Poor sleep habits, stress, medications, life stages and lifestyle can all contribute to your poor sleep.
Insomnia risk factors
Certain things are likely to increase your risk of experiencing a poor night's sleep.
- Increasing age increases your risk of insomnia2 and also reduces the hours of sleep you need each night.
- Some medications and recreational substances, particularly when taken in the evening, can cause sleep difficulties.
- Being a woman makes it more likely you’ll experience insomnia symptoms.4 Pregnancy, hormonal changes and menopause can all interfere with your sleep.
- Worry is a key driver of insomnia, particularly when it comes to short-term insomnia.
- Shift work can interfere with your sleep-wake cycle, making it difficult to sleep at the time when you need to.
- Jet lag is caused by travelling through several time zones in a west-east or east-west direction. Your body clock becomes confused about the right time to sleep and it can take several days to adjust to your new location.
