8 Physical Conditions that Can Cause Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders are serious disorders which disable a person to sleep soundly at night and can lead to several other disorders if left untreated.  These disorders usually have their roots in certain prescription drugs or in certain medical problems which the patient might be suffering from.

Besides this, there are certain physical problems or conditions too which can cause sleep disorders. Let’s take a look at the 8 physical conditions that can lead to sleep disorders:

physical conditions that can cause sleep disorders1. Cardiovascular Diseases

Several cardiovascular diseases can be the reason for sleep disorders and some of them include congestive heart failure and coronary heart disease.  These can cause obstructive sleep apnea.

2. Endocrine Disorders

In some cases, sleep disorders can also be caused when a person is suffering from an endocrine issue like diabetes or thyroid malfunction.  What happens is that the hormones that are released by the thyroid gland tend to regulate the energy levels in the body and a person with hyperthyroidism often sweats a lot at night which can lead to a sleeping disorder.

3. Respiratory Disorders

Those who experience respiratory problems or disorders like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease often also suffer from sleep problems like fragmentation or insomnia.  This happens because the air passages get inflamed in the case of respiratory problems which may create problems in sleeping.

4. Neurological Disorders

There are many neurological problems which too can cause sleep disorders. Some of them include strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.  These can lead to sleep onset insomnia, REM sleep behavior disorder, fragmentation and sleep apnea as well.

5. Kidney Disorders

In the case of kidney disorders, the kidneys are unable to filter out the waste items from the blood and this very thing can also be responsible for causing some sleep disorders like insomnia and restless leg syndrome. Also, in case of kidney disorders, the kidneys are also unable to maintain a proper balance between water and salt. This too could result in sleeping related problems.

6. GERD

Another physical or medical condition which can be the culprit of causing sleep disorders in some people is GERD or Gastroesophageal reflux disease.  When a person is suffering from GERD, then what happens is that the juices in the stomach flow back to the esophagus and this can lead to sleep fragmentation and other related sleep problems.

7. Arthritis

Arthritis is a common problem which affects both men and women. When a person suffers from arthritis, he/she may experience a lot of discomfort and pain which drives sleep away.  Since the pain may make it difficult for a person to sleep at night, it can eventually cause insomnia or other sleep disorders.

8. Mental Disorders

Another physical condition which is often known to cause sleep disorders is mental disorders.  There are many mental disorders or psychological disorders which may cause sleep disorder like sleep fragmentation and insomnia and some of them include bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, seasonal affective disorder and schizophrenia.