Insomnia can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'troubling' to 'very serious'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose insomnia, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder | 97% | Confirm |
Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia | 18% | Unlikely |
Anxiety | 12% | Unlikely |
Hyperthyroidism | 3% | Ruled out |
Copper Toxicity | 0% | Ruled out |
PMS D | 0% | Ruled out |
Magnesium Need | 0% | Ruled out |
Food Allergies | 0% | Ruled out |
Do you have Insomnia (difficulty falling asleep)?
Possible responses:
→ No / don't know→ Occasionally → Often → Very often / always |
Dehydration can cause insomnia through a variety of mechanisms. It causes increased heart rate, headaches, body and muscles aches, and anxiety – all of which make it harder to sleep comfortably. Dehydration also leads to a deficiency of melatonin, which is a major cause of insomnia because it regulates our circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle). Dehydration reduces the amount of tryptophan available to the pineal gland, which produces melatonin.
Drinking ½ a pint to a pint (250 to 500ml) of water about an hour before sleeping will allow most of it to pass through the body and leave enough to run the body's natural processes while sleeping.
Early symptoms of magnesium deficiency can include fatigue, anorexia, irritability, insomnia, and muscle tremors or twitching.