People most at risk for insomnia are women, older adults, individuals with high stress, mental health conditions (like anxiety/depression), chronic pain, irregular work schedules (like shift work), poor sleep habits, and those with certain medical conditions or a family history, with factors like hormonal changes, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle also playing significant roles.
Top examples are metoprolol succinate (Toprol XL), carvedilol (Coreg), and propranolol. However, they can cause side effects — including sleep disturbances like insomnia and nightmares. If you're taking a beta blocker and are experiencing side effects like these, make sure to talk to your healthcare provider.
Insomnia during pregnancy is common. The increase in pregnancy hormones and other changes in your body (like increased weight from the fetus) can cause discomfort and keep you up at night. Things return to normal once the baby comes. In the meantime, there are changes you can make to help you fall and stay asleep.
Long-term insomnia is usually due to stress, life events or habits that disrupt sleep. While treating the cause of your sleep problem may stop your insomnia, sometimes it can last for years. Common causes of long-term insomnia include: Stress.
Primary idiopathic insomnia occurs without any identifiable cause and in the absence of anxiety. And people who have a history of primary insomnia may also have episodes of sleep state misperception (SSM), also known as paradoxical insomnia.
Chronic insomnia can lead to increased risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and motor vehicle accidents. Over time, this lack of sleep can contribute to health problems such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Lifestyle changes
The 3-3-3 rule for sleep is a technique to help manage anxiety and improve sleep quality. It involves focusing on three things you can see, three things you can hear, and moving three parts of your body.
Changing sleep habits and taking care of any issues related to insomnia, such as stress, medical conditions or medicines, can result in restful sleep for many people. If these steps do not work, your doctor may recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), medicines or both to improve relaxation and sleep.
Regardless of the insomnia aetiology, Magnesium-melatonin-vitamin B complex supplementation reduces insomnia symptoms, as well as its consequences, thus improving the patients' quality of life and preventing potential unwanted clinical, social, economic, or emotional repercussions.
While insomnia can strike at any time, pregnant individuals may be particularly susceptible. Insomnia during pregnancy can start as early as conception and continue into the postpartum period.
Five key warning signs during pregnancy needing immediate medical attention include vaginal bleeding, severe headaches with vision changes, decreased baby movement, severe abdominal pain/cramping, and signs of preterm labor like regular contractions or fluid leakage, as these can signal serious issues like miscarriage, preeclampsia, placental problems, or infection. Always contact your healthcare provider or seek emergency care for these symptoms.
The drugs metoprolol (Lopressor) and propranolol (Inderal XL) can cross the blood-brain barrier into the brain, reducing sleep quality and causing you to wake up more often after you fall asleep. These beta-blockers are linked to nightmares, insomnia and daytime sleepiness.
If you have a sleep disorder, you may not get enough sleep or you may not feel rested when you wake up. You may be very sleepy during the daytime. You may have changes in breathing or move around a lot during sleep. Or you may have problems getting to sleep, staying asleep or waking too early.
Based on available studies, “We have solid evidence that exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality,” says Charlene Gamaldo, M.D. , medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital.
Gamaldo recommends warm milk, chamomile tea and tart cherry juice for patients with sleep trouble. Though there isn't much scientific proof that any of these nighttime drinks work to improve your slumber, there's no harm in trying them, Gamaldo says.
Stimulants like caffeine, high-sugar snacks, or heavy meals before bedtime can disrupt your natural sleep cycle, while certain nutrient-rich foods can support melatonin production and regulate your circadian rhythm.
Prescription sleeping pills (and even some nonprescription sleeping aids), as well as certain antidepressants, may not be safe if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or an older adult. Sleeping pill use may increase the risk of nighttime falls and injury in older adults.
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
In his piece, he revealed that through his years of research, he's found that rumination is the biggest thing that causes poor sleep. He says that being worried about something at night has affected his own ability to fall asleep.
The #1 worst habit for anxiety isn't singular, but avoidance (procrastination), poor sleep, and negative thought patterns (like catastrophizing) are top contenders, creating vicious cycles where anxiety fuels these behaviors, and the behaviors, in turn, worsen anxiety by preventing healthy coping and creating more stress. Other significant habits include excessive caffeine, poor diet, too much screen time, and social withdrawal, all disrupting the body's ability to manage stress effectively.
Daridorexant is one of a relatively new class of drugs that have been developed for the treatment of insomnia. Its mechanism of action differs from many of the older insomnia treatments. Studies have shown that it can help people to fall asleep faster at night and stay asleep longer during the night.
Your primary care physician can actually help with the condition. They might also refer you to a sleep medicine specialist, neurologist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or even a pediatrician if your child is the one having trouble sleeping.
Research indicates that adults should get 7 to 9 hours sleep per night. Treatment often begins by reviewing any medicines or health problems that may be causing or worsen insomnia, such as: Enlarged prostate gland or any other medical condition, causing men to wake up at night to urinate.