Insomnia has many contributing factors, at least according to Dr. Benjamin Galyardt, Clinical Director at Abundant Family Health. Rarely will someone suffer insomnia for a single reason. Usually, when diagnosing a patient, a doctor attempts to identify several contributing factors. These may include an underlying disorder like depression or a thyroid condition. In many cases, there are two biochemical causes leading to insomnia.
When people suffer from too much stress, often their body produces higher than normal levels of stress hormones called cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is very common for cortisol levels to fluctuate during periods of high stress. This can cause a person to have trouble falling asleep. Usually cortisol levels are lowest in the evenings.
Another common reason patients suffer insomnia is fluctuating blood sugar levels. This is a different biochemical reaction occurring in the body, one that can prevent someone from staying asleep. Doctors often test for low blood sugar, or a condition called hypoglycemia, when they suspect it is the cause for a person's insomnia.
Disruptions in cortisol and other hormones responsible for proper sleep can easily resolve when a person takes time out to rest and decompress. There are many ways to relieve stress. Some include meditation, yoga and tai chi. To help prevent rapidly declining levels of blood sugar at night, you may benefit by having a low calorie, high carbohydrate snack at night, like a glass of milk and couple of crackers. The next time you have trouble falling or staying asleep, find out if a small snack and a little less stress help you say goodnight to insomnia.