What factors are associated with insomnia? This is a problem that many people want to understand. In order to have a good quality sleep, we should fully understand what factors are related to insomnia. Insomnia and physical illness Insomnia: Patients have a high rate of physical discomfort symptoms, but after detailed evaluation, the rate of genuine physical illness is not high. Unless there is deliberate and severe “sleep deprivation”, insomnia does not usually lead to serious physical illness. Physical symptoms: Insomniacs often complain of physical problems such as headache, tightness in the chest, difficulty in breathing, palpitations, gastrointestinal discomfort, and muscle aches, which are often one of the many symptoms of “psychosis” itself that trigger “insomnia”. People can easily suffer from insomnia due to physical illness or the accompanying worry, anxiety, depression, etc. Patients with heart disease may suffer from insomnia due to anxiety about the disease, pain caused by the disease itself, metabolic abnormalities, and side effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Other diseases, such as asthma, gastrointestinal ulcer, chronic kidney disease, endocrine diseases, arthritis, neurological diseases (Parkinson’s disease) and excessive obesity, etc., are likely to cause insomnia. Third, insomnia and drugs Many food or drug ingredients may lead to insomnia, for example: caffeine: tea, coffee, cocoa and other beverages. Amphetamines: stimulant drugs, weight loss drugs, etc. Alcohol has a euphoric effect in small amounts and a sleeping effect in large amounts, and alcohol addicts will have withdrawal symptoms once they stop drinking. Ephedrine: such as the ingredients of certain cold medicines. In addition, asthma drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, migraine drugs, hypertension drugs, drugs for overactive children, etc., may trigger insomnia. Fourth, insomnia and mental illness It is reported that 80% of insomnia and mental illness, insomnia is also one of the main symptoms presented by many mental illness. Anxiety psychosis: during the day, you feel panic, anxiety, heartbeat, shaking, headache and other symptoms, and at night, you get out of bed, miscellaneous things come to your mind, tossing and turning, and it is difficult to sleep. Melancholic disorders: depressed mood, boredom, self-blame, guilt. Especially for patients with psychotic depression and menopausal depression, early onset insomnia is one of the elements of the diagnosis. Bipolar disorder: mental hyperactivity, family members often say that the patient cannot sleep, when in fact the patient’s subjective feeling is that he or she is energetic and does not need to sleep or has slept enough. Patients with schizophrenia may suffer from insomnia due to symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. In the early stages of the disease, sleep and dreams are significantly reduced, and there is more “heterogeneous sleep” than normal during the recovery period, which may be a compensatory effect. Alcohol or drug addiction: Inappropriate use of alcohol and certain drugs can affect sleep, and when they are discontinued, “withdrawal syndrome” can occur. Organic brain disorders: Especially in the elderly or those caused by arteriosclerosis, symptoms such as insomnia, agitation, disorientation, and hallucinations often appear at night after a quiet day. Other psychiatric disorders: may be accompanied by restlessness and anxiety leading to insomnia. For example, paranoia, hysteria, personality disorder, etc.