Sometimes, the medicine used to treat illness can cause a sleep disorder. Heart disease, endocrine disorders, neurological disorders, respiratory disease, mental illness, gastroesophageal reflux disease, kidney disease, and arthritis are the most common health conditions that can make it hard to sleep.
Congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease are two types of cardiovascular disease. They are the most common heart conditions that can make it hard to sleep and lead to a sleep disorder. Congestive heart failure is when the heart can’t pump enough blood. When this happens, blood backs up in the veins of the heart, which lead to the kidneys. Edema damages the lungs and other organs in the long run. People with congestive heart failure have a very high chance of getting obstructive sleep apnea, which is a sleep disorder. Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fat in the arteries that bring blood to the heart that causes coronary heart disease. Obstructive sleep apnea can also be caused by this condition.
Sleep problems can be due to problems with the endocrine system, like diabetes and thyroid disease. Diabetes changes how the body uses and processes carbs, fats, and proteins. People with diabetes that isn’t under control often get a sleep disorder called restless leg syndrome. Thyroid hormones control how much energy the body has. Hyperthyroidism can make it hard to fall asleep and can wake a person up at night by making them sweat.
Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and strokes are all examples of neurological diseases. Parkinson’s disease is a problem with the central nervous system. This disease affects how the body moves, leading to tremors, unstable posture, slow body movements, stiff muscles, and trouble walking. Some of the sleep problems that come with this disease are REM sleep behavior disorder and trouble falling asleep. Alzheimer’s disease makes it hard for the brain to do things like think and remember. It is the most common cause of dementia and because of this disease, sleep is affected. Epilepsy makes the brain’s electrical activity change quickly and often, but only for a short time. People with this disease are twice as likely to have insomnia.
People with lung diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease often have trouble sleeping. Asthma is a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe when the airways get inflamed and narrow. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a group of lung diseases that make it hard to breathe and hurt the lungs. Many people with these conditions have trouble sleeping.
Sleep problems can also caused by depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder. People with these mental health problems often have trouble sleeping or can’t sleep at all.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition in which the juices from the stomach flow backwards into the esophagus. It leads to a sleep disorder called fragmented sleep.
When you have kidney disease, your kidneys lose the ability to filter the right amount of waste out of your blood and keep the right balance of salt and water in your body. It can lead to problems sleeping like restless leg syndrome and insomnia.
Because of the pain, it’s hard for people with arthritis to fall asleep that often leads to trouble sleeping.
If a health problem leads to a sleep problem, the sleep problem is secondary to the health problem. When the main cause of the sleep disorder is treated, the sleep disorder usually gets better.