Insomnia is a prevalent mental disorder affecting a significant portion of the population. It manifests as a difficulty in sleeping and can become chronic after a certain period. Despite its prominence, the mechanisms behind insomnia’s causes are still not fully explored. The same applies to the disorder’s potential outcomes, the research into which is ongoing. However, some facts are well-established, which allows healthcare specialists to treat insomniac patients and predict/prevent the associated diseases. The essay will highlight what is known about insomnia’s epidemiology and its effects as far as a person’s health is concerned, although it also affects other aspects of one’s life.
Insomnia can have many precursors, some of which will lead to other conditions. For instance, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is said to cause the disorder if it experiences dysregulations (Javeheri & Redline, 2017). The consequences include the elevated activity of the sympathetic nervous system and hormonal imbalance (Javeheri & Redline, 2017). As a result, a person begins experiencing insomnia, which can manifest as a short sleep duration (Javeheri & Redline, 2017). The latter is directly associated with such cardiovascular conditions as hypertension, heart failure (HF), and coronary heart disease (Javeheri & Redline, 2017). They are mostly responsible for mortality cases in insomniac patients as the disorder itself is not lethal, but its consequences may endanger one’s life (Javeheri & Redline, 2017). On the other hand, HF is one of insomnia’s causes, which creates a cycle when one cardiovascular disease leads to insomnia, and it subsequently increases the incidence risk of similar outcomes (Javeheri & Redline, 2017). Thus, insomnia is a result of the dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and, in turn, induces heart conditions with severe effects on one’s well-being, although a cardiovascular disease may also trigger insomnia.
Another prominent cause of insomnia is rooted in genetics, which has been established through family and twin studies. They indicate that the disorder is inheritable to a moderate degree, while the female population is more likely to be affected (Lind & Gehrman, 2016). Although examining twins contributed significantly to proving insomnia’s heritability, determining the exact genes responsible for its development remains challenging due to phenotype inconsistencies (Lind & Gehrman, 2016). Both serotonin and dopamine transporters are subject to genetic studies, and their association with insomnia continues to be supplied with more evidence (Lind & Gehrman, 2016). Their role is to cause hyperarousal through wake-promoting neurons, which prompts insomnia (Lind & Gehrman, 2016). The disorder’s inheritable nature is also evident due to its occurrence in children, who are less susceptible to other common stressors (Lind & Gehrman, 2016). Genetically, insomnia tends to be linked with similar mental conditions but may also result in such a physical health outcome as diabetes because a correlation exists between it and sleep duration (Lind & Gehrman, 2016). Overall, insomnia can be a genetic condition and entail type 2 diabetes, although the connection requires further studies.
Insomnia manifests as a response to trauma, which makes it related to other mental disorders. The traumatizing experience may occur in one’s childhood or adulthood: they differ in rapid eye movement fragmentation, with the former causing its increased form (Hertenstein et al., 2018). As a result, people develop certain conditions, varying from insomnia to depression, and their occurrence depends on many factors (Hertenstein et al., 2018). For instance, an insomniac person is unlikely to have post-traumatic stress disorder beforehand; moreover, such a trait as sleep reactivity makes one more susceptible to insomnia than other outcomes (Hertenstein et al., 2018). Whether the traumatic event happened as a result of the patient’s actions or beyond their control also matters: the former is more likely to provoke guilt and shame, which increases insomnia’s likelihood (Hertenstein et al., 2018). However, even if comorbidity does not develop initially, the latter will still serve as a foundation for other mental disorders (Hertenstein et al., 2018). Insomnia increases the risk of anxiety, depression, psychosis, and alcohol abuse, with the first two being particularly prominent outcomes (Hertenstein et al., 2018). Altogether, insomnia may be caused by trauma and induce other mental conditions.
Insomnia has multiple causes, and its health outcomes are also varied. One of the phenomena triggering it is the dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which affects the nervous system and hormones. As a consequence, insomnia develops and leads to cardiovascular conditions, which may significantly threaten a person’s well-being. Another cause is genetics, meaning that the disorder is inheritable by some of the population, affecting dopamine and serotonin transporters responsible for hyperarousal. In that case, insomnia may result in type 2 diabetes, which also has genetic correlations. Lastly, insomnia occurs as a trauma response, substituting other disorders, such as anxiety and PTSD, but it does not completely negate them. Furthermore, they tend to develop later due to sleep shortness, which is one of insomnia’s symptoms. Judging by the studied information, insomnia presents a vicious cycle, being both an outcome of another disorder or its main cause, insinuating that an afflicted person may struggle with treating the condition.
References
Hertenstein, E., Feige, B., Gmeiner, T., Kienzler, C., Spiegelhalder, K., Johann, A., Jansson-Fröjmark, M., Palagini, L., Rücker, G., Riemann, D., & Baglioni, C. (2018). Insomnia as a predictor of mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 43, 96-105.
Javaheri, S., & Redline, S. (2017). Insomnia and risk of cardiovascular disease. Chest, 152(2), 435-444.
Lind, M., & Gehrman, P. (2016). Genetic pathways to insomnia. Brain Sciences, 6(4), 64-81.