Causes of Sleep Problems

In addition to a brain injury, there are four other types of problems that can lead to sleep difficulties.

Physical/Emotional Issues

Some sleep problems are the result of physical or emotional issues such as:

Tension, worry or anxiety
Depression
Brain injury
Physical problems (enlarged tonsils, obesity, etc)

Common symptoms of untreated sleep disorders are:

Snoring
Being out of breath when you wake up
Feeling sleepy during the day
Having unpleasant (tingly) feelings in your legs and urges to move your legs to make it stop, especially at night

These are symptoms of the most common sleep disorders. If you are concerned, please talk to your doctor as soon as possible!

Some can be the results of medical conditions, pain, or medications:

Pain or discomfort from medical problems or injuries
Taking decongestants (like sinus or cold medicine)
Taking steroids
Some medicines for asthma or depression can cause sleep problems

Life Events

Some sleep problems are the result of things that happen in your life, such as:

Increase in school stress
Loss of a loved one
Hospitalization
Sleeping in a strange place
Acute pain
Sudden change of schedule

Personal Habits

There are many common sleep habits that you may not realize are keeping you from sleeping. Knowing the cause of the problem is the best way to start treating it.

Bad Sleep Habits:

Irregular sleep habits
Drinking a lot of caffeine throughout the day keeps you awake during the day and at night
Staying in bed tossing and turning trains your body to stay awake rather than sleeping
Having distractions in the room (for example light, sound, or a mess) keeps you from being able to relax and prepare to sleep.
Sleeping more than 2 hours past your normal wake up time-disrupts your sleep routine and makes it harder to fall asleep at your normal bedtime
Eating a big bedtime snack
Using drugs, abusing alcohol, or heavy smoking

Caffeine

Caffeine is a drug. Even though caffeine is natural and found in the leaves of plants, it is still a stimulant. It may make you feel alert (give you energy) when you drink it but it can stay in your body a long time and keep you awake when you want to sleep.

Like other stimulant drugs, caffeine is addictive. When you stop taking it you may have headaches, muscle aches, or be grouchy and feel down. Like other drugs, your body gets used to caffeine over time and you may need more of it to feel the effects (for example: feel energy).

A little caffeine goes a long way. Drinking a soda or a drink with caffeine once in a while is okay, but if you have problems sleeping don’t drink a lot and stop 6-8 hours before you want to go to bed.

For more information on caffeine, go to:
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2419103/k.DEFA/Caffeine_Calculator.htm

Environment Issues:

The temperature in your room is too hot or too cool
Your room is too bright or noisy
Distractions in your room like TV, computer, cell phone, video games
Using your bedroom for activities other than sleeping (doing homework, playing videogames, or watching TV in bed).

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