Being unable to fall asleep or waking up several times during the night can take a toll on both body and mind. At first, such issues may seem minor but when they continue for several days or weeks, they can significantly impact the overall quality of life. Over time, this lack of proper rest can start to affect mood, focus, and daily energy. There are different factors due to which sleep quality may get affected, with one of the most common causes being insomnia - a condition that affects the body’s ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or feel rested the next day. In this blog, we’ll look into why sleep may be getting affected and how to tell when it could be a sign of something more serious.

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep through the night, or return to sleep after waking up too early. Some people may also find that their sleep feels light or broken, leaving them tired even after spending enough time in bed.

This condition can be short-term, lasting a few nights during times of stress, illness, or travel. In other cases, it can continue for weeks or longer and become a long-term problem. When insomnia lasts for a longer period, it may begin to affect how the body functions during the day. Low energy, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and mood changes are common signs linked to poor sleep.

Types of Insomnia

Insomnia can vary based on how long it lasts, what part of sleep it affects, and whether it occurs on its own or alongside other health issues.

• Short-term insomnia: This usually lasts for a few days or weeks. It often happens after stressful events such as exams, a breakup, illness, travel, or changes in daily routine. It may resolve on its own once the stressor passes.

• Long-term insomnia: This continues for at least three nights a week for over three months. It may be linked to ongoing stress, anxiety, depression, shift work, certain medications, or chronic health conditions. Long-term insomnia usually requires medical attention and lifestyle changes to improve sleep.

Insomnia can also be classified by how it disrupts sleep:

• Sleep-onset insomnia: This refers to trouble falling asleep at bedtime. A person may spend a long time lying awake before finally drifting off.

• Sleep-maintenance insomnia: Frequent awakenings during the night with trouble going back to sleep. This type often leads to poor sleep quality and daytime tiredness.

• Terminal insomnia: Waking up much earlier than intended and being unable to return to sleep. It’s more common in older adults and those dealing with depression.

• Mixed insomnia: A combination of more than one pattern—for example, struggling to fall asleep and waking up repeatedly during the night.

Sometimes, insomnia is not a condition by itself but a result of another health issue. When it occurs along with problems like chronic pain, asthma, anxiety, or depression, it's called co-morbid insomnia. In these cases, both the sleep issue and the underlying health condition may need to be addressed together for sleep to improve.

Common Signs You Might Have Insomnia

Insomnia can affect both night-time rest and how the body functions during the day. The signs can vary from person to person, but the most common ones include:

• Trouble falling asleep: Lying in bed for a long time without being able to drift off, even when feeling tired

• Waking up during the night: Getting up several times and struggling to return to sleep

• Waking up too early: Opening the eyes hours before the alarm and being unable to fall back asleep

• Feeling tired after sleep: Sleep may feel light, broken, or unrefreshing, even after spending enough time in bed

• Daytime tiredness or low energy: Feeling drained during the day, with little motivation to carry out usual tasks

• Trouble concentrating: Struggling to stay focused at work, school, or during everyday activities

• Mood changes: Feeling more irritable, anxious, or down than usual

These signs may be mild at first but can build up over time, especially if sleep remains disturbed for several nights in a row.

Possible Causes of Insomnia

Insomnia can happen on its own or be linked to something else affecting the body or mind. It doesn’t always have a single, clear reason. In many cases, a combination of issues leads to disrupted sleep over time.

Here are some of the more common causes:

• Stress and worry: Daily stressors—such as deadlines, exams, job interviews, or family conflicts—can make it hard for the mind to relax at night. Even minor worries can build up and affect sleep over several days or weeks. Stress from major life events like divorce, job loss, or a medical diagnosis may trigger longer-term insomnia.

• Mental health conditions: Anxiety can lead to racing thoughts or a constant feeling of unease that keeps the body alert. Depression may either cause early waking or sleeping too much, both of which can disturb the normal pattern of rest.

• Poor sleep habits: Irregular bedtimes, late-night screen time, eating heavy meals close to bedtime, or trying to catch up on sleep during weekends can confuse the body’s natural rhythm. Over time, these habits may prevent restful sleep even when a person is tired.

• Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine: These substances can interfere with sleep in different ways. Caffeine stays in the body for hours and may delay sleep. Nicotine is a stimulant that can lead to lighter sleep. Alcohol might make falling asleep easier, but it often leads to broken sleep later in the night.

• Medical conditions: Conditions like chronic pain, restless leg syndrome, acid reflux, sleep apnoea, or an overactive thyroid can make sleep uncomfortable or interrupted. Night sweats or hormonal shifts, especially during menopause, may also disturb sleep.

• Medicines and routine changes: Some medications and sudden changes like shift work or travel across time zones can also throw off sleep.

In some cases, insomnia may not have a clear cause, which is why medical advice is helpful when sleep troubles continue for more than a few nights.

Effect of Insomnia on Your Health

Sleep plays a key role in keeping the body and mind in balance. When sleep is often disrupted or cut short due to insomnia, it can slowly begin to affect both physical and mental health.

Lack of proper sleep can lead to constant tiredness, making it harder to focus or stay alert during the day. It may affect memory, reaction time, and decision-making, which can impact work, studies, or driving. 

