Sleep Disorders (OCR GCSE Psychology): Revision Note

Causes of sleep disorders

• Sleep disorders occur when a person’s sleep does not follow normal patterns

• Two common sleep disorders are:

  • sleep onset insomnia

  • sleep maintenance insomnia

Sleep onset insomnia

• Sleep onset insomnia occurs when a person struggles to fall asleep

• They may sometimes lie awake for hours

• There are multiple causes of this sleep disorder, which include factors such as:

  • psychological

  • lifestyle

  • behavioural

  • physical

Psychological factors

• Ongoing anxiety or stress increases levels of stress hormones (e.g. adrenaline, cortisol), which keep the body alert

• A highly active or worried mind makes it difficult to relax into sleep

Lifestyle and behavioural factors

• Caffeine or nicotine close to bedtime acts as a stimulant and increases alertness

• Video/computer games before bed overstimulate the brain and make it harder to wind down

• Eating a heavy meal late in the evening interferes with digestion, making it uncomfortable to fall asleep

Physical factors

• Physical pain or discomfort can keep the sufferer awake

• This makes it difficult to relax enough to fall asleep

Sleep maintenance insomnia

• Sleep maintenance insomnia happens when a person can fall asleep but wakes repeatedly

• There are multiple causes of this sleep disorder

Psychological factors

• Depression is often associated with early-morning waking or poor sleep quality

• Stress and anxiety cause racing thoughts that make it difficult to fall back asleep once woken

Lifestyle and behavioural factors

• Alcohol consumption may help someone fall asleep initially but disrupts normal sleep cycles later in the night

• Sharing a bed/room with a snoring partner introduces repeated noise disturbances

Physical factors

• Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes uncomfortable sensations and an urge to move the legs, leading to repeated waking

• Menopause (in women) can cause hormonal changes that lead to night sweats and disturbed sleep