Depression, Anxiety, and Poor Sleeping Habits as Chronic Causes of Insomnia

People throughout the world tend to struggle with different issues that hold them back in some way or another. Some issues can affect a person’s health and lead to drastic change in a person’s brain. In order for a person to function in their daily life he or she must attain certain sources to fuel the body and the mind. There are some issues that are more common among the population than people even realize. There is a constant problem in which people cannot sleep or have trouble falling asleep. Although to some people sleep does not seem to be a major factor in a person’s health there is information that proves otherwise.

This chronic issue is better known as insomnia. Insomnia is a disorder in which a person suffers from the inability to sleep. Insomnia disrupts a person’s sleeping habits as well as leads to the chemical imbalance in the brain. People who suffer from insomnia usually exhibit symptoms, which can hinder their ability to function “normally”. Sleeping is one of the main factors in a person’s ability to function and can ultimately have an effect on the other factors of a person’s health.

Sleep is a detrimental part of a person’s life and always has an effect on a person’s mood. Health solely relies on a person’s sleeping habits and eating habits. If a person’s sleeping habits or eating habits are hindered then a person’s general well being will be strongly affected negatively. Throughout present day society insomnia has become more prevalent due to its chronic causes, which include depression, anxiety, and poor sleeping habits.

Depression has increased drastically over the past few decades and has added on to the constant issue of insomnia. It is reported that about one in ten Americans suffer from depression and that patients diagnosed with depression increases by about twenty percent each year. In addition, about eighty percent of people with clinical depression are not receiving treatment for their depression. Although it may seem as an over exaggeration most people in the United States suffer from depression. People who suffer from depression are also linked to struggling with sleep disorders, such as insomnia.

Depression is an imbalance of serotonin and dopamine in the brain structure. If there is an imbalance of chemicals in the brain the result is usually depression or another type of depressive disorder. Also, insomnia can be a common symptom of mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and post- traumatic stress disorder, which are often linked to depression. Even though some people would claim that depression does not have a severe impact, it tends to create more detrimental issues. When a person develops insomnia, their sleep deprivation creates an imbalance of chemicals in the brain which add on to the likeliness of them developing depression.

A person who develops insomnia is three times more likely to develop depression (webmd.com). The people who tend to be the most depressed are people forty-five to sixty-five years old, women, people who are unable to work, people without health insurance, and people who have been married (cdc.org). Due to the fact that insomnia causes depression the results are usually issues with relationships and productivity. Depression is one of the main symptoms in a person’s life when dealing with insomnia and can also be treated by doctors simultaneously.

Almost ten percent of people that inhabit North America suffer from anxiety and as a result are more likely to suffer from insomnia. Anxiety can cause changes in the brain structures and trouble with sleeping as well as the inability to be calm. If a person cannot relax and has trouble with an overactive mind at night the chances of struggling with insomnia are increased. People who struggle with anxiety disorders tend to have overactive thoughts throughout the day and the night, which do not allow them to fall asleep or rest.

As a result people who suffer from anxiety disorders sometimes do not sleep regularly and begin to suffer from insomnia. For example, a person who is grieving from the loss of a loved one may become very stressed and anxious. Traumatic events such as this often lead a person to battle their own thoughts constantly without sleeping and alter their brain chemistry. Insomnia is not only one disorder, but also a compilation of other disorders, such as anxiety, which strongly affect a person’s ability to function in his or her life. People who face insomnia and anxiety cannot live healthy lives unless they find treatment. Otherwise, insomnia can spiral out of control into more than a few causes in a person’s life.

Poor sleeping habits are known for leading to chronic cases of insomnia when not treated or acknowledged. Adolescents are more prone to obtaining poor sleeping habits due to their erratic behavior and abnormal sleeping schedules. Poor sleeping habits increase the probability of a person’s for bodily malfunctions. If a person develops poor sleeping habits then it is likely that they will also develop other symptoms such as loss of concentration, irritability, loss of appetite or binge eating, loss of coordination, relationship problems, and tardiness to work.

Although sleep may seem to be a source of well being that is not seen to be significant it can lead a person to have a low immune system as well as affect a person’s behavior when his or her sleeping schedules are disturbed. Sporadic sleeping patterns increase the likeliness of auto accidents and approximately thirteen out of one hundred work injuries can be linked to poor sleeping habits. (hilawfirm.com). Insomnia causes a person to become a danger to themselves as well as others. For example, a young girl named Heather O’Donald struggled with poor sleep habits for about three months due to her constant stress over her schoolwork, late night adventures with her friends, and intense work schedule.

After about three months Heather began to develop insomnia and was no longer able to sleep or rest. One day when Heather was driving to work she was exhausted to the point where she could not react quickly enough to avoid an accident. Heather’s lack of sleep and poor sleeping habits put her in a situation in which her life and another person’s life were at risk. In this scenario, it can be agreed that insomnia is a health issue as well as a safety issue.

Insomnia is a disorder, which affects a person’s health and ultimately his or her lifestyle. Sleep plays a significant role in a person’s life and determines the way in which his or her body and brain functions. Sleep disorders, such as insomnia, are linked to more than one type of health and safety risk. An insomniac experiences a life in which sleep is restricted and life is not pleasurable anymore. Therefore, depression and other mental disorders can develop all due to a critical case of insomnia. Sleep requires certain chemicals in the brain to be released and when these chemicals are not released the human body’s functioning becomes off track. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the human body requires sleep, nutrients, oxygen, hydration, and shelter to remain in good health.

If a person struggling with insomnia could seek out help by either obtaining medication from a doctor or undergoing therapy then the risks would be minimized. Disorders affect the course of a person’s life and the way he or she lives. Yet it is not to say that there in no way a person can overcome a disorder. There are ways in which a person can live while struggling with any type of disorder. A disorder does not have to hold a person back from living a full and healthy life.