Can Insomnia Be a Sign of an Underlying Health Problem?

It’s common to experience a bad night’s sleep every once in a while. But if you’ve had trouble falling or staying asleep for weeks, months, or years, you may be dealing with insomnia. 

While insomnia can occur on its own, did you know the condition can also be a symptom of another health problem? This is just one reason why it’s important to get to the bottom of your insomnia and start sleeping well again. 

At Mind and Body Medicine, LLC, we deal with insomnia, its causes, and the best practices for managing it. Our provider — Tamara McDonald, DNP — wants all of our patients to be able to sleep soundly for their overall health, and getting to the bottom of why you have insomnia is part of this process. 

Insomnia 101: what it is and how you know you have it 

There are three types of insomnia: transient, temporary, and chronic. The first occurs when you’ve had trouble sleeping for less than a month, while the second is between one and six months. The third is if you’ve had trouble sleeping for more than six months. Each of these can occur on their own or may be associated with another condition (symptomatic or comorbid).

Also, insomnia doesn’t just mean you lie awake staring at the ceiling as many movies and TV shows will have you believe. The condition could cause you to have trouble falling asleep, even if you’re tired. You could also fall asleep easily but wake up throughout the night. Finally, you might experience the ability to sleep but without feeling well rested afterward. 

All of these are types of insomnia, which is a prevalent issue everywhere. In fact, chronic insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in the United States. But even though the condition is common, there are ways to treat it effectively, which begins with figuring out why it occurs. 

When insomnia is a symptom of a larger condition 

Of course, some patients experience insomnia without any other issues, or the problem is based on their behavior before and during sleep. When they make a change to this behavior, they’re usually able to see favorable results and start falling and staying asleep more easily. 

But some people are great with what we call sleep hygiene, and still, they experience problems. If this is the case, your insomnia could be related to one of the conditions listed below. 

Heart problems 

Heart problems are highly associated with sleep issues. For one, lying down can make breathing harder, which can stress your heart. If your heart is already weak, it can be even harder to sleep. People who experience chest pains are also likely to struggle with sleep. And unfortunately, sleep problems only do more to weaken the heart. 

Sleep apnea 

Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing while you sleep, which puts extreme stress on the body and can even be fatal. People who have sleep apnea often wake up in the night, which can make it harder to get quality sleep. This condition requires treatment, and many different options are available depending on the severity. 

Chronic pain 

Back pain, arthritis, neurogenic pain conditions, and migraines are just a few chronic pain conditions. These conditions can make it hard to fall and stay asleep, especially if they’re unmanaged, and for many people, lack of sleep makes chronic pain worse. As such, a cycle forms between chronic pain and insomnia, trapping you in discomfort and exhaustion. 

Mental health 

Many people don’t realize just how difficult mental health conditions can be on your physical body. Issues like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can all make it harder to sleep, while short- or long-term stress can also affect your sleep habits. It’s important to examine your mental well-being as well to determine if this could be the cause of your restlessness. 

Getting help for insomnia (and its underlying causes)

You don’t need to live with insomnia. Often, determining any comorbidities is an important part of helping you get your sleep back on track, and we’re here to help. Call 208-591-6410 or visit us online today to make an appointment at our Boise, ID, office. Tamara McDonald, DNP, also offers telehealth visits to patients across the state of Idaho.