In real life and on television, you often hear people complain about insomnia because they’ve only slept a few hours the previous night. Insomnia is a severe medical condition that occurs when you have trouble sleeping. Though some people have problems falling asleep, others can fall asleep, but they wake up at night and find it difficult to sleep. Please keep reading to learn more about insomnia symptoms, the long-term effects it has on you, and the best treatment options available.

Insomnia FAQ’s

What are the leading causes of insomnia?

At AgeEnvy in Tampa, FL, we understand that though people of all ages can have insomnia, they usually share some of the same symptoms. The most common symptoms include trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. You may also wake up long before the alarm goes off and discover that it is almost impossible to get back to sleep.

Even if you do fall asleep and stay in bed for a few hours or longer, you will likely feel sluggish and tired in the morning. As insomnia changes your natural sleep patterns, you may also start feeling tired all the time and want to nap during the day. But, if you lie down, you probably won’t get any sleep.

Insomnia can also change the way you think and process information. There is a good chance that you’ll have difficulty concentrating on simple tasks and remembering things. Insomnia is also often associated with other mental conditions.

People with insomnia can get depressed and anxious because they cannot do the things they used to, resulting in a lower quality of living. They also spend a lot of nights lying awake worried about not being able to fall asleep, and these thoughts can even interrupt their lives during the day.

What Causes Insomnia?

Before you start looking for treatment options that can help you, try to find out what is causing your insomnia. According to the Sleep Foundation, as many as 35% of adults in the United States experience insomnia every year. Insomnia often sets in suddenly without any warning, and you can suffer from other sleep conditions such as sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing for short intervals, interrupting your sleep throughout the night—though you won’t remember it in the morning. One of the more common causes of insomnia is stress.

If you’re very stressed at work, you may develop insomnia because you keep thinking about work when you’re trying to sleep. Sleeping trouble is one of the most prominent symptoms of depression. A physical injury can also lead to insomnia. If you have a broken arm or leg, the pain can make it hard for you to sleep and disrupt your regular sleep schedule. The medications you take for an injury can also interfere with your sleeping habits.

Insomnia and Its Long-Term Effects

The biggest reason to seek help for your insomnia is that it helps you avoid some of the long-term effects. Though you might not be able to see the immediate impact of insomnia on your body, remember the more problems you have falling asleep now, the more health complications you will have in the future.

One possible result of insomnia is hypertension because it can pop up when you get six or fewer hours of sleep per night. Hypertension is the clinical term for high blood pressure, making your heart rate increase, causing your heart to overwork.

People with insomnia are also at an increased risk of getting a stroke or heart attack. A stroke often happens when you have a blood clot in one part of your body that loosens and moves to your brain. If you spend a lot of time in the same position because you can’t sleep, you have an even greater risk of experiencing a stroke.

Insomnia can also lead to weight gain and even obesity. Some people with insomnia eat more because they’re bored and can’t sleep. Others lack the energy to burn calories and stay in shape because they can’t get enough sleep.

BHRT for Insomnia

You have several options for treating insomnia, including cognitive-behavioral therapy. Also known as CBT, this treatment is a form of therapy that changes how you think about sleep. You learn how to shift your focus and adjust your thinking when you can’t sleep.

Certain medications can also help. Some people benefit from sleeping pills, but doctors recommend that you only use these pills for a short period. Many people claim that they find melatonin helpful, and Melatonin supplements use natural ingredients to help you relax and fall asleep.

Bioidentical hormone therapy is one of the newer treatments for insomnia. As you age, your hormone starts fluctuating more, which can induce insomnia. However, bioidentical hormones are derived from plants, their biological components as the same as the estrogen and testosterone your body used to produce in sufficient amounts. When this stops, you can replace the lost natural hormones with bioidentical hormones through bioidentical hormone therapy.

This treatment is entirely safe and prescribed to nearly 1.5 million women going through menopause.

Can Bioidentical Hormones help with sleep?

If you’re considering bioidentical hormone therapy for your insomnia, consult with a specialist immediately. They will be able to determine the right dodge of bioidentical hormone for you.

During the procedure, your physician will insert a tiny pellet containing all the hormones you will need for the next few months into an area in your buttocks or at the top of your hip after thoroughly numbing the area. The pellet will gradually release the hormones for several months.

The hormone therapy sessions last less than 30 minutes.

Insomnia can last for just a few short weeks or disrupt your sleep every night for months or even longer. You have an increased risk of developing different medical conditions and having a hard time at work or in your personal life. You don’t spend another day worrying about how that lack of sleep will affect you in the future—contact AgeEnvy today and find how bioidentical hormone therapy can treat your insomnia.