Test Your Knowledge

Sleep disorders may be caused by a variety of factors, which may include:

• Food and drink. Foods and drinks that contain caffeine, such as coffee, soft drinks and chocolate, can cause difficulties in falling asleep. Alcohol use can also interfere with sleeping. Although drinking alcohol can induce sleep, it can also cause people to wake prematurely.
  
  
• Medications. Many medications interfere with sleep, such as certain antidepressants, blood pressure medications and over-the-counter cold medications. Even medications that are sedating, such as benzodiazepines and opioids, can have a negative impact on sleep.
  
  
• Medical conditions. Many medical conditions, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or peptic ulcers, can interfere with sleep.
  
  
• Psychiatric conditions. Some mental health conditions, such as anxiety disorders and depression, can result in insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness). Sleep disorders can also precipitate these conditions.
  
  
• Aging. Many people over the age of 65 experience sleep problems. This may be due to medical problems more commonly encountered in the geriatric population, changes in sleep architecture that occur with aging, or medication use.
  
  
• Life stresses. Short-term (transient) insomnia can be caused by life stresses, such as a new baby, job change or loss, death of a loved one or illness.
  
  
• Environmental factors. Poor sleeping environments, such as those with excessive light or noise, may interfere with sleep.
  
  
• Lifestyle factors. People who work the night shift sometimes experience sleep problems because it interferes with the biological urge to sleep during nighttime hours. Jet lag and heavy smoking can also interfere with sleep.
  
  
• Poor sleep habits. Individuals who nap excessively during daytime hours, go to bed too early or spend excessive time awake in bed may experience sleep problems.

The cause of many sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy, is unknown (idiopathic).