The three causes of chronic insomnia (and how to fix them so you can improve your sleep)

Although there are many initial triggers of sleep issues, there are only three that cause chronic insomnia — and they tend to occur after the initial trigger is no longer relevant.

If you have chronic insomnia, you are dealing with at least one of the following three issues:

1. Homeostatic disruption (in other words, you are not sufficiently sleepy for sleep)
2. Circadian disruption (usually caused by an inappropriate or irregular sleep schedule)
3. High levels of arousal (this includes cognitive arousal, physiological arousal, and conditioned arousal)

Cognitive arousal describes the worries that keep you awake, physiological arousal describes your body's response to arousal (such as a racing heart), and conditioned arousal describes the sense of fear, worry, anxiety or even dread that you have learned to associate with the bed.

Fortunately, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) addresses all three of these issues — and this is exactly why it is such an effective long-term treatment for insomnia.

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My name is Martin Reed and I am the founder of Insomnia Coach®. I offer sleep coaching services that give people with insomnia all the skills and support they need to enjoy better sleep for the rest of their lives. I also offer a free two-week sleep training course for people with insomnia at https://insomniacoach.com/sleep-train...

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All content found on the Insomnia Coach YouTube channel is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice or medical treatment and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or other licensed healthcare provider. All content is provided as is, and without warranties.

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