions to the problem in question, and therefore, it is more difficult to fall asleep.
2. Alcohol consumption
It is common to think that alcohol helps you sleep. That’s not exactly true.
The truth is that alcohol does cause drowsiness and a lesser capacity to react, however, with the passage of time, the person may feel that it is more difficult to get to sleep .
That is why, even if it is just a drink or a bottle of beer, it is advisable to avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages during the two hours before going to bed.
3. Too much lighting
Although sensitivity to light varies greatly from person to person, with those who are able to fall asleep in the sun while lying in a hammock on the beach, the lighting of the place where you are going to sleep can make it significantly more difficult.
The human being is a daytime animal. This means that he needs to rest during the night, and biologically speaking, he is programmed so that, in the absence of light, he begins to sleep.
If there is some kind of light stimulation in the room at night , the brain may interpret that it is still daytime or that it needs to be awake , which means that it will be harder for you to fall asleep.
4. Too much noise
As with the previous case, some people are more sensitive to noise than others, however, there is often an unwritten consensus that auditory stimuli are difficult to ignore when one is trying to sleep .
The ideal is absolute silence. If this cannot be achieved, either because you live on a too noisy street or for some other reason, you can resign yourself to buying some good earplugs.
5. Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulating substance , and its main use is known by all, which is to keep us awake.
Not only does coffee contain this methylxanthine, so do chocolate and tea (yes, caffeine and theine are the same).
6. Improper temperature
The temperature of the room influences how comfortable you are and also how quickly you can sleep.
In winter we often overdo it with the heat, while in summer we overdo it with the cool.
Temperatures below 15 ºC and above 23 ºC make it difficult to sleep .
7. Over excitation
Many people, after a long day’s work, like to take the stress out of their day-to-day lives by getting some exercise. However, sometimes doing too much physical activity can be more harmful than beneficial .
Many people suffer from insomnia because they have become over-excited by playing a sport in the afternoon or evening.
The heart is going to a thousand, in addition to the brain receives a high flow of blood, being the person very smart.
Sometimes people have sex at night and then wonder ‘why do I have such a hard time sleeping at night’, confident that having sex would immediately put them to sleep because of exhaustion.
Related to the above, this is also an activity in which the heart is activated, causing the body to be on alert and unable to fall asleep.
8. Dinner too heavy
Eating a heavy meal makes digestion difficult . This can cause stomach pain, reflux and gastrointestinal discomfort.
If you suffer from heartburn, lying down makes the situation worse, so you will be forced to get up to try to calm this annoying problem and cross your fingers so that the reflux does not come up in the form of vomit.
9. Thyroid problems
If the thyroid produces too many hormones, various symptoms can occur, such as weight changes, nervousness, hypersensitivity to heat, and insomnia problems, among others.
Sleep problems are often a symptom of hyperthyroidism and this problem can be detected by a test to see the levels of thyrotropin hormone (TSH).
10. Restless Legs Syndrome
Many people have this syndrome, whose symptoms range from tingling in the legs to itching and tightness. This discomfort appears at rest and improves with movement .
That is why, when symptoms appear, the person is unable to stop moving the extremities with the intention of calming the discomfort.
It is one of the main causes of insomnia in people over 45.
How to solve this problem?
After having detected the problem that causes insomnia, it is possible to address it in order to achieve sleep .
1. Take a hot shower
Hot water dilates the blood vessels and lowers muscle tone , inducing a deep state of relaxation.
That’s why taking a good shower is one of the best ways to end the day, and then, when you go to bed, it’s very easy to fall asleep.
2. Letting your imagination run wild
A good way to get to sleep, especially for those who suffer from anxiety, is to try to focus attention on day-to-day problems and concentrate on imagining a beautiful landscape .
A beach, a fairytale forest or imagining the typical, cliché countryside full of sheep are, simple as it may seem, ideal ways to relax and, without even realizing it, fall asleep.
3. Coffee is best in the morning
Coffee, and other stimulating beverages, is not recommended to be consumed after 18 hours . Some people, even if they drink a cup of tea after 2 pm, are not able to fall asleep at night.
This is why the best thing to do if you are a heavy user of this substance is to try to reduce your consumption, and to do so especially in the morning, when stimulation is really required.
4. Soundproofing the room
If the problem is that the neighborhood where you live is too noisy it is as simple as getting soundproofed doors and windows .
Also, in case you cannot choose this option, it is possible to counteract the worldly noise with ambient sound or relaxing music, whether it is classical or New Age music, such as Enya or Celtic Woman.
5. Read as it was done in the past
Reading a book before going to sleep can contribute to relaxing and, consequently, have more facility to achieve the so longed for sleep.
However, not every reading format is valid. E-books, mobiles, computers and other types of display devices are not a good option for reading before going to sleep, since the lights on these screens activate the brain.
The ideal is to read as you have done all your life, with a physical book.
6. Exercise
It is true that we have said before that physical exercise, done in excess, makes it difficult to sleep, especially if you do an activity in which the heart is very active.
However, everything must be done in the right way, and just as the antidote is taken from the poison, the exercise can serve to put us into a deep sleep as soon as we fall into bed.
It is recommended that this is not done immediately before going to sleep , as we will still be too active to fall asleep.
7. Seek professional help
If you have suffered from insomnia for a long time and the cause of the problem does not seem to be any of the above, it is best to seek professional help.
It may be that the problem is of biological origin and that there is a deregulation of hormones or some problem at the brain level.
Also, it may be due to problems in sleeping habits that are not being controlled.
That is why a visit to a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist and, if necessary, a nutritionist can be the first steps to overcome this problem whose degree of interference in daily life is so high.
Bibliographic references:
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.
- Diagnostic Classification Steering Committee of the American Sleep Disorders Association. (1990). International classification of sleep disorders-diagnostic and coding manual. Rochester (MN): American Sleep Disorders Association.
- Bellesi, M.; de Vivo, L.; Chini, M.; Gilli, F.; Tononi, G. & Cirelli, C. (2017). Sleep loss promotes astrocytic phagocytosis and microglial activation in mouse cerebral cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 37(21): 5263-73.
- Santos, J.L. ; García, L.I. ; Calderón, M.A. ; Sanz, L.J.; de los Ríos, P.; Izquierdo, S.; Román, P.; Hernangómez, L.; Navas, E.; Ladrón, A and Álvarez-Cienfuegos, L. (2012). Clinical Psychology. Manual CEDE de Preparación PIR, 02. CEDE. Madrid.