Insomnia is not only a problem with falling asleep. Sleep disturbance can also consist in frequent waking up, superficial shallow sleep. Insomnia in women often develops against the background of pregnancy, stress, negative life events. Also, regular nightly watching negative programs and scary films can lead to sleep problems. In case of insomnia, it is recommended to visit a specialist, because it can lead to mental disorders, cause somatic diseases.

A full sleep is the key to physical and psychological health, external attractiveness, a source of strength and energy. Almost any person at least once in his life had difficulty falling asleep, however, this condition quickly passed and the sleep regimen quickly recovered.

Persistent sleep disturbance for a long time (from a week to a month or more) is called insomnia, and women are most often affected by this condition.

Insomnia in women is a very common phenomenon, which is associated with hormonal and emotional characteristics of the weaker sex. Sleep disturbance negatively affects all body systems, significantly reduces functioning and impairs overall well-being. What are the causes of insomnia in women?

Sleep disorder symptoms

If a person did not sleep well at night, then talking about insomnia does not make sense, since the development of the disorder is longer, and depends on the influence of certain reasons. Only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis based on a patient survey and the presence of classic signs:

• difficulty falling asleep: the process lasts more than an hour;
• lack of integrity of night rest: a person often wakes up and hardly falls asleep;
• the disturbing superficial nature of sleep;
• decrease in professional and socially significant human functions;
• loss of interest in your favorite activities; weight loss due to lack of appetite;
• unmotivated aggression towards others;
• anxiety, excitement, the development of neurosis.

The body begins to exist in a state of severe distress, which is reflected in the psycho-emotional sensations of a woman and her appearance. Characteristic symptoms are an extinct look, pallor of the skin, dark circles under the eyes.

Causes of insomnia in women

Among the causes of insomnia in women, there are both external and internal. The most common sleep worsening factors are:

1. Long experiences and stress. These are the most common causes of insomnia in women. Daily negative impressions, conflicts in the family, financial problems, difficulties in relationships with relatives and children, changes in life associated with moving, changing family status affect the quality of sleep.
2. Physical exercise. Overwork, exercise before bedtime, hard physical work are a factor in insomnia in about a third of cases.
3. Emotional stress. It is not only about negative experiences – joyful events, such as the upcoming wedding, a long-awaited meeting, love can provoke sleep disturbances.
4. Taking medications that affect the nervous system, drinking alcohol, coffee. Some drugs can affect the process of inhibition of the nervous system. Caffeine and spirits are also exciting, after which it is very difficult to sleep.
5. Watching movies, news before bedtime can also affect the quality of sleep, especially when it comes to negative information.
6. Hormonal changes in the body (disruption of the endocrine system, pregnancy, menopause, menstrual irregularities).
7. Change of time zones, work schedule. Women working in shifts often suffer from insomnia. Frequent flights over long distances and the process of getting used to changing time zones can also bring a failure in sleep mode.
8. Somatic diseases. Diseases accompanied by pain, causing anxiety about their course also affect sleep.

Insomnia in women is a serious disorder that cannot be ignored. Features of insomnia in women is that sleep disturbance contributes to the very rapid and serious progression of psychiatric diseases, the development of psychosomatic disorders, and the deterioration of physical condition. If you rely on the opinion of doctors, insomnia is also the cause of premature aging, since lack of sleep reduces collagen production, leads to a malfunction in metabolic processes and a violation of diet. Therefore, it is impossible to ignore the symptoms of insomnia.

Somatic diseases

This type of disease is characterized by disturbances in the normal functioning of human systems and organs, caused by internal or external influences, and can cause insomnia in women. The above pathologies are not associated with the mental activity of the fair sex and when conducting high-quality comprehensive diagnostics, quite often the cause of sleep disturbance is accurately established.

• Bronchopulmonary system. Usually insomnia affects women who are diagnosed with bronchial asthma, as well as chronic pathologies associated with respiratory obstruction;
• Gastrointestinal Disorders. Most often, a provoking factor is esophageal reflux;
• Malfunctioning thyroid gland. Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can cause problems with falling asleep and sleeping;
• Pain syndrome. Fibromyalgia, migraines and other similar conditions often cause insomnia;
• Neurological Disorders and Trauma. Almost all neurological diseases, as well as direct injuries of the skull and spine, form negative symptoms with multiple sleep disorders;
• Special syndromes. Pickwick and restless legs syndrome, myoclonus, central systemic apnea and much more.

Diagnosis of insomnia in women

Based on the characteristics of insomnia in women, the diagnosis should take into account all aspects of the functioning of the weaker sex – psychological, physiological and socio-economic. Therefore, the diagnosis of insomnia in women should be carried out by an experienced psychiatrist. Diagnosed with one or more of the symptoms listed below:

• Complaints about long falling asleep (from the moment of laying to the moment of falling asleep, it takes from an hour to three hours)
• Complaints of frequent waking up at night (causes of awakening are clarified – urination, pain, anxious thoughts)
• Complaints of earlier awakening, after which it is impossible to fall asleep again
• Feelings of a “heavy head” in the morning, inability to perform work or everyday duties with high quality

After diagnosis, the next step of the doctor is to find out the causes of insomnia. If we are talking about psychological reasons, this is clarified during the collection of anamnesis. If we are talking about physiological causes (complaints of pain, somatic and neurological symptoms), additional checks and examinations are prescribed.

Prevention of insomnia in women

Prevention of insomnia in women consists in psycho-education – with the help of a psychotherapist or psychologist, as well as with the help of specialized literature, you can learn how to deal with stress and negative events, how to prevent physical and emotional overwork, how to establish healthy intra-family relationships.

In addition, the prevention of insomnia in women includes sleep hygiene – the simplest skills that will help to overcome bad habits (overeating, alcohol) and give a healthy and sound sleep. Also, do not neglect a visit to doctors if you are worried about any unpleasant symptoms and conduct an annual medical examination.