Besides Insomnia, Here Are the Illnesses That Cause Difficulty Sleeping

Some people may consider trouble sleeping to be normal. Yet difficulty sleeping can disrupt daily activities and can be a sign of certain underlying illnesses. What illnesses? Here is a list of conditions that cause difficulty sleeping.

Sinusitis

Sinusitis is medically defined as inflammation of the sinus walls. The sinuses are small cavities connecting the air passages in the skull, located behind the forehead bone, on both sides of the nasal bridge, inside the cheekbone structure, and behind the eyes. 

Under normal conditions, the sinuses produce mucus that helps clean and filter particles from inhaled air. The sinuses are also known to help control the humidity and temperature of the air entering the lungs.

People with sinusitis generally experience infection and swelling in the nasal passages due to blockage, swelling around the eyes, chest pain, greenish mucus, an impaired sense of smell, and flu-like symptoms that make it hard to sleep. This inevitably reduces sleep quality. In addition, the next day's activities become suboptimal due to insufficient nighttime rest. 

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia can cause sufferers to feel pain throughout their body. This condition can affect anyone, even children. However, most sufferers are aged 30–50. In terms of sex, the risk of fibromyalgia is greater in women.

People with fibromyalgia experience a burning, stabbing sensation throughout the body. This sensation can be continuous or come and go. They also feel pain in the ligaments and tendons. This is what can make people with fibromyalgia struggle to sleep soundly at night.

GERD

GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) can also be a cause of difficulty sleeping. People with GERD feel a burning sensation in the chest because stomach acid rises into the esophagus. GERD can occur due to a weakening of the valve or sphincter in the stomach. 

The valve's main job is to keep food or drink that enters the stomach from coming back up. But when it malfunctions, stomach contents rise into the esophagus and cause a burning sensation. This is what makes people with GERD struggle to sleep, especially when lying down.

Dementia

The next cause of difficulty sleeping is dementia, a disease that leaves sufferers unable to think, interact, and remember. People with dementia also experience a decline in motor skills. This greatly affects brain function and can cause insomnia. Dementia can also be called the sundowning syndrome because sufferers feel restless and want to keep being active or moving in the afternoon and at night.

Sleep Apnea

Besides insomnia, sleep apnea can also cause difficulty sleeping. People with sleep apnea have interrupted sleep due to breathing pauses and frequently wake to urinate at night because the ADH hormone is disrupted. This disorder makes sleep low quality.

Those are some illnesses that can cause difficulty sleeping. If you often struggle to sleep, consulting a doctor is the right step to address your condition — especially if you feel symptoms of sleep apnea, a condition that can sometimes be hard to detect. An evaluation of your body's condition during sleep is needed to see whether you have a sleep disorder, which is why doctors usually recommend taking a sleep diagnostic test. 

Sleep diagnostic test doesn't have to be done in a hospital; you can do it at home easily, safely, and with accurate results. Contact Resindo Medika right away if you need sleep test services in Jakarta and the surrounding area.

We hope this information is helpful!