Secondary Insomnia is defined as trouble in sleeping due to another illness that the victim has been suffering from. This main or ‘primary’ illness could be anything, from arthritis to sleep apnea. The end result is that it causes enough pain or discomfort to result in fitful and disturbed sleep. Some of the illnesses behind secondary insomnia are headaches, arthritis, breathing disorders, restless leg syndrome, etc.

Insomnia has been found to be common among people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress. A major event or injury, that has had a lasting impact on the psyche, is often recalled in the dreams produced during R.E.M. sleep. Such a disturbing recollection can shatter any notion of sleep, often violently waking the sleeper, and making it extremely difficult for him/her to go back to sleep.

Your sleep schedule may be interrupted for various reasons. Perhaps you were traveling and suffering from jet lag. Or you had to change your work shift suddenly. Although, the reason behind the interruption may last only a day or so, the havoc it plays with your sleep cycle may stay with you much longer. Attempting to catch up on lost sleep in the day can result in a lack of sleep at night, locking you in to a vicious cycle. Once the natural rhythm has been disturbed, it can be very difficult to recover it for some people.

Environmental reasons for insomnia can vary widely. Anything from too much ambient light to noisy neighbors can interfere with a sound sleep. Always ensuring that you are able to recreate the conditions under which you asleep most soundly is essential. For example, several people who are used to sleeping with the hum of the ceiling fan are unable to sleep in its absence. Some people are only ever able to sleep soundly in their own beds. Things like earmuffs and blackout shades can help.

‘Couch potatoes’ or people with a restricted physical lifestyle often suffer from bouts of insomnia. Exercise forms an important part of a healthy lifestyle and a lack of it may just leave you with too much energy to fall asleep. People who lead a sedentary life often find that come bedtime, they’re just not tired enough to sleep. This is also the case with people who have a tendency to take a short nap during the day. The body needs to exhaust its batteries before it can recharge properly.

Your sleep cycle is tied to your digestive cycle, and both of them should go hand in hand. The body cannot really fall asleep as long as it still needs to get any work done. Eating very close to bedtime can upset the digestive cycle, which in turn throws your sleep cycle for a loop. Overeating or eating too little can also cause gastric problems like acidity and/or heartburn, which could keep you awake.

It’s commonly believed that having a drink can help you sleep. However, overdoing it can give you the opposite result. Getting drunk can result in interrupted and fitful sleep. Excessive use of alcohol can cause the drinker to fall unconscious, which is very different from sleep. During sleep the body is meant to relax and heal itself, which it finds very difficult to do when it has to deal with being flooded with alcohol. Over time, this pattern can do permanent damage to your sleep cycle.

Besides the natural stimulants that our bodies produce we take in a lot more. The most commonly abused stimulants include caffeine and nicotine. Caffeine from coffee, when taken too close to bedtime can make sleep impossible. Nicotine from cigarettes can stimulate your brain into a frenzy of activity that will keep you tossing and turning all night. Even some kinds of medication can produce unwanted stimulation. The National Sleep Foundation has listed several common medicines as being responsible for insomnia. These include medication prescribed for colds and allergies, high blood pressure, heart disease, thyroid disease, asthma and SSRI antidepressants.

Modern life comes with all kinds of strange schedules depending on your job. More people find themselves working in night shifts rather than the standard 9 to 5. And you may reason that as long as you get the recommended 8 hours of sleep everyday, doesn’t matter which 8 hours, you’ll be fine. However, you need to consider your body’s Circadian rhythms. Your body is inherently conditioned to operate most efficiently during the day. In the presence of daylight, your body and brain produce hormones like adrenaline that are designed to get you working at peak efficiency and keep you there, no matter what. At night, the opposite is true. The human mind and body are designed to rest at night; hence melatonin is produced, which tells you to go to sleep. The end result being that people working a ‘graveyard’ shift are apt to find themselves pushing hard when their body wants to fall asleep, and trying to sleep when their bodies are being pumped full of hormones to get them moving. Over time, this can lead to chronic insomnia.

Stress and anxiety are amongst the most common reasons behind insomnia. Insomniacs have reported work related issues being a key factor. Lack of job security, pressure to perform, unemployment and an unpleasant or uncomfortable work environment can all pile on the stress, making it difficult to drift off to sleep. Stress can also come from any number of unpleasant situations in your personal life: from heartbreak to child-related concerns. Stress prepares the body to deal with stress, making it alert and focused, which can counteract sleep.

Another common yet bizarre factor can be worry about insomnia itself. You may be so concerned that you won’t get enough rest, that you focus extra hard on falling asleep. This immense concentration by itself is sufficient to keep you alert, awake and that much farther from drifting off to sleep.