How does insomnia occur?

First, you have certain risk factors. 

Next, there is an event that triggers an initial episode of insomnia.

After a stressor passes or a person adjusts to the change, short-term sleep issues usually go away on their own. 

However, for some, insomnia becomes long-lasting. 

Why?

It ultimately comes down to anxiety and the associated nervous system activation. 

Hyperarousal is a state of nervous system activation that occurs when you are stressed or are under threat. 

Conditioned hyperarousal can lead you to wake up in a state of fear during the night, making it hard to re-enter sleep. 

Perceptions that drive insomnia? 

Perceptions are the thoughts and beliefs you have about your insomnia and sleep. 

Reactions that drive insomnia? 

These include having high reactivity to not sleeping and daytime experiences of fatigue, struggling against difficult emotions or the presence of uncertainty and more. 

Behaviors that drive insomnia? 

These are actions that many people with insomnia take that end up undermining their body’s natural ability to feel tired and fall asleep or that end up increasing their fear of not sleeping. 

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