Risk Factors for Insomnia

Advanced Age

People over the age of 60-65 years old are more likely to have insomnia than younger people. Older people may be less likely to sleep soundly because of bodily changes related to aging and because they may have medical conditions or take medications that disturb sleep.

Chronic Disease

Chronic diseases and associated pain may increase the risk of insomnia. Some conditions associated with insomnia include:

• Diabetes
• Kidney disease
• Lung disease
• Arthritis
• Alzheimer disease
• Parkinson disease
• Heart disease
• Heavy smoking
• Gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD)
• Sleep apnea
• Restless legs syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Alcohol or drug use disorders

Medications    TOP

Certain medications can increase the risk of sleeping problems as a side effect. These may include:

• Decongestants, and cough and cold remedies
• Diet pills
• Steroids
• Certain high blood pressure medications
• Theophylline—used to treat asthma
• Phenytoin—used to treat seizure disorder
• Levodopa—used to treat Parkinson disease
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—used to treat depression

Gender    TOP

Insomnia occurs more often in women than in men. Pregnancy and hormonal shifts can disturb sleep. Other hormonal changes, such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or menopause, can also can affect sleep.

Psychological Factors    TOP

Stress is considered by most sleep experts to be the number one cause of short-term sleeping difficulties. Common triggers include school- or job-related pressures, a family or marriage problem, or a serious illness or death in the family. Insomnia is also a common symptom of anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and depression.

Lifestyle Behaviors    TOP

Habits and activities that you do during the day or night can interfere with getting a good night's sleep. These include:

• Smoking or using other tobacco products
• Drinking alcohol or beverages containing caffeine in the afternoon or evening
• Exercising close to bedtime
• Following an irregular morning and nighttime schedule
• Working or doing other mentally intense activities right before or after getting into bed

Night Shift Work    TOP

Night shift work forces you to try to sleep when activities around you and your own biological rhythms signal you to be awake. Shift workers are more likely to fall asleep on the job because of poor sleep quality than are employees with regular daytime hours.

Long-range Jet Travel    TOP

Jet lag is the inability to sleep as a result of crossing many time zones in a short period of time. This can disturb your biological rhythms and deprive you of good sleep until your body can adjust to the new time zone.

Poor Sleep Environment    TOP

A distracting sleep environment, such as a room that's too hot or cold, too noisy, or too brightly lit, can be a barrier to sound sleep. Interruptions from children or other family members can also disrupt sleep. Other influences may be the comfort and size of your bed and the habits of your sleep partner.