What causes difficulty sleeping at night?
Nov 13, 2024
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Lv Zhiqin
Introduction
Insomnia at night may be caused by aging, improper diet, anxiety disorder, arthritis, angina, and other reasons. In daily life, it is important to maintain healthy habits, including a balanced diet, moderate exercise such as jogging or swimming, regular sleep schedules, and learning to manage emotions, in order to prevent and improve insomnia.
Generally, difficulty falling asleep refers to insomnia. Nighttime insomnia may be caused by factors such as aging, improper diet, anxiety disorder, arthritis, angina pectoris, and other conditions. If the above situations occur, it is recommended to seek medical attention promptly. Specific analyses are as follows:
1. Aging
With advancing age, physiological functions in the human body gradually decline, including nervous system function, leading to changes in sleep cycles and depth, which can easily trigger insomnia. In daily life, it's important to maintain a regular sleep schedule and take moderate naps, but not for too long.
2. Improper Diet
Eating too much at dinner or consuming excessive amounts of stimulating foods—such as coffee, strong tea, spicy foods, or drinking large quantities of water—can disrupt normal sleep mechanisms and lead to nighttime insomnia. Light walking after meals is recommended to aid digestion.
3. Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety disorders may arise due to genetic factors, poor family environment, or social stressors. As an emotional disorder, anxiety causes individuals to remain in a state of excessive worry and tension, resulting in nervous system dysfunction and causing the aforementioned symptoms. It may be accompanied by feelings of restlessness, fear, and others. Treatment may require medications such as sertraline hydrochloride capsules, olanzapine-fluoxetine capsules, or venlafaxine hydrochloride sustained-release capsules, taken under medical supervision.
4. Arthritis
Arthritis may be related to age, chronic joint strain, or immune system abnormalities. Pain and discomfort caused by arthritis can interfere with sleep, making it difficult for patients to fall asleep or stay asleep, thus leading to nighttime insomnia. Symptoms may include joint pain and swelling. Treatment should involve medications such as ibuprofen sustained-release capsules, celecoxib capsules, or diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets, used under a doctor’s guidance.
5. Angina Pectoris
Angina pectoris is a symptom of myocardial ischemia caused by insufficient blood supply from the coronary arteries. The pain may occur at night, easily waking the patient and making it difficult to fall back asleep, thereby causing insomnia. It may be accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath, and other symptoms. Patients should take medications such as quick-acting heart-saving pills, musk cardiac pills, or nitroglycerin tablets as prescribed by their doctors.
In daily life, it's important to maintain healthy habits, including a balanced diet, moderate exercise, regular sleep patterns, and learning to manage emotions effectively, all of which help prevent and improve insomnia.
