Life Events

Life events and insomnia (Stress and anxiety)

Life events that cause insomnia are almost always stress and anxiety related, and can include work or personal situations. To sleep well, the mind and body need to be in a state of balance, and when a life event occurs that causes stress or anxiety this balance is disrupted.

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.

Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus – preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand. 1

Stress is managed by the automatic nervous system (ANS) in two actions; the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The sympathetic ANS triggers stress reactions and the parasympathetic ANS relaxes the body back to its normal condition.

Under normal situations the stress response is a short term survival reaction designed to heighten physical and mental abilities in order to better handle a threatening event. However, with today’s modern living this reaction can happen as a long term condition when the parasympathetic ANS fails to reestablish the natural balance resulting in the condition becoming chronic.

Long term or chronic stress is a dangerous condition that keeps the body and mind in abnormally high strung states for which they are not designed. These high strung states create a number of negative symptoms that include:

• Cognitive Symptoms
  • Memory problems
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Poor judgment
  • Seeing only the negative
  • Anxious or racing thoughts
  • Constant worrying

• Emotional Symptoms
  • Moodiness
  • Irritability or short temper
  • Agitation, inability to relax
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Sense of loneliness and isolation
  • Depression or general unhappiness

• Physical Symptoms
  • Aches and pains
  • Diarrhea or constipation
  • Nausea, dizziness
  • Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
  • Loss of sex drive
  • Frequent colds

• Behavioral Symptoms
  • Eating more or less
  • Sleeping too much or too little
  • Isolating yourself from others
  • Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
  • Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
  • Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)