Although insomnia (inability to fall or stay asleep) is rarely diagnosed as a stand alone mental illness, it is often linked to symptoms of another illness, either physical or mental.  Insomnia can cause you to have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep or even cause you to wake up too early and not be able to go back to sleep.

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If you have trouble sleeping, you will know that it can affect all areas of your life with the seemingly endless nights, just lying in bed telling yourself to go to sleep as you have to go to work the next day or have something important to do.  Perhaps troubling thoughts are going around and around in your head.  You could wake up from sleep more tired than when you went to bed and experience exhaustion, irritability, or low tolerance levels the next day.  It may be that you don’t know what is troubling you as you lie in bed wide awake. 

 

Common causes of insomnia include stress, an irregular sleep schedule, poor sleeping habits, mental health disorders like anxiety and depression, physical illnesses and pain, medications, neurological problems, and specific sleep disorders.  Other causes include lifestyle recreational choices or work schedules which can cause a reverse sleep cycle (sleeping of a day and being awake at night).

 

Regardless of the cause, for most people suffering with insomnia, it is not a conscious choice and can exacerbate other mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression and even cause relationship difficulties.  Strategies to assist with insomnia can be easily taught and relief experienced from symptoms. 

 

Please see your GP in the first instance for a review of your mental health, to exclude physical issues and potential diagnosis to assist treatment.