Over time, poor sleep may also increase the risk of health issues such as high blood pressure, heart problems, type 2 diabetes, and weakened immunity.

Insomnia is also linked to changes in mood. Many people with sleep problems report feeling low, anxious, or easily irritated. In some cases, it can make existing mental health conditions harder to manage.

When sleep remains poor for weeks or months, the body does not get the rest it needs to recover and repair. This may lead to a constant feeling of being unwell, both physically and emotionally.

How is Insomnia Diagnosed?

Identifying insomnia often involves a careful look at your sleep habits, health background, and daily routine. There’s no single test that can instantly confirm insomnia, but doctors use a few steps to better understand what’s going on and rule out other conditions.

Medical and Sleep History

The first step usually involves a detailed discussion about your sleep. Your doctor may ask how often you struggle to fall asleep, how many times you wake up during the night, and how rested you feel during the day. They may also go over your medical history, stress levels, current medications, and lifestyle habits like caffeine use, alcohol intake, or irregular sleep schedules.

Keeping a Sleep Diary

To get a clearer picture, your doctor might ask you to maintain a sleep diary for 1–2 weeks. This includes noting when you go to bed, how long it takes to fall asleep, when you wake up, how often your sleep gets disturbed, and how you feel during the day. A sleep diary helps spot patterns that may be affecting sleep.

Using an Actigraphy Device

In some cases, especially if your sleep schedule seems off or inconsistent, you might be asked to wear an actigraphy device. It’s a small gadget, often worn on the wrist, that tracks your movement and provides a general sense of when you're asleep and awake over several days.

Sleep Study (Polysomnography)

When sleep problems continue despite lifestyle changes, a sleep study may be recommended to check for other conditions such as sleep apnoea or abnormal movement during sleep. This test, known as polysomnography, tracks brain waves, breathing patterns, oxygen levels, heart rate, and body movements during sleep. It helps provide a clearer picture of what might be affecting sleep quality.

Although traditionally done in a sleep lab, this test can now be performed at home in many cases using a portable device. At-home sleep study testing is often more comfortable, as it allows sleep to be monitored in a familiar setting. It is especially useful when symptoms suggest a specific condition like obstructive sleep apnoea. The results are assessed by specialists to decide on the next steps, which may include treatment or further evaluation.

Ruling Out Other Conditions

Insomnia is sometimes caused by or linked to other health problems, including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, or hormone changes. Your doctor may check for these issues to ensure the treatment plan addresses all possible causes—not just the sleep issue.

Tips to Improve Sleep Naturally

Improving sleep often begins with small changes to daily routines and the sleeping environment. These habits, known as sleep hygiene, can help the body and mind relax more easily at night. They may not solve every sleep issue, but following them regularly can lead to better rest over time.

• Follow a regular sleep schedule: Try to sleep and wake up at the same time each day, including weekends. This consistency helps train your body’s internal clock, making it easier to drift off at night and wake up feeling rested.

• Create a relaxing wind-down period: Try to spend 30–60 minutes before bed doing quiet activities such as reading, light stretching, or listening to calming music. This gives the mind time to slow down and prepare for sleep.

• Make the bedroom sleep-friendly: A cool, dark, and quiet room often supports better sleep. Use curtains that block light, remove noisy distractions, and make sure the mattress and pillows feel comfortable.

• Keep screen time in check before bed: The light from phones, laptops, and TVs can interfere with the body's natural release of melatonin, a hormone that helps signal it’s time to sleep. It may help to switch off screens at least an hour before bedtime.

• Watch what goes into the body: Avoid caffeine and nicotine in the late afternoon or evening, as they can keep the body alert. Heavy or spicy meals close to bedtime may also lead to discomfort and make sleep more difficult.

• Be physically active during the day: A daily walk, light stretching, or regular movement can support deeper sleep. But exercising too late in the evening may overstimulate the body and make it harder to fall asleep.

• Avoid long daytime naps: Short naps can be helpful, but naps longer than 30 minutes or taken late in the day may make it harder to fall asleep at night.

Making these changes may not lead to immediate results, but sticking to them over time can gradually improve sleep quality. If these steps do not help, or sleep remains poor for several nights in a row, it may be time to consider further evaluation, such as a sleep study.

Identify Sleep Problems with MaxAtHome’s Sleep Study Test

If the tips mentioned above haven’t improved your sleep and you continue to feel tired or unrested, it might be time to look deeper into what’s disrupting your sleep. In some cases, there may be an underlying issue such as sleep apnoea or irregular breathing that needs medical attention.

MaxAtHome offers an at-home sleep study test that helps identify sleep-related problems without requiring a hospital visit. The process is simple and designed for comfort:

• A small, easy-to-use device is delivered to your home.

• You wear it overnight as instructed—it records your sleep patterns, breathing, oxygen levels, and heart rate.

• The next day, the device is picked up, and the recorded data is reviewed by sleep specialists.

• Based on the results, further steps can be recommended if needed.

Getting tested at home can make the process less stressful and more convenient, especially if sleep issues have been ongoing for weeks or months. 

For booking MaxAtHome services, call us at: 0124-478-1023 or email at: homecare@maxhealthcare.com.